Written Answers Nos. 482-502
482. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the geographical criteria used in determining placement for respite care for adults with intellectual disability; if a home address in a specific county automatically disqualifies an individual from accessing respite care in another county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29265/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
483. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason an application for respite by a person (details supplied) has been refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29266/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
484. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason a person has been unable to apply for residency (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29267/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to thank the Deputy for raising this question. As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
485. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a national policy framework exists governing the pricing of private residential childcare placements funded by the State; and if she will outline the key components of that framework. [29297/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThank you, Deputy, for your question.
The Department is currently developing Ireland’s first National Policy Framework for Alternative Care which will include:
• A short-term action plan addressing current issues in accessing appropriate alternative care places, and:
• A long-term vision for how the alternative care system will operate into the future.
It is the Department’s ambition that the National Policy Framework for Alternative Care will improve outcomes for the vulnerable individuals who are known to this service. The framework will not govern the pricing of private residential childcare placements, however.
As an independent agency under the provisions of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, Tusla is independent in the performance of its functions. Tusla procures services from external suppliers in compliance with relevant legislation and procurement rules to ensure value for money. Tusla is committed to achieving value for money in procuring all goods and services.
Tusla, as an independent body, requires the autonomy and flexibility to make decisions within the budget allocated in discharging its statutory responsibilities. Under the Child Care Act, Tusla must have the best interests of the child as its paramount consideration. It actively monitors every placement of every child in care to ensure its appropriateness to the needs of that child, and any concerns or breaches of standards or regulations are addressed in this context.
The Department works proactively and constructively with Tusla at all levels to address issues related to the provision of alternative care services, safeguard the needs of vulnerable children and families and secure value for money.
486. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether standardised national pricing bands, cost ceilings, or benchmark rates are applied to private residential childcare placements; and if so, the basis on which such rates are determined. [29298/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThank you Deputy, for your question. As this relates to an operational matter within Tusla I have referred your question to Tusla to reply directly to you.
487. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the approval process required where the cost of a private residential childcare placement exceeds any standard or indicative rate; and the level of authorisation required in such cases. [29299/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThank you Deputy, for your question. As this relates to an operational matter within Tusla I have referred your question to Tusla to reply directly to you.
488. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total annual expenditure by Tusla on private residential childcare placements for each of the past five years, in tabular form. [29300/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
489. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average weekly cost per private residential childcare placement for each of the past five years; and the range between the lowest and highest weekly placement costs in each year. [29301/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
490. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department or Tusla has identified any upward trend in the cost of private residential childcare placements; and if so, the factors identified as driving such increases. [29302/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
491. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of private providers currently delivering residential childcare placements funded by the State; and the proportion of all placements delivered by private providers versus public provision. [29303/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
492. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any analysis has been conducted on market concentration within private residential childcare provision; and if so, whether any risks relating to provider dependency or limited competition have been identified. [29304/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThank you Deputy, for your question. As this relates to an operational matter within Tusla I have referred your question to Tusla to reply directly to you.
493. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the State has a strategic plan to reduce reliance on private residential childcare placements through expansion of public provision; and the timeline for such measures. [29305/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Children, Disability and Equality has resourced Tusla to maintain and expand its provision of services through significant additional funding across successive Budgets. In Budget 2026, an overall increase of €177 million was secured for Tusla, representing a 14% increase in Tusla’s budget over its 2025 allocation. This brings Tusla’s total funding to over €1.4 billion for 2026. This increase includes an additional €53 million for mainstream residential care. Tusla plans to invest a total of €286 million in expanding mainstream residential care in 2026, increasing the number of placements for children in need to over 800.
Further, Tusla has opened an additional 38 residential care placements in 2025 and is on track to open a further 47 additional placements in 2026 and into 2027. Tusla has said that a further six properties are in the process of acquisition. In terms of staffing, Tusla is working to increase its workforce capacity through new supply routes, such as its apprenticeship programme, improved recruitment of social workers and social care workers, which has increased by 11% over the last three years, and improved retention of staff.
Section 41 of the Child and Family Act, 2013 stipulates that the Minister provides guidance to Tusla in the form of the Performance Framework, which is published every three years. The Performance Framework is an opportunity to provide the Agency with policy guidance, direction and prioritisation parameters for the preparation of its corporate plan. Further, each year of the Framework is further governed by an annual Performance Statement, which provides direction for Tusla within the overall guidance of the Framework. The current Performance Statement includes priority 4.3.a, which states that Tusla should continue its efforts to increase its residential care capacity while reducing reliance on private provision and special emergency arrangements.
Work is also underway on The National Policy Framework for Alternative Care. The Framework will aim to articulate a future and Whole of Government vision of alternative care in Ireland, and will also deliver on a Programme for Government commitment in this regard. A robust consultation process is currently underway to support the development of the National Policy Framework, through which the views of members of the public, stakeholders, key workers and carers, and people with care experience will be captured. The Framework will seek to address current issues in accessing a sufficient number of appropriate care places, and articulate a longer term vision for how the care system will operate into the future. The Framework is expected to be delivered in summer 2026.
494. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the procurement model used by Tusla in securing private residential childcare placements, including whether competitive tendering processes are applied. [29306/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThank you Deputy, for your question. As this relates to an operational matter within Tusla I have referred your question to Tusla to reply directly to you.
495. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the staff of an organisation (details supplied) are entitled to public sector pensions given the funding from Tusla for the facility. [29356/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMembership of the public service pension schemes is strictly restricted to eligible staff in specifically named and addressed Children Residential Centres (CRCs) as defined in Section 66 of the Child Care Act, 1991 and S.I.s 124/1992, 125/1992 and 863/2004.
The centres listed in the S.I.s must be providing residential care, and the employees must be working at the addresses specified in the S.I.s. The positions must be approved by Tusla with the consent of the Minister for the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and must relate to residential care of children.
496. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the population of children aged 0-18 years assigned to each children's disability network team in the Dublin and North East Health Region; the current approved whole-time equivalent staffing of each such team, by discipline; and the staffing-to-population ratio in each instance. [29371/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra497. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the population of children aged 0-18 years assigned to each children's disability network team in the Dublin and Midlands Health Region; the current approved whole-time equivalent staffing of each such team, by discipline; and the staffing-to-population ratio in each instance. [29372/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra498. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the population of children aged 0-18 years assigned to each children's disability network team in the Dublin and South East Health Region; the current approved whole-time equivalent staffing of each such team, by discipline; and the staffing-to-population ratio in each instance. [29373/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra499. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the population of children aged 0-18 years assigned to each children's disability network team in the South West Health Region; the current approved whole-time equivalent staffing of each such team, by discipline; and the staffing-to-population ratio in each instance. [29374/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra500. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the population of children aged 0-18 years assigned to each children's disability network team in the Mid West Health Region; the current approved whole-time equivalent staffing of each such team, by discipline; and the staffing-to-population ratio in each instance. [29375/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra501. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the population of children aged 0-18 years assigned to each children's disability network team in the West and North West Health Region; the current approved whole-time equivalent staffing of each such team, by discipline; and the staffing-to-population ratio in each instance. [29376/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 496, 497, 498, 499, 500 and 501 together.
As this question refers to the service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
502. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the clinical expertise that will be offered to the autism assessment officers, that will decide on the applications that will go onto the intervention protocol list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29470/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to the service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
