24-hour social work cover faces delay over talks

ROUND-THE-CLOCK social work cover for children at risk and families in crisis is unlikely to be implemented this year due to the slow progress of talks between the HSE and unions and the knock-on effects of the HSE recruitment freeze.

That’s despite a working group, tasked with examining the feasibility of 24-hour cover more than two years ago, presented its recommendations to the HSE seven months ago.

The lack of 24-hour social worker availability was highlighted in recent years when it emerged troubled parents had tried to access help or that the health authorities had been informed of a risk, only to be told social workers are only available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, in most areas of the country.

A working group involving the HSE, Garda Síochána and homeless charity Focus Ireland, was set up in 2006 to examine the issue, in response to the deaths of Sharon Grace and her two daughters in Wexford.

The report of the group has yet to be implemented.

There was speculation that Diarmuid Flood had recently tried to access help because of psychiatric problems he had, but was turned away days before he killed his two children, his wife Lorraine, and himself.

IMPACT, the union which represents social workers, said yesterday that waiting lists for all health services, including social work, are “getting longer” because of last year’s HSE recruitment freeze which led to vacancies going unfilled.

Members’ frustration yesterday led to them approving industrial action, across a range of health services, leading to fears that projects like 24-hour social worker availability will be put on the long finger.

“If you want to move a service from being a nine to five service to a round-the-clock service, inevitably you need more people to deliver an expanded service,” said IMPACT spokesman Niall Shanahan yesterday. “There’s no indication at all that they [the HSE] are willing to make that kind of investment.”

A statement from the HSE reiterated its stance that it had “adopted” the report of the national working group and submitted it to the Department of Health and Children with a request for funding. “The report is currently being considered by the department and is the subject of discussion with the HSE,” it said.