Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 November 2025
264. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of child protection referrals in 2023 and 2024 that involved repeat referrals for the same child, and the number of these referrals that led to a change in priority level. [66373/25]
View answer266. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children who are waiting for a safety plan to be completed, by Tusla area; and the longest waiting time recorded. [66375/25]
View answer267. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children who are waiting for therapeutic support following a child protection referral, by service type and region; and the average waiting time. [66376/25]
View answer268. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of referrals made to each Barnahus centre in 2023 and 2024; and the number of cases where full interagency work began within the expected time frame. [66377/25]
View answer269. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number and percentage of Tusla front-line staff who have completed each mandatory and specialist training course on child sexual abuse; and the date of the most recent audit. [66378/25]
View answer270. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of high-priority child protection cases that remain unallocated in each Tusla area as of the most recent reporting date. [66379/25]
View answer272. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the level of funding allocated to child protection and welfare services in each of the past five years; and the proportion of this funding spent on front-line staffing, training, and ICT systems. [66381/25]
View answer274. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average and highest child protection caseload levels held by social workers in each Tusla area; and the measures in place to reduce caseload pressure. [66383/25]
View answer276. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of HIQA recommendations for Tusla that remain outstanding at national level; and the date of the most recent Departmental review of these outstanding items. [66385/25]
View answer277. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of child protection cases where delays have been caused by multi-agency actions involving education, health, or Garda services; and the steps she is taking to improve coordination. [66386/25]
View answer278. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of out-of-hours calls received by Tusla in 2023 and 2024; and the number of these calls that required emergency intervention. [66387/25]
View answer279. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of quality assurance checks carried out on child protection files in each Tusla area in 2023 and 2024, and the number of files found to require further action. [66388/25]
View answer280. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason Tusla does not collect national data on average waiting times for the allocation of child protection cases; the date on which her Department last reviewed this data-collection gap; and the steps she will take to ensure that waiting-time data is collected and published for every Tusla area. [66442/25]
View answer281. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of unallocated child protection and welfare cases in each Tusla area as of the most recent reporting date, including the number of cases categorised as high, medium, and low priority. [66443/25]
View answer282. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans to introduce mandatory reassessment triggers for child protection cases, including automatic reprioritisation following a second or subsequent referral, and to set out the Department’s current policy position on such triggers. [66444/25]
View answer283. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions taken by her Department in response to recent HIQA findings that children at risk of sexual abuse in Dublin south central were not receiving timely safety planning or therapeutic support; and the reforms she will prioritise nationally to ensure timely intervention in such cases. [66445/25]
View answer284. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current staffing levels assigned to Barnahus West, Barnahus South, and Barnahus East; the number of unfilled posts; the expected timeline for full staffing at each site; and the projected caseload capacity when fully operational. [66446/25]
View answer285. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the compliance timelines, milestones, and performance metrics agreed with Tusla following the HIQA inspections in February 2024 and April 2025; and the mechanism used by her Department to monitor delivery against these commitments at area, regional, and national level. [66447/25]
View answer286. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the interim supports, therapeutic or otherwise, that are provided to children assessed as being at risk of sexual abuse while awaiting allocation to a Tusla worker; and the protocols in place to ensure no child remains without support during extended waiting periods. [66448/25]
View answer287. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an assessment of the adequacy of current training and continuous professional development provided to Tusla front-line staff in identifying and responding to risks of child sexual abuse, and if further reforms are planned. [66449/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 264, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 272, 274, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286 and 287 together.
Statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy
