merrion street

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs announced today that she had received Government approval for the drafting of Heads and a General Scheme of a Bill to establish the Child and Family Support Agency. The Heads and a General Scheme of a Bill will now be drafted by her officials.

The Minister said “The development of the Heads and General Scheme of a Bill to establish a Child and Family Support Agency will provide for the implementation of the commitment in the Programme for Government to fundamentally reform the delivery of child protection services by removing child welfare and protection from the HSE and creating a dedicated Child Welfare and Support Agency.”

The Minister added “The other objectives of the Programme for Government to reform the model of service delivery and improve accountability to the Dáil will be a significant focus of the Heads and General Scheme.  The legislation will underpin the changes already underway in relation to organisational and accountability arrangements.   It is an important step in establishing Ireland as a model among developed countries in terms of children’s well-being and development.”

ENDS

Note for Editors

The Programme for Government undertook to “fundamentally reform the delivery of child protection services by removing child welfare and protection from the HSE and creating a dedicated Child Welfare and Protection Agency, reforming the model of service delivery and improving accountability to the Dáil.”

In November 2011 the Government also announced its decision to merge the existing Family Support Agency into the Child and Family Support Agency.  The Family Support Agency was established in 2003 under the Family Support Agency Act 2001.  The Agency has important responsibilities relating to the funding of a range of Family Resource Centres around the country and the provision of grants to counselling services.  The total budget for the Family Support Agency is €26.5 million in 2012.

The drafting of the Bill will give the new Agency the responsibilities currently undertaken by both the HSE Children and Family services and the Family Support Agency.

Last year the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs established a Task Force to assist her Department in the work of preparing for the establishment of a Child and Family Support Agency. She asked it to base its work on best practice in child welfare, family support and public administration consistent with the Government’s public sector reform agenda.

The Task Force has completed its deliberations. The final report of the Task Force is being circulated to Government prior to its publication at the end of this week.

The contents of the final report will inform the development of the Heads and General Scheme to establish the Child and Family Support Agency. Any recommendations beyond those already provided the Programme for Government or relating to the Agency will be the subject of consideration and, in due course, recommendation to Government for incorporation in the draft legislation prior to its publication.

The development of the legislation to establish the Child and Family Support Agency is part of a suite of developments to strengthen child protection in accordance with the Programme for Government. These include the Government commitment to hold a Referendum on Children’s Rights, the publication of the Heads of the Children First Bill, the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information) Bill 2012 and the National Vetting Bureau Bill.