HSE child welfare chief on lookout for new bosses

THE national director for children and family services in the HSE is to look for new managers in areas to guarantee “straight line” communication on child welfare issues.

Gordon Jeyes said the move would occur within existing budgets and be part of the implementation of recommendations contained in the PA Consulting Report, carried out on behalf of the HSE in 2009.

The search would mean regional managers and a lead individual operating in 17 HSE areas, with the aim of making local representatives directly answerable on child welfare policy.

Mr Jeyes, who is less than a year in his post, outlined the plan at a conference hosted by the Childhood Development Initiative.

He reiterated his view that the HSE lacks credibility in its childcare system.

“The management system — not the managers — the management system is not fit for purpose,” he said.

Mr Jeyes also referred to the “adversarial” legal processes the HSE has become involved with in some areas of childcare policy, which he said were not in the child’s best interests.

He admitted the system was under “real strain”, and that steps need to be taken to “measure the pressure”.

“We have capacity problems that are difficult to sum up,” he said, adding that financial constraints operated at three levels: state level, HSE level, and within child and family services itself.

He said this could be overcome with clear resource allocation, with fewer children going into care through the use of other methods such as youth justice and garda diversion.