Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:58. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the progress being made to provide alternatives to assessment of needs. [65850/26]
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Disabilities Assessments
I ask for an update on assessments of need. There are now over 23,000 on the waiting list. This is not working for anybody, particularly families who are awaiting services and therapies. Since August, the autism assessment service has been up and running and the disability amendment Bill has been brought to Cabinet. I ask for an update on how this is going and how we can improve the circumstances for the children and families who need therapy.
I thank the Deputy for his question. I know my office followed up with his office to fully understand where he is coming from on this. I understand he wants an update on the autism assessment and intervention pathways protocol as well as assessment of need, AON, waiting lists.
The autism assessment and intervention protocol is being implemented by the HSE and it will be the preferred assessment route for autism. It will provide a standardised assessment process across primary care, mental health and disability services. This may reduce reliance by parents on the assessment of need process as a means of acquiring a diagnosis. It is important to be aware that children who are managed through this pathway or children managed through any pathway retain their right to apply for an assessment of need.
The protocol and assessments generally will be supported by the creation of 11 HSE in-reach teams, providing clinical guidance and administrative support to staff across the HSE services, delivering assessments and interventions to autistic people. Positions in these teams are currently being filled, with interviews being scheduled or offers being made to candidates from existing panels. It is anticipated and hoped that all 11 teams will be in place by the end of the year.
As the Deputy said, there are huge challenges arising from this significant increase in demand for assessments of need in recent years and it is clear that change is needed. There has been progress in recent years with a noticeable increase in the number of completed applications. Over 5,900 assessment of need reports were completed last year, which was a 43% increase compared to the previous year. Over 3,343 assessment reports were completed in the first six months of this year. This improvement must continue at a rapid pace. As the Deputy mentioned, significant legislative and operational work is under way to improve the AON process and to reduce waiting times.
I suppose that information is the information that is available, even from the press release yesterday. I would like the Minister of State to get into some detail on what is being proposed in the legislation because we are talking about statutory guidelines that will standardise the assessment of need processes and procedures State-wide. The statutory guidelines will be used by the HSE to ensure consistency in how assessments are carried out across the State. I would like know how exactly this is going to happen because this is going to come on us very quickly. It is obviously about what exactly is meant by focusing on the needs of the child. Will the Minister of State also give the latest updated number for those who are on the waiting list for reassessment of need?
At this point in time, it is a breach of the law where the State is meant to provide that assessment of need within six months and obviously that has not been happening. I can only assume what we are talking about now is from the point of view of trying to streamline. It is about seeing how that works and how this will improve the lot of those people who are on the waiting list and their families.
I thank the Deputy and all members of the Oireachtas committee who were involved in the joint Oireachtas committee, JOC, report on this. As the Deputy is aware, a Bill proposing targeted amendment of the Disability Act went before Cabinet yesterday. The disability (amendment) Bill 2026 will introduce changes to make the AON process more efficient, consistent, fair and transparent while maintaining a person's statutory right to an assessment.
As the Deputy mentioned, this will come at us quite quickly because so much preparatory work has been done in this regard, both on the standardised guidelines that will underpin it but also through the work of the Deputy's JOC. We hope to have this in the House on Second Stage next week. I look forward to being able to discuss it with the Deputy more at that point.
Could we actually see the Bill as quickly as possible?
Yes.
Usually, I do not trust myself when I am doing a search online but I have not been able to see the wording of the Bill, so I ask that we ensure copies go out from that point of view.
We will.
I checked it with somebody else because I would never generally trust myself in my ability to search for documentation.
Could I get the updated number of those on the waiting list for assessment of need at this point in time and over the six months? I accept the Minister of State is saying that people are not losing that statutory right so there is a need to deliver on that. I understand she will explain it more next week, but how will this streamlining process work in relation to AON? When will we see the offering of the autism intervention protocol and autism assessment service? When will that improve things and will it provide an alternative pathway so parents and those children can get the diagnosis required for getting the service they absolutely need?
The autism protocol was launched before the summer. Since then, HSE staff have been trained up in it so the anticipation is that this will be formally rolled out next month. We are waiting for a full update from the HSE in that regard, but I know a lot of work has gone into the training since then and the launch has put this into focus in terms of the specific figure the Deputy is looking for. The HSE reports that at the end of June, 23,282 children were overdue an assessment of need report within the statutory timeframe. Obviously, that is completely unacceptable and is something we are very committed to changing. That is why we are bringing in a number of reforms to change that. Part of that reform package will be the Bill coming before the House next month.
The autism assessment and protocol will also be part of how we help address this, as well as single point of access which the HSE is rolling out to ensure there is no wrong door for families. We will also continue our wait-list initiative to ensure we are continuing to supplement our teams and CDNT teams by outsourcing to ensure we can get through those numbers as quickly as possible because it is totally unacceptable. I will point out that an assessment of need is not required to access services and the number on our waiting list for CDNT teams has reduced quite significantly in recent years. Therapies are being provided to many of those children which is very important.
Disability Services
Liam Quaide
Ceist:59. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is aware of the National Disability Services Needs Analysis commissioned by the HSE and undertaken by an organisation (details supplied); whether the final report will be published in full in order to inform the Oireachtas and the public of the scale of unmet need and pressures across disability services, and to support scrutiny of future service planning, funding and capital investment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65592/26]
The campaign group Before We Die has been seeking access to a report undertaken by Grant Thornton and commissioned by the HSE, under the title of the national disability services needs analysis. This appears to be a major examination of need across disability services intended to inform future planning, funding and investment. Yet, the HSE has told Before We Die that the report will not be published while at the same time saying the report is not being withheld. Why is a report of this importance being kept out of public view? Will the Minister of State commit to publishing it once it is completed?
I thank Deputy Quaide. I am aware the HSE has commissioned a national disability services needs analysis and the publication of this report is a matter for the HSE. The focus on my Department to identify the scale of unmet need is the work that is currently under way on the disability capacity review, which will go to 2040. This is an update to the disability capacity review 2032, a review of disability, social care demand and capacity requirements, which was published in July 2021. It provides estimates of current and future requirements for community-based disability services and supports. It also identifies costings, based on projections of the future size and age structure of the future disability population out to 2032 and estimates of the scale of unmet need. The updated review will extend the horizon to 2040 and work is ongoing. The publication of that report will follow once it is completed. Using updated methodology, it will project future user demand, age structures, needs profiles and required resourcing of specialist disability services.
The service areas and supports covered will include residential day services, respite, home support and personal assistance, children's disability network teams and multidisciplinary teams. The updated projections will use a variety of updated data sources on current and future demand for specialist services among adults, children and young people. These include the national ability support system, the CDNT information management system, IMS, the HSE day services database and the census among others. The update will use the most recent data available where possible. In most cases, this means data from 2025 though the use of data for projections is also governed by technical considerations such as representativeness and availability. Given the extensive scope of the capacity review, expert stakeholder engagement is and has been an important part of the developmental process and the updated review has involved a variety of organisations so far. There will be continued consultation with relevant organisations throughout.
The separation of the Minister of State's decision-making around the publication of the Grant Thornton report from the HSE's decision-making is perplexing because this report seems to span across disability services.
As we all know, there are children waiting years for therapies, families unable to get adequate respite or home support, young people falling into gaps as they reach adulthood, adults living with ageing parents who have no idea what will happen when they can no longer care for them, older adults with no consistent care pathway, and people being placed far from their families because services have not been planned locally. Behind those figures are people living with immense stress, uncertainty and exhaustion. The HSE has commissioned this work to establish the scale of current and future need. The draft material clearly confirms that demand is outstripping capacity and that planning, funding, capital and investment are not aligned with long-term needs. If that is the HSE's own analysis, why on earth would the response be not to publish it?
The information that I have is that the HSE commissioned the report to conduct the national disability service needs analysis in the spring of this year. The HSE stated that the report was intended as a baseline planning exercise rather than a definitive assessment of future disability services requirements. It was designed to identify trends, pressures and areas requiring further examination rather than to provide a conclusive statement of need. The work examined demand, capacity, workforce requirements, service pathways and regional variation with the intention of informing future internal planning, internal policy development and investment decisions. The Deputy is right that it is up to the HSE whether to publish the report and the information I have is that it has decided not to do so due to recognition of the limitations in the underlying data and the significant caveats that accompany the analysis. The findings of the needs analysis will continue to be used internally to inform strategic thinking and contribute to ongoing planning work. However, it is the body of work that my Department is doing that is giving us a more holistic view, a better landscape to operate in and more information.
I thank the Before We Die group, which the Deputy referred to, for its involvement as a stakeholder. The information the HSE has given me is that it received a slide deck of how its contributions were evidenced in the needs analysis.
I thank the Minister of State. I find this rationale extraordinary. For years, disabled people and their families have told us that services have developed reactively, after people reach crisis points, if they are developed at all. The HSE has now commissioned what sounds like a substantial analysis drawing together population data, waiting lists, workforce information and the experiences of families, providers and disabled people. Before We Die participated in that research and is now being denied access to it. The response, as I mentioned, from the HSE was that it is not being published but it is not being withheld. That sounds like a phrase straight out of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. It is completely contradictory. The context here is one of abject political failure, chronic neglect of services and immense suffering as a result, documented over and over again across the disability sector. We need the figures to set that out systematically and begin addressing it. If the report exposes serious gaps, publish it. If the data have limitations, publish these too. Do not commission a major analysis of what disabled people need and then bury the findings. Who in the HSE decided not to publish it? Will the Minister of State intervene in that decision?
The HSE has decided not to publish it. This is its report and it is not for me to publish it. I will provide the Deputy's feedback to the HSE and I ask that he do the same. It is important to note that the HSE report was baseline to help inform current need and capital planning. What my the Minister, Deputy Foley, I and the team in the Department are doing is working to provide a disability capacity review to 2040 that will look further to the future and will have wider scope. That is the report that is most relevant here. It is important that we publish it afterwards and that we work hard to ensure it gives a holistic and accurate view of the current landscape and future needs. That is why we are focusing on that report. An awful lot of work has gone into it. I have mentioned the national disability support system, the CDNT information management system, the HSE day services and the census. Many data points are going into this. That report will give us the information that we need to be able to plan better. That is the report that I am focused on.
Childcare Services
Claire Kerrane
Ceist:60. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the eight locations for State-led childcare facilities. [66144/26]
I send my best wishes to Deputy Michael Healy-Rae and his family. I ask the Minister for an update on the eight locations that will be chosen for the first time for State-led childcare facilities.
I join the Deputy in sending best wishes to my constituency colleague, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. We are mindful of what he has had to endure and we wish him the speediest of recoveries. I am also mindful of his family. This is a traumatic time for them too. I know the whole House sends our best wishes.
On the Deputy's question, substantial progress has been made in the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme, which was launched at the end of January. The full business cases are being developed for a number of projects in preparation for final approval, with some of these close to completion now. Projects are developed into full business cases following the approval of a preliminary business case in line with the framework set out in the infrastructure guidelines. The nature and the development of the work required to prepare the full business case varies by project. They are all different and individual. It can include things like independent property valuation, building surveying, due diligence checks on the property, conveyancing, procurement and appointment of technical advisers, detailed design work and associated cost planning and operator selection. This is all required to be underpinned by appropriate legal and contractual arrangements.
In some instances, properties are at the point of being sale agreed. Operator selection has been undertaken in some projects and will proceed shortly in the case of others. A cost harmonisation exercise is being undertaken across the programme to ensure consistency in the reporting of capital costs and inform investment decisions, particularly from a cost transparency perspective. This is due to be completed in the coming weeks.
The projects currently being developed at full business case stage are spread across the country and, combined, would deliver more than 700 new places. I intend to make an announcement in the coming weeks regarding these specific projects following the agreement of sale prices. In parallel, a further tranche of projects has been prepared as preliminary business cases to bring forward to the steering group meeting later this month and I hope further projects will be approved in principle after that.
I thank the Minister for the update. It is important that we see that substantial progress as we approach October and come almost to the end of the year. There are many eyes on where the eight locations will be. I appreciate I sound like a broken record about Boyle in County Roscommon. The feasibility study about the need in Boyle in north Roscommon is that there are 20 childcare places per 1,043 households. I have lost count of how many times I have put that on the Dáil record, but the Minister will be aware, or her Department will be aware, of a former childcare building that was available in the town and was made known to the county childcare committee and her Department, the forward planning unit of which is leading on this. I want to make that case once again. I appreciate and welcome that a decision will be made in the coming weeks.
The Deputy is right. I appreciate that there are many eyes on this and there is great interest in this initiative, it being the first time that the State is actually stepping in this area with the State-led early learning and childcare initiative. I intend to make the announcement in the coming weeks. I am conscious of the case the Deputy makes about her own area. She has made it eloquently and consistently. I acknowledge Deputy Martin Daly has also made it eloquently and consistently, as have many local councillors. I am conscious of Deputy Kerrane's and Deputy Martin Daly's interest in this area. We are continuing to take applications. This is a long-term commitment by the Government. It is time-consuming. There is the initial business case, then the full business case and then commercial negotiations, which are sensitive. We are pleased with the progress that has been made and look forward to the coming weeks.
I have raised with the Minister many times the matter of looking at other ways that we can quickly build capacity. The State-led approach is one for sure, but there is also the building blocks programme. I again ask that consideration be given to allowing building blocks capital to be used to buy existing buildings. In many towns, particularly in rural areas like my own, across Roscommon and Galway, there are buildings. It is the quickest way to build badly needed capacity in the early years sector.
The other point that is important to make is that we can forget about capacity if we do not have the workforce. Far too many early years educators are being lost. They are leaving the sector.
Pay is a major issue that needs to be resolved. We will not have State-led services and growing capacity to meet demand or come anywhere close to meeting demand if we do not respect and recognise the workforce. That means paying them adequately and what they deserve and respecting the profession. That needs to be looked at in this Dáil term.
I agree with the Deputy on looking at every possible mechanism that we have to extend capacity. The building blocks scheme is one. In terms of it being State-led, the State is stepping in, particularly with the purchase of buildings. The State will continue to purchase buildings or build them, if that is required in an area. There is also the building blocks scheme for extensions. We are looking at a suite of measures that will, in the quickest timeframe possible, deliver availability or additional availability by supporting providers to do that or through the State stepping in.
I agree with the Deputy on the importance of the workforce. There is no point in having buildings if we do not have the workforce. We have a valuable and important workforce currently working in the system and we want more staff in the system. The Deputy will be aware that over two years the Government has invested over €90 million arising from an employment regulation order. The Deputy knows my views on wanting that to be expedited and put in place as quickly as possible.
Departmental Policies
Ken O'Flynn
Ceist:61. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the mechanism her Department uses to assess whether policies developed in the name of equality are having unintended or disproportionate impacts on the rights of other groups, particularly children, women and girls; whether she considers that equality policy should require an assessment of the competing rights, privacy, dignity and safety of those affected before such policies are implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65690/26]
I thank the Deputy and appreciate the question. As Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, I am always conscious of the potential impacts of the work of the Department and others on the rights of children, women and girls. Indeed, my work has a very strong focus on improving conditions for women and children across this country. Equally, the Department of public expenditure and reform leads on the equality budgeting programme, which seeks to identify the impacts of policies and expenditure across a broad range of equality grounds. The European Institute for Gender Equality, EIGE, undertakes an assessment of the impact of actions by governments on gender equality. It has found the Government's action on equality for women and girls to have positive impacts and placed Ireland sixth in the EU on its gender equality index for 2025, up from ninth in the EU in 2024.
Across government, there are established mechanisms in place when formulating new policies, including public consultation, reviewing the available evidence and undertaking further research or legal analysis, where appropriate, and stakeholder engagement. As Minister, I inform my Government colleagues of proposals and, whenever appropriate, seek their agreement. Government approval is required for significant new or revised policies or strategies which must indicate any impacts on equality. Government approval is also required at several points before the publication of legislation.
As the Deputy is aware, the general scheme, or draft heads, of a Bill undergoes scrutiny by an Oireachtas committee before the text of the Bill is finalised. The relevant Oireachtas committee will usually invite stakeholders to participate in this process. A Bill must then pass through five Stages in both the Dáil and Seanad before it can be enacted.
In order to ensure a more inclusive and fair society, policymakers need access to data related to equality. Robust and comprehensive evidence allows the Government to design and evaluate policies and services more effectively. Disaggregated data, or data broken down by characteristics such as age or gender, allows policymakers to compare the outcomes for population groups. That is why we published the National Equality Data Strategy 2026-2031 earlier this year. The strategy provides a framework to support the collection and use of equality data across government.
I thank the Minister for her reply but, with respect, it did not answer the question I asked. I did not ask whether she is committed to equality. I asked for the mechanisms. When a policy or recommendation is made by the Department in the name of equality, what is the actual process for checking whether it takes the rights away from somebody else? In my question, I named women, children and girls. I do not have to look very far for an example of that. We can go back before the summer recess. I trust the Minister is rested and had time to enjoy the summer. In that time, I hope she finally took the opportunity to read the book What's the T?, which was recommended for 15-year-old girls by a State-funded body's Pride reading list. Last year, the Minister told the public that she was not familiar with it, yet the well-respected former Minister, Charlie Flanagan, said he had raised the issue with her and asked her to read it back in 2023. Her own office was emailed excerpts of the book in March of this year. The point is that if a sexually explicit book can be recommended to children in the name of inclusion and nobody in the Department can tell me who checked whether it was safe for those children, the mechanism I am asking about does not exist. If it did, it would be in the Oireachtas Library. Does the assessment exist? It is a "Yes" or "No". If so, could I have an example of that assessment?
To reiterate, in terms of the book the Deputy referenced, the Department has no role in the oversight or recommendation of any of the books referenced. There is no role for the Department to do that.
On the Deputy's specific question on what exactly happens regarding assessments that are made of impacts on children, women and girls from an equality point of view, I have made very clear to him that when any Department is bringing forward any kind of policy or strategy, there must be a robust interrogation of it. If anything new is being introduced, it goes before a committee. There is an interrogation at committee level. As I referenced, any policy introduced is also analysed by EIGE, which placed Ireland sixth in terms of equality for women and girls in 2025, up from ninth. I also told the Deputy that the Department of public expenditure leads an equality rights budgeting programme. That also seeks to analyse the impacts of policies and expenditure across a broad range of equality grounds. I have been very clear on the mechanisms that are in place.
The Minister did not answer my question on whether she read the book or not, but she made the statement, in respect of those types of book, that her Department has nothing to do with it. This may come as a surprise to her, but she is the Minister for children and equality. These are recommended books describing sexual acts to 15-year-old children. If the buck does not stop with her, as the Minister, where does it stop? Where is the mechanism that protects those children? That is what I am asking about today.
The Minister's reply was very disappointing. Will she come clean to the House and tell us whether she has read the book or the excerpts? Will she tell us who was telling the truth and who was not telling the truth? Was it her or the former Minister, Charlie Flanagan? What is the story? If the buck does not stop with her, who does it stop with? This is about the protection of children. When explicit books are being recommended to children and placed on a reading list for children, I would think the Minister for children is surely responsible.
To be very clear, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality has no role in the publication of books. The Department neither publishes the books, and nor does it recommend them. That has nothing to do with the Department.
Deputy O'Flynn referred to an account given by a former Deputy. I have said that I do not share that account. I have a different remembrance of the engagement I had with the former Deputy, and it is completely at odds with what he has suggested. Notwithstanding that, Deputy O'Flynn asked what mechanisms we employ in terms of equality and ensuring that there are not any disproportionate impacts. That is specifically what is written in the Deputy's question. He asked what mechanisms are in place that might protect against unintended or disproportionate impacts on the rights of other groups, particularly children, women and girls. I have clearly outlined to the Deputy that there are a number of mechanisms in place, including in the Department of public expenditure from a budgetary point of view, the analysis done by the European Institute for Gender Equality, the responsibility placed on every Department to analyse the impacts of whatever policies or strategies it is introducing, or the role played by the wider Dáil in the legislation going through the House.
Children in Care
Mattie McGrath
Ceist:62. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in Tusla care who have come to the attention of An Garda Síochána in each of the past five years; whether Tusla is adequately providing for children at risk of reoffending; and the number of juvenile detention beds. [66252/26]
There is growing concern among many parents, guardians, teachers, youth workers, gardaí and many others across society about the number of young people who are displaying challenging and disruptive behaviour. Some are even going on to commit crimes. Will the Minister make a statement on the matter, please?
The Government's youth justice strategy 2021-2027 identifies family support, early intervention and community-based diversion programmes as key components in preventing offending and promoting desistance. Enhanced family engagement through Garda youth diversion projects, Tusla services and reintegration planning is regarded as an essential element of effective youth justice practice in Ireland.
It is important to note that Tusla's remit is primarily focused on child protection rather than on the prevention of crime. That is important. The prevention of crime is a matter for the Department of justice while child protection is a matter for Tusla. Tusla works hand in hand with An Garda Síochána as both State organisations work together to help children and families who need their combined assistance.
Officials from the Department are in regular contact with officials in the Department of justice in particular by way of engagement through the youth justice oversight and youth justice governance and strategy groups. These help to implement the youth justice strategy 2021-2027, which is led by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Under this strategy the Government committed to strengthening family support interventions, including through the Department of justice's youth diversion projects.
At the core of the Children Act 2001 is the premise of detention as a last resort. This is a critical factor to understand in the youth justice system. The Garda national youth diversion bureau's role is to keep young people who offend out of the formal criminal justice system where appropriate and reduce the risk of reoffending.
Although family support is a central pillar of Irish youth justice policy, I am advised by my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, that there remains a need for more robust Irish outcome data specifically measuring the extent to which family support interventions reduce reoffending among young people. Current policy is informed largely by international evidence and by broader assessments of youth diversion and early intervention programmes.
It is important to recognise that the overwhelming majority of children in the care system will never come into contact with An Garda Síochána, let alone be in conflict with the law. It is important to say that. The vast majority of children in care never, ever come to the attention of An Garda Síochána and it would be remiss of us to suggest otherwise.
Of course, we all want to see the optimal result. We do not want to see any children to be involved in antisocial and disruptive behaviour but unfortunately there are. The Minister gave a nice flowery answer there that she is responsible for the welfare of children and not if they are offending but they are both intrinsically linked. Does the Minister have concern about the increasing number of young people engaging in persistent antisocial and offending behaviour? What does she intend to do about the situation and the cause of that trend? Is she satisfied that Tusla, schools, youth services and other State agencies have the resources and supports necessary to intervene effectively with at-risk children?
We also know a lot of children in the care of Tusla and the State have gone missing in the past couple of years. That is an appalling vista. The Minister’s answer here is not really helpful. We need to get to the bottom of this. It is a growing trend and it is worrying. While the vast majority of children do not do this - and we are delighted about that; it is great – we need to have accountability.
I absolutely appreciate the Deputy’s concern. I think we all share the concern. However, I must also speak to the fact and the fact is the vast majority of children who are in the care of the State never, ever come into contact with An Garda Síochána. In fact, I would say they thrive with positive intervention and it is not appropriate to suggest otherwise. There is a close working relationship between the Department of justice and my Department, with my Department looking at it from a child welfare point of view and with the Department of justice looking at it from a crime prevention point of view.
There are more than 5,000 children in the care of the State. A very small number come from particularly complex and challenged backgrounds and it is for that reason they are in the care of the State but that is a very small percentage. In that respect, I want to acknowledge the work that is done by Tusla in terms of family support. I can list some of the family supports that are there. For example, there are parenting supports, which are overseen by Tusla and its partner community and voluntary organisations. These include parenting supports to help parents feel confident and capable in their parenting role, targeted outreach programmes designed to reach specific groups of families who may be at risk of social exclusion-----
I call Deputy McGrath.
I agree with the Minister about the vast majority, thankfully, but it is the minority who are involved in this behaviour. It is also a sad minority who have gone missing in State care under the watch of Tusla. A previous Minister said he did not lose a wink of sleep. Pat Rabbitte is a former chairman of the board of Tusla. I think Tusla is wholly unfit for purpose. Goodness, accountability is not there. Children can go missing. We saw from the UCD report some time ago how children were being trafficked in hotels in Cork when they were under State care. This is a shocking vista. You cannot just wish it away by saying the vast majority of children are not involved in antisocial behaviour. Thankfully, they are not. We all have responsibilities, including parents, to ensure that. However, the ones who fall through the cracks and who do end up in State care deserve to be minded, nurtured, rehabilitated and taken care of and, above all, the State should know where they are. If they are not with their family and are in State care, the State should know where they are, whether they are accounted for, whether they are missing or whether they are being trafficked or involved in other horrible activities like that. It is a shocking situation.
To reiterate, we are all concerned with any young people who find themselves in difficult situations. I am mindful there is a percentage of children, and not just children in State care but children who are not in State care, who find themselves involved with An Garda Síochána or who find themselves involved with crime or whatever. That is not just exclusive to the children-----
That was my question.
That is not exclusive to the very small minority who are in State care who find themselves in very similar circumstances. Other children outside State care find themselves in similar situations. For that reason, there are significant supports being made available from a family point of view to support families and young people so that they can readjust their lives, whether that is by way of counselling and therapeutic supports, a strengthening of the family resource centres - the Deputy will be aware that service has increased by 15 in the past year and a half to 136 family resource centres - services provided by the 12 area based childhood programmes, ABC programmes, which see parents, as the first and most important carers and educators in their children's lives, can be supported. There are also 121 Tusla child and family support networks and 27 children and young people’s service committees. There are a number of support agencies working to ensure that children get the best possible opportunities and supports in life.