Questions

534. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains a centralised register or consolidated database of governance, safeguarding, compliance or regulatory concerns relating to private companies delivering care services funded in whole or in part by the State; if not, whether she will establish such a register in the interests of transparency, public account…

535. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total annual Exchequer funding paid to privately operated children’s residential centres in each year since 2020; and whether she has conducted or commissioned any risk assessment examining whether the scale of private provision presents governance, safeguarding, or systemic oversight risks [13748/26]

536. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently in State care who have been in care for more than two years, more than five years, and more than ten years; whether her Department sets any national policy targets, benchmarks, or key performance indicators in respect of time-to-permanency for children in care; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

537. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has issued any written guidance, circulars, or policy directions to Tusla concerning the maximum duration a child may remain in voluntary care under section 4 of the Child Care Act 1991; whether any statutory or administrative time thresholds apply requiring escalation or court review after a defined period in volu…

538. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any mandatory senior management review, independent permanency review, or Department-level reporting requirement is automatically triggered once a child exceeds a defined duration in State care, including two years or more; if so, the details of the relevant policy framework; and if not, whether she will introduce such a requirem…

539. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality what proportion of children currently in long-term foster care are subject to adoption orders, enhanced guardianship, special guardianship, or other permanent legal arrangements; whether her Department requires formal consideration of adoption or guardianship once a child exceeds a defined duration in care; and if she will make a stateme…

540. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department compiles or publishes data on the average and median duration of time spent in State care before permanency is secured; whether such data is reported to her on a periodic basis; and if she will outline the governance and oversight mechanisms through which time-to-permanency outcomes are monitored at Departmental le…

541. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department accepts that the Children First Act 2015 and Children First National Guidance do not provide an express statutory basis for early years services to share serious staff-conduct safeguarding information between employers where the conduct falls short of a criminal threshold, including for recruitment references, suit…

542. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has conducted, commissioned or received any legal, policy, or regulatory review since 2020 on “lawful information-sharing” in the early years sector for safeguarding concerns relating to adults working with children, including analysis of data protection, employment law and fair procedures constraints; and if she w…

543. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has considered establishing a statutory safeguarding-disclosure scheme for early years services, including (a) a defined threshold for disclosure based on risk to children, (b) independent assessment prior to any adverse finding, (c) notice to the staff member, (d) an appeal mechanism, (e) time limits and proportio…

544. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality what guidance her Department has issued to early years services on the recording, retention, and sharing of staff-related safeguarding concerns that do not meet the mandated reporting threshold, including guidance on risk assessments, internal investigations, and reference requests; and if no such guidance has issued, whether she will pu…

545. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has engaged with Tusla, the Data Protection Commission, and representative bodies for early learning and childcare providers on the practical barriers to safeguarding information-sharing about staff conduct across early years settings; and if she will provide the dates of engagement and the key issues raised. [138…

550. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is formally notified, either directly or through structured reporting arrangements, of substantiated governance or safeguarding failures identified by Tusla in early years services that receive public funding; if so, to outline the reporting mechanism, frequency and thresholds for notification; and, if not, to state how she i…

551. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of occasions since 1 January 2020 on which substantiated governance or safeguarding failures in publicly funded early years services have been escalated to her Department at senior official level; the categories of concern involved; and whether any resulted in policy review, regulatory amendment, contractual revision, or fundi…

552. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to set out the formal governance interface between her Department and Tusla in respect of oversight of early years services, including whether a structured compliance reporting template exists, whether trend analysis is conducted centrally, and whether aggregated safeguarding data informs policy development or funding decisions. [14832/2…

515. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department conducted a formal review of the 2023 University College Dublin report on sexual exploitation risks faced by children in residential and emergency care; the date on which any such review commenced and concluded; the unit or division within her Department responsible; whether the review was documented; and if she wi…

516. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of recommendations contained in the 2023 University College Dublin report on sexual exploitation risks faced by children in residential and emergency care; the number accepted by her Department; the number implemented to date; the number outstanding; and the reasons any recommendations remain unimplemented. [11383/26]

517. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the policy, regulatory, or national guidance changes that have been introduced by her Department since 2023 in response to the University College Dublin report on sexual exploitation risks faced by children in residential and emergency care; the date each change took effect; and the way in which compliance is monitored. [11384/26]

518. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department sets national policy in relation to the prevention of children absconding from residential care and special emergency arrangements; whether sexual exploitation risk is a mandatory policy consideration within that framework; and when the policy was last reviewed. [11385/26]

519. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she or her officials have received briefings, reports, or submissions since 2021 concerning links between absconding from care and sexual exploitation risk; the number of such briefings; and the actions taken following receipt. [11386/26]

520. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she accepts that the absence of any national metric or reporting requirement for the escalation of high-priority unallocated child protection cases limits effective ministerial oversight; whether her Department has assessed the governance or child-protection risks arising from the fact that such escalations are not recorded or re…

521. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the assurance mechanisms that are in place within her Department to confirm that risk-escalation procedures for high-priority unallocated child protection cases result in timely allocation; whether any internal or external audit, review, or evaluation has been conducted of escalation outcomes in 2023 or 2024; and if not, the reason no su…

522. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she receives regular reports, briefings, or summary data on the number or duration of high-priority child protection cases that remain unallocated following escalation; the form in which any such information is provided; and if no such reporting occurs, the way in which ministerial assurance is maintained in respect of these case…

523. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is satisfied that existing national policy arrangements governing the escalation of high-priority unallocated child protection cases provide sufficient transparency, consistency, and accountability across Tusla regions; whether her Department has reviewed the adequacy of these arrangements; and if she will outline any reforms…

524. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has issued any guidance, circulars, or policy instructions to Tusla concerning the monitoring or reporting of escalation activity for high-priority child protection cases; whether compliance with such guidance is reviewed at Departmental level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11414/26]