TODAY SEES THE official opening of the Child and family Agency, a move which has been welcomed by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
Minister Frances Fitzgerald TD explained that the agency will assume responsibility for a range of services, including:
Minister Fitzgerald noted that the 2011 Programme for Government committed to reforming the delivery of child protection services by removing responsibility for child welfare and protection from the HSE and by creating a dedicated Child Welfare and Protection Agency.
She said that in this context, the agency is a “concerted response to critical systemic failures in delivering services to vulnerable children”.
“It has also presented the opportunity to further reform how services to children and families can be delivered into the future,” said the Minister.
The agency seeks to bring about greater integration of services for children and families and a more consistent focus on early intervention and community engagement.
The Minister said:
The establishment of the agency represents the most comprehensive reform of child protection, early intervention and family support services ever undertaken in Ireland. It is very ambitious, and I am keen to see the Agency discharge its new remit to the highest possible standard.
Some 4,000 staff are involved, while the agency has an operational budget of approximately €600m.
Fitzgerald said that while “many challenges remain”, this element of reform “lays the foundations for development of world-class child protection, welfare and family support service in Ireland”.
The agency will operate under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013 which was recently signed into law.
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