Social services will be reduced to a “basic child protection service” next year unless significant additional money is made available, the head of the Child and Family Agency has warned. The agency, which took over responsibilty for child and family services from the HSE earlier this year, is running about €25 million over-budget. This is due mainly to inherited legal bills.
But Gordon Jeyes, the chief executive of the Child and Family Agency, has said an additional €45 million will be required next year just to keep services at a standstill. He added that services have been cut to the bone and there is little scope for further cost savings.
A failure to increase the budget significantly next year is likely to mean cuts to family support services, vital prevention work and other frontline services. “We need to have a realistic debate about the money given and I need to spell out what services will be delivered for the money we get,” Mr Jeyes said.
“It’s about getting people to face up to the consequences . . . It’s a good thing that the Child and Family Agency exists. There is no hiding place. This is what you get for your money . . . If I get a standstill budget, I will have to make reductions.”
Social workers on the ground and campaigners such as Senator Jillian van Turnhout say there is growing pressure on frontline services and child protection staff are often operating against a backdrop of scarce resources, staff shortages and dangerously heavy caseloads. There are about 160 vacant posts across the Child and Family Agency, with services operating at about 70 per cent of their staffing levels.
Last week, it emerged that more than 9,000 cases of abuse, neglect or welfare concerns over children at risk were waiting to be allocated a social worker. More than 3,000 of these cases were classified as a “high priority”.
Mr Jeyes said that social services have worked to become more efficient in the course of the year, with savings in a number of areas. But these cost reductions have been absorbed by growing demand for foster care and residential places.
The number of reports of children at risk received by social services has increased 98 per cent in the past seven years, while the number of children in the care system has risen by a similar amount.
Mr Jeyes said an extra €45 million would keep services at a standstill, but a further €60 million would be required to fill vacant posts and finance essential new developments.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for Minister for Children Dr James Reilly said it was accepted that delivering the range of services required of the agency on its current budget was "challenging".
“Certain areas of expenditure, such as legal costs, have in the past proven difficult to manage within the allocated budget,” she said. “The agency is implementing significant reforms to seek to achieve greater value for money.”
In the event that extra funding is required to meet the running costs of the agency towards the end of this year, she said, the matter will be discussed with the Department of Public Expenditure.
The Child and Family Agency has a budget of just over €600 million. Under a legal agreement with the HSE and other services, it has inherited liabilities of about €25 million.
