Child and Family Agency launches ambitious reform programme in Corporate Plan (2021 – 2023)
- Corporate Plan 2021 – 2023 supported by Business Plan 2021 –
Tusla – Child and Family Agency today published its new Corporate Plan 2021 – 2023. The corporate plan sets out the ambition and key priorities agreed between the Board of the Agency and Minister Roderic O’Gorman.
In what is a significant programme of organisational change for the Agency, the plan builds on the work commenced with the appointment of the current CEO in late 2019. Since that time the focus has been to continuously improve quality, staffing and public confidence. Now with a renewed vision, mission, values, and behaviours to guide the Agency in its work with children, families, and communities over the next three years, these improvements will be made visible in the Practice, Culture and Structure of the Agency .
Yearly business plans will detail the actions to be undertaken as the agency works towards achieving its goals, commencing with Business Plan 2021.
Speaking about the launch of the Corporate Plan 2021 – 2023 Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Roderic O’Gorman TD said: “The launch of Tusla’s third Corporate Plan is central to the Agency’s pursuit of improvement, in the further development and delivery of consistent services for vulnerable children and families. I have set a number of guiding principles for the Agency along with clear priorities, and I look forward to seeing a greater emphasis on more local delivery of services, greater integration, and accountability. In providing additional funding of over €61 million to Tusla this year, the Government is committed to supporting Tusla’s journey of change and its ambition to do the best for children, young people and families who need help the most”.
The renewed vision, “Families and communities are empowered and strengthened to keep children safe and nurtured, recognising a child’s right to protection, stability and the support of a family and community network”, and mission, “Dedicated and committed to working in partnership with children, families and communities to ensure that children in need or at risk of harm are supported, protected and connected to people who can safeguard and promote their wellbeing throughout their lives”, reflect the ambitious goals which have been identified for 2021 – 2024. They are:
- Ensure children, young people, families and communities receive a consistent, quality and integrated response from all our services
- Delivering an independent regulatory service focused on the safety and wellbeing of children and young people through continuous improvement and partnership with stakeholders
- Ensure that our staff and leaders are supported and empowered to continuously learn and improve so that children, families and communities benefit from our service
- Ensure our local teams and services are facilitated and supported by national systems and resources that promote integration and accountability
The renewed values of Trust, Respect, Kindness and Empowerment with each having a set of behaviours are what children, young people, families and stakeholders can expect in their interactions with us for the next three years.
Speaking about Tusla’s focus for the next three years, Pat Rabbitte, Chairperson of Tusla said: “Following my appointment as Chairperson of Tusla in 2019, we recruited a new Chief Executive, Bernard Gloster, who took up post later in 2019. Since then we have been involved in a root and branch examination of the experience, functioning, practice and culture of the Agency since its establishment in 2014. As a result, we have embarked on a program of reform led by the Chief Executive which has striven to learn from past experience in terms of what Ireland’s first standalone Agency for child protection and welfare has accomplished.
This process has also involved assessing not only the considerable successes achieved but mistakes made, and deficiencies exposed. The change process will build on the successes and seek to address the challenges including the challenge of evolving a culture not hidebound by the past.
The change process already complex and sensitive has unavoidably been slowed by the public health restrictions and the imperative to give priority to an emergency response to the needs of vulnerable children and families. Nonetheless we are in the last lap of the necessary accompanying structural reform scheduled to be in place at year end. This is only possible because of the support of the Minister and his department. The end purpose is to improve the capacity of Tusla to more effectively discharge the mandate given to us by government and to better use the professional talents of the Agency’s committed staff. The environment in which Social Workers and Social Care Workers in particular must function is becoming ever more difficult requiring the Agency to change and respond to profound changes in society. This three-year plan is our approach to that change.”
The Corporate Plan can be viewed on our website by visiting the following link: