Organisational Structure and National Service Delivery Framework

Organisational structure for delivery of Meitheal within the National Service Delivery Framework

Providing support to a child or young person and their family is not the exclusive responsibility of Children and Family Services. Statutory services, such as health, education, An Garda Síochána, local authorities and the community/voluntary sector, all have a responsibility and a contribution to make in the protection and welfare of all children. Children and families are most likely to do well if they are provided with appropriate support in a timely fashion that is coordinated, and there is good communication and partnership working between professionals.

Tusla is supporting the development and implementation of a single, transparent, consistent and accountable National Service Delivery Framework (NSDF), focused on improving outcomes for children. An important part of this NSDF is the area-based approach which is most clearly seen in how CFSNs are being developed and how the Meitheal National Practice Model is being implemented [1]. 

Figure 1: the National Service Delivery Framework (NSDF): It is important to balance consistency in the development of the national model with the advantages that come from enabling adaptation for local context and needs across different areas.