Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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657. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to extend the number of therapeutic hubs providing support to children in care across the country; whether more funding will be provided to Tusla to grow the number of therapeutic hubs and to resource them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35999/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is required under the Child and Family Agency Act (2013) to support and promote the welfare and protection of children; to support and encourage the effective functioning of families; and to provide services relating to the psychological welfare of children and their families (excluding the provision of specialist mental health services for children).

Tusla has committed to a strategic approach seeking to deliver an integrated framework for therapeutic services as part of a three-year plan to establish the high-level framework and operating model for Tusla Therapeutic Services. As part of this plan Tusla has established multi-disciplinary teams across six service areas by recruiting Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists to work with existing therapeutic staff such as psychologists.

Tusla has advised that the focus of these teams is on the early identification of therapeutic needs of children on admission to care, including children to be placed in foster care, which will inform their care plan. Tusla has advised that the teams in the six service areas are now nearly at full strength. I am also aware that it is an aim of Tusla that 100% of new children or young people coming into State care in the six areas where Therapeutic Teams have been funded will have multidisciplinary input into their care planning.

Tusla has set out a specific action within its 2025 Business Plan to enhance the provision of its therapeutic services at regional level in line with its reform programme, with €2.38m in expenditure planned for this purpose.

Budget 2025 saw record investment in Tusla's overall budget, with a 14% increase, amounting to an additional €145m, allocated to the Agency. Any additional funding requirements in respect of Tusla’s Therapeutic Services in the upcoming estimates process will be given due consideration by officials in my Department.