Norma Foley

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to address the House on the Second Stage of the Child Care (Amendment) Bill. The publication of this Bill meets a commitment in the programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland’s Future to update the Child Care Act 1991. This is one of a set of Government commitments with a view to strengthening the Child and Family Agency, Tusla…

As the Deputy is aware, the phase 1 report of the early years action plan, Shaping the Future, was published yesterday. It makes clear that childminding remains central to the Government's vision for the future of early learning and care and school-age childcare. The national action plan for childminding 2021-2028 sets out a pathway for the extension of regulation and supports to childminders. Imp…

I wish to be clear: childminders are an incredible resource in the entire system. I know the value of them and they are particularly important in rural areas, like my area. We want childminders to be fully engaged but we also need them to be registered because we need regulation. I think the House is unanimous on that. We are within the three-year timeframe now and I have committed to carrying out…

I absolutely understand the anxiety that is out there. Change is never comfortable and I absolutely accept that. I hear it myself when I engage on the ground. I absolutely accept the Deputy's bona fides in this regard too. She has raised this issue on a number of occasions. I am happy to engage further. I said I would engage prior to the review and I will do that. I will hold the review as close t…

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers funding for therapeutic and counselling supports. In 2024, Tusla’s total funding for family support service counselling was €8.375 million. A total of 90 family resource centres received €1.664 million. With regard to additional funding, in 2025 the Department secured the mainstreaming of an additional €1.5 million for counselling, psychotherapy and …

I wish to conclude on the point about the family resource centres first. The Deputy is correct; we are unanimous about the importance of those family resource centres and the whole myriad of services, including those the Deputy outlined, they provide. The programme has expanded from 121 to 126 members this year. The Deputy will be aware that a further ten centres will be added in 2026. I am please…

I appreciate the Deputy highlighting it. It is highlighted to me also as I visit the family resource centres. It is a testament to the vision of the family resource centres that they are happy to step in when there is a need within a community. They do it expertly, they do it professionally and they do it without any difficulty really. That is to their credit. They always step up. I have never mad…

I appreciate the Deputy raising this question. I have been informed, and it is my understanding, that the services managed by Tusla's Liberty Street House are not being curtailed. This is the information that has been given to me. Tusla is undertaking a reform programme that will continue to meet the needs of service users of Liberty Street House. The integration of services will mean that the ser…

I appreciate the Deputy raising this. My information is that the services provided by Liberty Street House are not being curtailed. Indeed, the cases will continue right throughout 2026. The new model of practice is to ensure that all services are available through multidisciplinary teams at the time when they are needed, in the one place at the right time. I am very happy for the Deputy to bring …

The information that has been given to me is that all the services the Deputy has outlined, which are really important intervention services, are not being curtailed and that all cases will continue into 2026. It is a very valuable service that is being provided. It is important that whatever supports are required within the family structure for individuals, for young people or for older people ar…

I thank the Deputy. Childminders are a hugely important part of early learning and care and school-age childcare provision and they continue to be the option of choice for many families. The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 set out a pathway for the extension of regulation to childminders. A singular objective of the national action plan is to enable parents who use childminders to …

I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge that the issue of childminders and registration and the challenges they might face has been consistently raised in this Chamber. I do not wish to be repetitive but I will say again that I absolutely acknowledge that childminders are an incredibly important and valuable resource in the whole sphere of the childcare sector and I want them to continue in the busines…

I appreciate that the Deputy has come with many positive suggestions for how we can collaboratively support childminders going forward. Already the Department provides funding to each of the county and city childcare committees so that there is a specific individual who is a childminding development officer in place in each of the committees to work directly with childminders. That is an important…

The HIQA inspection was carried out between 24 June and 30 June 2025. The inspection was a monitoring inspection of the Dublin north child protection and welfare service to assess the progress made on the actions identified to address non-compliance during the previous inspection in May 2024. The inspection identified that significant system risks previously escalated to the Tusla regional chief o…

I accept that there is and was incredible urgency to ensure matters were rectified as a matter of priority. I acknowledge the work of Tusla in that respect. It has increased the number of social workers and 94% of all cases are now seen within two days. There is very strong oversight of the operation. The Dublin north city area team, with support from Tusla’s regional and national teams, has worke…

To go back to the case highlighted, in the intervening time, it has to be an absolute priority. I welcome the HIQA report because where things are not right, it must be highlighted and rectified. Tusla submitted the action plan which was accepted by HIQA. Since the time of inspection, Tusla has made significant improvements and rectified almost all of the issues, for example, 94% of all cases are …

The special rapporteur on child protection plays an important role in examining and reporting to Government on legal, legislative and litigation-related matters in respect of child protection. The annual reports of the special rapporteur provide important input to the development and review of child protection policy and legislation as well as an objective and independent expert view of the child …

I thank the Deputy. I want to be clear. I acknowledge the work of the special rapporteur. I have engaged with her and she has made herself available. I acknowledge that there has been considerable engagement between the Department and the special rapporteur on making the reports available in a timely manner. The special rapporteur has indicated that she expects to submit her report for the period …

Again, I appreciate the Deputy raising of the question. I accept the word of the special rapporteur that she will present the report for February 2023 to December 2024 imminently and that she will furnish the report for the period July 2022 to January 2023 before the end of her term of office. The annual report for 2025 will be delivered in March 2026. I expect that will be done with priority.

I appreciate the Deputy raising this matter. Any case of a missing child is of enormous concern to the Government, everybody in this House and others across wider society. I know he agrees with me on that. We are always conscious that at the heart of this case is a young child. All of us, including the general public, are devastated that a young child could go missing for such a long time. The NR…

The Deputy alluded to some of the new measures we will be introducing under amendments to the Child Care Act. A duty to co-operate will be introduced. This is important and it will mean there will be a compelling duty on all relevant bodies dealing with children, including Tusla and Departments, to co-operate proactively in performing their existing functions relevant to the development, welfare a…

I acknowledge that those in Tusla, the Department and all the agencies who work with children are absolutely central to protecting vulnerable children and are doing excellent work individually. However, the purpose of the duty to co-operate is that collectively there will be the sharing of information the Deputy referenced, everybody will be around the one table as it were and there will be a stro…

This is very similar to the issue raised by the Deputy's colleague. I reiterate that any case relating to a missing child is of enormous concern to all of us and is a priority for all of us because we know that at the heart of it is a child and child welfare. All of us share in the sense of devastation and loss that a child could be missing for such a long time. The national review panel delivere…

The recommendations were issued on 3 December. There has been a genuine willingness from all the Departments and agencies to move with haste and priority, but also to do it right. I chaired a cross-departmental meeting on moving forward with the sharing of information and ensuring that this duty to co-operate can very much come into being. Outside of the work under way in the Department, that inte…

These recommendations were published on 3 December. From a legislative point of view, it is being given priority through my Department's work on the child care (amendment) Bill, which we move very rapidly through the House. I know that there will be very strong co-operation forthcoming from the Deputy and right across the House. We will continue to engage with all the Government agencies and Depar…