Mattie McGrath condemns Toosla foster care failures in Cork
Mattie McGrath criticised Toosla's foster care services in Cork after a HICPA assessment found compliance in only two of 12 standards. He described the situation as a present-day scandal and urged the minister to address staffing and remediation plans.
HICPA assessment findings
The assessment, published two weeks earlier, reported Toosla compliant in only two of the 12 standards assessed and noted that some children with complex needs taken into state care in Cork were housed in hotels. The transcript states Cork accounts for a quarter of the country's children.
Allegations of systemic non-compliance
McGrath said the report is the latest in scores of reports finding Toosla is not complying with national standards across all 17 service areas. He highlighted that while HICPA can monitor, it lacks the power of sanctions, a contrast he raised in the debate.
Campaigners seeking justice
The Alliance of Birth Mothers of Ireland is campaigning for justice for the children affected and has written to the minister; a letter was handed to the minister by a Fianna Fáil TD. McGrath criticised the lack of engagement and said campaigners have asked to meet the minister.
Minister's response and staffing concerns
The minister noted a follow-up report continuing to reveal deficiencies, particularly in staffing levels and a lack of qualified social workers in the Cork area. The minister said Toosla has a remediation plan to recruit necessary social workers and that the issue has been raised with the chief executive and the chair of the Toosla board.
Ongoing oversight and consequences
McGrath pressed for direct follow-up and called attention to the ongoing nature of the problem, stressing the scandal of children being taken into care and then neglected in care. The transcript records the minister offering to follow up with the deputy on implementation of the remediation plan.
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Teachta, two weeks ago HICPA published an assessment of Toosla's foster care services in Cork, which has a quarter of the country's children, as you know well. Toosla was compliant in only two out of the 12 standards assessed. One example, some children with complex needs taken into state care by Toosla in Cork were housed in hotels. The report is the latest in scores of reports that finds Toosla isn't complying with national standards for foster care in all of his 17 service areas. HICPA has the power to monitor Toosla but has no power of sanctions. This is fascical. They can close down nursing homes overnight and everything else. The Alliance of Birth Mothers of Ireland are campaigning for justice for these children. They have written to you. A letter was handed to you by Fianna Fáil TD. They have asked you to meet them. You were well able to question the Minister's opponent on it when you were sitting in this seat here. But you have done nothing about this now. It is going on and it is a present-day scandal how children have been treated. It is bad enough that they are taken into care, but to be neglected in care in this way is shocking. Minister Gorman. As the Deputy pointed out, a follow-up report was done on an earlier report that had been done on the foster care service in Cork. The follow-up report continues to reveal deficiencies in terms particularly of the staffing level. That is the crucial issue in the Cork area. It is the lack of social workers. Toosla has a remediation plan in place to try and bring in the necessary social workers and particularly social workers at the relevant degree of qualifications into the area. Look, I am happy to follow-up with the Deputy directly in terms of how that is being implemented. It is something I have raised with both the Chief Executive and the Chair of the Toosla Board. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you. Thank you, for your time for watching. Thank you.
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