Peadar Tóibín
Ceist:1048. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of social workers working in the Irish Prison Service. [33799/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMonday, 9 September 2024
Ceisteanna (1048)
Freagraí scríofa
I wish to advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service do not employ social workers directly.
The services of many support workers are provided by a variety of external agencies and are not directly employed by the Irish Prison Service.
Probation Officers, many of whom are social work qualified, are assigned to work in prison settings nationally and work with individuals in custody as valued members of multi-disciplinary teams. This can mean working closely with prison staff, psychologists, addiction specialists and community based organisations.
As of 31 August 2024, there are 34.9 (FTE) Probation Officers engaged in this work, alongside 1 Probation Assistant, 2 Assistant Principal Probation Officers and 7 Senior Probation Officers.