ANNEX A

17. There is clearly a serious crisis in childcare in NI, which demands immediate attention. Statutory obligations are not being fulfilled and the implementation of the Children Order has been a disaster with the withdrawal of promised resources. Agencies such as the NSPCC and Barnardos have advised that some eight-, nine-, and 10-year-olds in care have been moved between 12 and 15 times, which is totally unacceptable. In fact, one four-year-old was moved 45 times! Children and young people are being cared for in hotels and hostels and are being placed inappropriately with older children; Looked after Care is not working well and the potential for abuse is increased by the lack of funding for child care workers in refuges. It is incredible some 18 months after the publication of 'Children Matter' that none of its recommendations has been implemented. Staff who are doing their best are becoming increasingly disillusioned and are threatening to leave. Does the panel agree that an urgent inquiry needs to be undertaken? [Ms McWilliams]

1. Those responsible for the professional operation on the ground would be best placed to comment on the number of movements of children while in care, but clearly the scenario outlined is totally unacceptable. I would make a distinction though between the implementation of the Order and the difficulties being experienced on the ground. The number of hotel cases is very small but we have identified the issues mentioned. 'Children Matter' points to serious deficiencies in the system We hope to implement a children's service plan over a two- to three-year period to address the critical areas, but (lack of) resources is a problem.

17. The rights of children are paramount yet the Boards are not meeting their statutory obligations. How much therefore would it cost to implement fully the Children Order Trust by Trust, and how much has been given? How many extra social workers would be needed if the Order were to be properly implemented? How many new children's residential care homes are currently needed? [Ms Ramsey]

1. The resources that were provided to the Boards by the Department were calculated before the Order came into operation. Assessments of Boards' needs are estimated based on a number of indicators. We will give a written response in relation to the estimated needs of the Boards to fully implement the Children Order. An additional 200 social workers would be needed to meet the current demands within the child care system. There is a five-year implementation plan for some 20 additional residential care homes that are needed on a localised basis. The Dept. has formed a working group with the Boards and will encourage contributions from voluntary groups to work out priority of provision.

17. How much of the problem lies with a lack of resources? To what extent has the number of children in care been increasing in recent years? Have resources been keeping pace? [Ms Hanna]

1. A. The Department relies on the Boards to assess their needs and produce plans, which need to be refined and improved. There is no disputing the ongoing problem of cases not being handled properly and the pressing need for extra resources. The number of children in care has been around 2500 for some years but is now starting to drop due to the development of family support services, which is a key principle of the Order.

17. Have extra resources been allocated to help to implement the Children Order? If so, are they ring-fenced? Does the Department monitor how the resources are spent to ensure they are not being diverted elsewhere? [Dr Hendron]

1. The related additional resources that were quoted earlier are follows: £4.9m in 1996/97; £7.9m in 1997/98; and £12.7m in 1998/99. The figure for 1999/2000 is £7.5m. The Department holds quarterly accountability meetings with the Boards covering all services, and there are Ministerial reviews on key issues. Each Board produces an annual report on expenditure programmes. There has been a 20% increase in childcare expenditure from £51m in 1994/95 to £62m in 1997/98.

17. I note from the figures quoted that the award for this year has fallen from last year. What did you bid for in 1999/2000 and 2000/2001? And what did you get? [Ms McWilliams]

1. We will provide a written response but can confirm that the bid would have been substantially higher than the allocation. We did make a conscious effort to phase expenditure over five years. Although the amount of additional resources did reduce this year, the spending has been steadily increasing each year in real terms.

17. Can you provide some background on the allocation of resources for the Sure Start programme. I am advised that of NI's £14.6m for Sure Start, £4.8m were diverted elsewhere. [Mrs Robinson]

1. The Minister has allocated £2m to Sure Start from its commencement this September until March 2001, which is roughly proportionate to the £4.8m originally promised for the year when the additional resources awarded for child care strategy are added. Also, £1.5m was allocated to children's residential care.

17. Is the £9m three-year programme announced by Mr McFaul intact given the start has been delayed? [Mr Gallagher]

1. The answer is a qualified yes; although the project was delayed, the resources will follow on into the next year.

17. Does the five-year financial plan explain why there seems to be such variations in the resources allocated from year to year? [Ms Hanna]

1. The resources referred to earlier were additional and fluctuations in those figures should not mask the year on year overall increases in spends. We are of course disappointed with the amount of resources, which is inadequate to tackle effectively the range of priority demands.

17. I was reading the Department's briefing document and was shocked to learn that although children will be allotted a residential care place where a vacancy exists, it will not always be possible to cater for a child's special needs. In order to free up extra resources to deal with the care of children, has any consideration been given to streamlining the whole administration of the HPSS system and cutting out duplication? [Mrs Carson]

1. That is a difficult question but the structure of the administration system is an issue that has been and will continue to be considered.

17. What are the waiting times respectively for a child's appointment with a social worker and any follow-up counselling services? [Ms Ramsey]

1. We will respond in writing.

17. Does the panel accept that for many people acting on behalf of children, the administrative process seems bureaucratic with no clear sense of who is in charge, or how the Department, Boards and Trusts relate to one another? [Mr Gallagher]

1. Yes, we fully accept that that is a common experience for people; the system is far from adequate. The Department is working to develop children's services and make them more user friendly by encouraging Trusts and the Voluntary Sector to work closely together.

17. In relation to private day care nurseries, if the DHSS Trusts continue to insist on only one trainee per establishment, how will the need for additional child care workers be met re the delivery of the pre-school programme? [Dr Hendron]

1. This is a legitimate concern, which will be addressed by a working group. The tension is between maintaining standards and meeting the need for more trainees.

17. The issue of childcare, especially child abuse, is very emotive and places a great obligation on society. What can this Committee do to assist you in achieving a more comprehensive provision? [Mr Kelly]

1. The deep interest as shown by you as public representatives today is welcome in highlighting this issue and increasing its profile. We need to get appropriate resources to tackle the priorities but accept that we will never have sufficient funds to address all the problems.

17. Another area for concern relates to justice system and the length of time taken for care orders and the expense involved, which is eating into the budget. There is no evidence that the new Court Arrangements introduced to speed up children's cases are working. Does the Department meet with the judiciary with regard to exchanging training ideas? Does the Department have an input into the judiciary's training system? The perception is that the justice system has not shown itself to be open to taking on board the changes in the childcare provision. Can you therefore build strong liaison mechanisms? How can the panel explain the 12-month waiting lists for foster care? [Ms McWilliams]

1. We are concerned about the delays but there must be a balance between the need for appropriate reports on a child's behalf and the desire to speed up the process. Considerable work has been done in training of the judiciary through the NI Court Service, but the Department does not have an input. We are happy to raise this as an issue at the advisory Committee since the judiciary is very keen to find out what is happening in the Department. A Children Order Advisory Committee was set up in 1997 chaired by Mr Justice Higgins tasked with reporting on the progress of cases through the courts to the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State; and sub committees have been established to look at specific issues. The Social Services Inspectorate document 'Planning to Care' covers the interface in Chapter 8.
   Foster care waiting list times are a consequence of fewer people coming forward and the fact that as many foster parents leave each year as are recruited; and this is the experience of Trusts across the board. This is partly explained by the increase in numbers of working women.

17. There seems to be a particular problem in relation to finding suitable places for 16- to 18-year-olds that seem to fall between two stools. [Ms Hanna]

1. Children who come into care bring with them a range of problems and there is a related increasing reluctance among parents to foster these children.

17. Can you clarify if you are going to carry out an inquiry into children in care? [Dr Hendron]

1. No, I did not say that. I was making the distinction between the implementation of the Children Order and a review of children in care arrangements, under which a number of issues raised by the Committee need careful examination.

Health and Social Services Minutes 09 February 2000