Questions

689. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a clinical risk assessment has been conducted regarding the absence of caseload measurement within Children's Disability Network Teams; and if so, to provide the findings and any mitigation measures in place. [28277/26]

690. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the metrics used to assess service capacity and performance within Children's Disability Network Teams in the absence of clinician caseload data. [28278/26]

691. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the reduction in the Children's Disability Network Team waiting list from 16,522 to 8,648 includes cases reclassified, deferred, or removed without receiving full intervention; and to provide a breakdown of the categories underpinning this reduction. [28279/26]

692. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average waiting time from referral to first assessment and from assessment to intervention within Children's Disability Network Teams, nationally and by Community Healthcare Organisation area. [28280/26]

693. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department intends to introduce a standardised national system for recording clinician caseloads within Children's Disability Network Teams; and the timeline for implementation. [28281/26]

694. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the extent to which administrative staff are included within the reported whole-time equivalent figure for Children's Disability Network Teams; and the number of clinical versus non-clinical staff within that total. [28282/26]

695. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any independent audit or review has been conducted on workforce capacity and service delivery within Children's Disability Network Teams since the introduction of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2024-2026; and to provide details. [28283/26]

314. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any independent or externally commissioned value-for-money review has been conducted on the use of private providers for residential childcare placements funded by Tusla since 2020; if so, to provide the dates, authors, scope and key findings of each review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27504/26]

315. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average annual cost per child associated with private residential placements, private foster care placements, and special emergency arrangements, for each year from 2022 to 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27505/26]

316. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the outcome measures used at Departmental level to assess the effectiveness of privately delivered residential childcare placements funded by Tusla; whether such outcome measures are formally linked to funding allocations or contract renewals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27506/26]

317. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department requires Tusla to assess the underlying cost structures, including profit margins, of private providers of residential childcare placements as part of value-for-money considerations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27507/26]

318. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any internal audit, external audit, or examination by the Comptroller and Auditor General has been carried out on the cost-effectiveness or value-for-money of private childcare placements funded by Tusla since 2020; if so, to provide details and findings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27508/26]

319. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of private providers contracted to deliver residential childcare placements funded by Tusla; the proportion of total placements accounted for by the five largest providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27509/26]

320. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the policy basis on which pricing for private residential childcare placements is set by Tusla, including whether pricing is benchmarked against international comparators or independently validated cost models; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27510/26]

321. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total additional Exchequer funding approved to support increases in rates paid to private providers of residential childcare and foster care placements in each of the years 2023 to 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27511/26]

322. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has considered publishing summary value-for-money assessments or aggregated cost data relating to private childcare placements funded by Tusla, in the interest of transparency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27512/26]

323. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether there is a defined national policy framework governing the reliance on private providers for residential childcare placements, including any targets, limits, or strategic objectives in relation to public versus private provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27513/26]

2361. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has conducted any direct audit, review, or independent verification of governance, risk management, or financial controls in respect of privately operated residential placements funded by the Exchequer since 2020; and if so, to provide the dates, scope, and findings of each such audit or review [23814/26]

2362. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to detail any instances since 2020 where Exchequer funding to privately operated residential providers was reduced, suspended, or terminated on the basis of governance, compliance, or regulatory failures; and to specify the nature of the failures identified and the actions taken. [23815/26]

2363. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a single, unified governance assurance framework exists at Department level covering all privately operated residential placements funded through Tusla or the HSE; and if not, the steps being taken to establish such a framework [23816/26]

2364. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains a central risk register in respect of privately operated residential placements funded by the Exchequer; and to outline the escalation procedures in place where governance, safeguarding, or financial risks are identified. [23817/26]

2365. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to set out the specific criteria applied at Department level to determine whether privately operated residential providers meet the governance, compliance, and financial standards required for continued Exchequer funding; and whether these criteria are formally documented and applied consistently across all providers. [23818/26]

2383. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if no such guidance has been issued, how employers are expected to ensure compliance with their obligations under the Employment Equality Acts in circumstances where competing rights arise. [24031/26]

2571. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the maximum waiting time standards, if any, that apply to Children's Disability Network Teams nationally; and if no such standards exist, the reason for same. [27012/26]

2572. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of children currently awaiting initial contact, assessment and intervention from Children's Disability Network Teams, nationally and by region, including a breakdown of those waiting over three months, six months, 12 months and 24 months. [27013/26]