Parliamentary questions

409. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department intends to review the implementation of the revised assessment of need framework to ensure that no cohort of children is excluded from identification due to the streamlining of assessment processes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23138/26]

410. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has been made aware of the situation with a childcare provider (detail supplied) and their lapse in payment of core funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23207/26]

411. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current levels of staffing within Tusla; the current number of vacant positions; the total target workforce; and details of any estimate as to required staffing level by the Courts Services. [23234/26]

412. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline a clear timeline for the evaluation of options to amend the ECCE eligibility criteria which is currently underway; and if flexibility to reintroduce multiple entry points such as January and April to ensure that "two years of free preschool" is a reality for all children, regardless of the month they were …

413. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the recently revised assessment of need framework limits or reduces access to cognitive assessment for children. [23263/26]

414. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which the revised framework ensures that children with uneven developmental profiles, including those who may be gifted or twice-exceptional (details supplied) will be appropriately identified within the system. [23264/26]

415. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has conducted any impact assessment on the way in which the revised model may affect the identification of children whose needs are masked by high cognitive ability or compensatory functioning. [23265/26]

416. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the safeguards in place to prevent under-identification of children whose needs are masked by high cognitive ability or compensatory functioning, particularly in light of evidence that twice-exceptional children are already under-recognised within Irish education and disability services. [23266/26]

417. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if access to cognitive or psychological assessment remains available where there is evidence of significant intra-individual discrepancy, asynchronous development, or unexplained underachievement. [23267/26]

418. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration has been given to the potential for increased reliance on private assessments arising from any restriction in public access to cognitive assessment, and the implications this may have for equity of access. [23268/26]

419. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the training or guidance being provided to assessment officers and multidisciplinary teams to ensure that complex presentations, including masking and twice-exceptionality, are recognised under the revised model. [23269/26]

420. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to confirm whether her Department plans to review the implementation of the revised assessment of need framework to ensure that no cohort of children is excluded from identification due to the streamlining of assessment processes. [23270/26]

421. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the legal basis for Tusla’s current assessment process for determining eligibility for public service pension schemes among employees of voluntary children’s residential services; and whether any new Government decision or central guidance has issued in this regard. [23286/26]

422. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether employees of voluntary children’s residential services named in the Child Care Act, 1991, who have been long-standing members of public service pension schemes, including those with over 15 or 25 years’ service, are at risk of being deemed ineligible under current reviews; if so, the protections in place fo…

423. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if eligibility for public service pension schemes under section 66 of the Child Care Act 1991 applies to all approved and funded posts within the named voluntary services, including administrative, support and fostering service roles, or only to staff directly engaged in children’s residential care delivery; and if…

424. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the consultation that was undertaken with voluntary providers prior to Tusla issuing correspondence indicating a revised interpretation of pension eligibility; and the reason no detailed guidance or policy documentation has been shared with affected organisations. [23289/26]

425. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether an assessment has been carried out on the potential impact of changes to pension eligibility on the sustainability of voluntary sector services such as fostering support and aftercare services. [23290/26]

426. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports available from her Department or Government agencies for voluntary organisations and charities working with individuals and families of those with special needs. [23323/26]

427. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current status of Recommendation 38 of the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, which proposed the creation of a number of research scholarships in memory of the children who died in these institutions; whether an application process for these scholarships has begun or is pl…

428. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the recently revised Framework for the Assessment Of Children In Need and their Families limits or reduces access to cognitive assessment for children, including in cases where intellectual disability is not suspected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23489/26]

429. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality how the revised Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families ensures that children with uneven developmental profiles, including those who may be “twice exceptional” will be appropriately identified within the system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23490/26]

430. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has conducted any impact assessment on how the revised Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families may affect the identification of children whose needs are masked by high cognitive ability or compensatory functioning; what safeguards are in place to prevent under-identificat…

431. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if access to cognitive or psychological assessment remains available where there is evidence of significant intra-individual discrepancy, asynchronous development, or unexplained underachievement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23492/26]

432. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if consideration has been given to the potential for increased reliance on private assessments arising from any restriction in public access to cognitive assessment and the implications this may have for equity of access; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23493/26]

433. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the training or guidance is being provided to assessment officers and multidisciplinary teams to ensure that complex presentations, including masking and twice-exceptionality, are recognised under the revised Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families; and if she will make a statement on the …