Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I warmly welcome Ms Gibbons. Her experience and expertise are evident. I did question the principle of appointing a chairperson and would have preferred if the post had been advertised, but I have no difficulty with her nomination.

Will the terms of reference for the chairperson and board members be published? Its publication would help us all to understand the roles and powers of the agency and the scope of those powers. Perhaps that is part of the transition phase.

One of the difficulties I am trying to work through is the vision of the new agency. I seek clarity on its relationship with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, its interaction with the HSE and other services such as the Department of Education and Skills and other Departments. What will Ms Gibbons's powers be as chairperson? Where can she seek support? Will she be able to attend meetings of the Joint Committee on Health and Children and other bodies in order to effect and leverage necessary change? All too often we have waited for the publication of a shocking report rather than have a pre-emptive system under which a board, perhaps, could express its concern if it felt the agency was not going in the right direction.

Ms Gibbons mentioned the task force report that she actively participated in drafting. Is the new agency's vision aligned with the findings of the task force report? Does it differ? I still struggle with the vision of the new agency. I understand the generalities but I do not know which disciplines will be transferred to the agency. Last week the committee raised the issue of referrals with the Minister at its meeting. What are the referral pathways? We are all quite clear on what constitutes a child protection issue or an escalated issue, but where are we with regard to welfare concerns? In my voluntary capacity as a girl guide leader we occasionally have to advise statutory authorities of low-level concerns such as the neglect of a child. At present we are told that nothing can be done unless we escalate an issue. That is not appropriate, because it is just a concern, but someone should be able to join the dots. I know that Ms Gibbons is all too aware of such issues due to her past work with Barnardos and dealing with much more vulnerable children. Sometimes we nearly have to manipulate the system in order to get the response we want.

The budget for the new agency is quite sizeable. What is the role of the board when it comes to budgetary decisions? One-fifth of the budget will go to civil society NGO service providers. How will the budget be determined? Can Ms Gibbons explain the governance surrounding the budget?

I wish Ms Gibbons every success. We are all aware that the public must have confidence in the new agency. Yesterday a new prince was born in the UK and the first steps of the new agency will be scrutinised as much as his. We all want the agency to take firm first steps and not to become an agency for troubled children. We are experiencing a tight recession so there is a potential for the agency to become one for troubled children. I do not believe anybody here wants that to happen, but it could happen, which is why it is great to know that so many people are interested in the agency. I wish Ms Gibbons every success in her new role and the committee is more than happy to give her any support it can.