Tusla early prevention services improve, according to study

Tusla’s prevention, early intervention, and family support services have “significantly improved” according to a four-year study.

Tusla early prevention services improve, according to study

Tusla’s prevention, early intervention, and family support services have “significantly improved” according to a four-year study.

The Unesco Child and Family Centre at NUI Galway analysed different service areas with Tusla, the child and family agency, and interviewed senior personnel in and outside the organisation to arrive at the conclusion that much has got better, but further improvements are still required.

The Systems Change Final Evaluation Report on Tusla’s prevention, partnership and family support programme looked at areas such as Tusla’s Meitheal programme, parenting support and parental participation, and commissioning.

The report found improvements in many areas and some improvements that needed to be made, such as “mixed views on the effect of the overall programme of work on Tusla’s service delivery system”.

However, it concluded: “Our strong conclusion is that the organisational culture of Tusla is changing such that it is becoming more preventative in focus and inclusive of parents and children.

On the specific report on Meitheal, Tusla’s early help model, the authors said it “is improving family outcomes over time” and that Meitheal activity increased between the last quarter of 2015 and quarter four of 2016, with numbers decreasing slightly over 2017. One recommendation was to improve the connection between Meitheal and the Child protection and welfare system.

As for the report on parenting support, it found they could be used more broadly and be better co-ordinated.

Regarding commisioning activity, the report found that “Tusla has undertaken significant work in building solid foundations for the long-term implementation of commissioning in the organisation”, noting “specifically, the development of the commissioning unit, the creation and ongoing development of materials, the development of a revised service agreement, and critically, the piloting of a commissioning model at local level represent key achievements that will support future implementation”.

As for public awareness work, it found that “the media and the public need more information about what family support involves” and that child protection and welfare standards from the Health and Information Quality Authority should include a measurement of public awareness actions relating to family support practice.

In 2016, 47,399 child protection and welfare referrals were made to Tusla. For the same year, the total number of referrals proceeding to assessment or further investigation stands at 20,117. Figures highlight that 6,267 children in the age profile 0–17 years were in care in 2016. Of these, 65.6% of children were in foster care, 27.4% were in relative/kinship foster care, and 5.1% were placed in residential care.

At the launch, Michelle Sheehan, Tusla regional manager of prevention, partnership and family support, said there was a real commitment to implementing findings from the research in bringing about child and youth participation.

- Read the reports at childandfamilyresearch.ie

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