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Resource Pack contents: Republic of Ireland | Northern Ireland

Crossing Borders: Resource Pack for Social Workers (R.O.I.):
Organisational structure and policy

A grasp of the political systems shaping social services in a particular State is essential to efficient social work practice. In each jurisdiction there are also important channels through which social workers can exert influence on social policy. This page provides an introduction to and reference points on government structures, social security systems and major social policy areas in the Republic of Ireland.

State and Government

The Republic of Ireland is a parliamentary democracy. The President is Head of State but does not have executive functions. Exclusive power of making laws is vested in the national parliament, the Oireachtas. The head of government is the Taoiseach (Prime Minister).

The Oireachtas consists of two houses: Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives) and Seanad Éireann (Senate). The government is responsible to Dáil Éireann. A member of Dáil Éireann is called a Teachta Dála (TD). There are 166 TDs representing 43 constituencies. The role of Seanad Éireann is mainly to make recommendations regarding the passage of legislation.

The constitution of the State is Bunreacht na hÉireann, enacted in 1937. The powers and functions of the Oireachtas derive from the constitution.

Government departments of particular relevance to social workers

The Department of Health and Children
The Department of Health and Children's main role is to support the Minister in creating and assessing policy for the health services. The Department also has a role in the future planning of health services in consultation with the Health Service Executive, the voluntary sector, other government departments and other interested parties.

Each year the Department of Health and Children allocates funding to the Health Service Executive (HSE). Each Health Service Executive (HSE) Area then makes decisions about how they will distribute available resources to the agencies in their area. The Department takes account of a range of factors in determining what proportion of the funding should be allocated to each HSE Area. The Department further deals with the voluntary sector and a number of specialist agencies.

The Children Acts Advisory Board is an independent statutory board, advising the Ministers for Health and Children and Justice Equality and Law Reform. The key function of the Board is to advise the Ministers on policy relating to the co-ordinated delivery of services under the Child Care Act, 1991 (care, protection and welfare) and the Children Act, 2001 (detention).

Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
The Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (OMCYA) is an integral part of the Department of Health and Children. The OMCYA units that are part of the Department of Health and Children include:

• Minister's Office Staff and Advisor
• Child Welfare and Protection Policy Unit
• Childcare Directorate (formerly part of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform)
• National Children and Young People's Strategy Unit (formerly the National Children's Office)

In addition, two other units are co-located with the OMCYA, but will continue to report to and be part of their parent departments:

• Irish Youth Justice Service (Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform)
• Early Years Education Policy Unit (Department of Education and Science)

Childrensdatabase.ie was created by the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (OMC) to provide access to research and information on children for policy-makers, Government departments, academics, voluntary organisations and the general public.

Health Service Executive
On 1 January 2005 the Health Service Executive (HSE) took over managerial, executive and budgetary responsibility for running the country's health and personal social services. This means that from 1 January 2005 all health boards in Ireland were abolished. Up until January 2005, health and personal social services were delivered through a complex structure of ten regional Health Boards, the Eastern Regional Health Authority and a number of other different agencies and organisations. The HSE, which receives its funding directly from government, replaces all of these organisations..

Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible for policy and programmes in relation to the environment and for a range of services, provided mainly through the local government system, e.g. in the areas of environmental protection, planning, housing, water and sanitation. Services relating to the travelling community also come under this Department.

The local authorities consist of city councils (5), town councils (75), borough councils (5) and county councils (29).

Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform carries central responsibility for many areas of public policy and administration, including law enforcement, treatment of offenders, human rights, immigration and equality. The Department is responsible for the courts, the prison service and An Garda Síochána (the police force). It also oversees the Probation Service.

Department of Education and Science
The Department of Education and Science is responsible for the administration of public education, primary, post primary and special education. State subsidies for universities and third level colleges are channelled through the Department. It operates the state examination system for schools.

Department of Education and Science, Marlborough Street, Dublin 1.
Tel: (01) 8896400. Web: www.education.ie

Department of Social and Family Affairs
The Department of Social and Family Affairs is responsible for the administration of schemes of social insurance and social assistance within the state social welfare system. It has a special unit for family affairs and is also responsible for the community and voluntary service sectors and the National Anti-Poverty Strategy.

Other government departments: www.gov.ie

Service provision

Health services
The Department of Health and Children sets policy for the health services nationally. The main statutory health provider is the Health Service Executive (HSE). All of the services provided by the HSE to the public are delivered through four regions - Dublin Mid Leinster, Dublin North East, West and South. Health care is available through a mix of public and private options.

About one-third of the population is eligible to avail of medical services free of charge, via a means-tested medical card scheme. A medical card, issued by the Health Service Executive (HSE), enables the bearer to receive certain health services free of charge. Applications for medical cards should be submitted to the local Health Service Executive, which issues the cards. Those eligible for a medical card are entitled to:

• free GP (family doctor) services
• prescribed medicines and medical appliances (with some exceptions)
• all in-patient public hospital services in public wards, including public consultant services
• all outpatient public hospital services, including public consultant services
• certain dental, ophthalmic and aural services and medical appliances
• maternity and infant care services
• maternity cash grant on the birth of each child.

The GP Visit card was recently introduced as a new initiative to assist those who do not qualify for a medical card on income grounds but for whom the cost of visiting a GP was often prohibitively high.

Those who do not qualify for free medical services under the medical card scheme can avail of the public hospital services for a minimal charge, and charges also apply to other services such as a visit to the family doctor. Private health insurance is relatively common for those seeking access to private health care. The three providers of such insurance in the Republic of Ireland are Voluntary Health Insurance (VHI), QUINN-healthcare and Hibernian Aviva.

Department of Health and Children, Hawkins House, Hawkins Street, Dublin 2 .
Tel: (01) 6354000. Fax: (01) 6354001. Web: www.dohc.ie

Social security
The Department of Social and Family Affairs is responsible for the social security system, through a network of local social welfare offices.

The system covers all internationally recognised forms of social protection and is known as pay-related social insurance (PRSI). The system covers all holders of a Personal Public Service (PPS) number. Financial support is available on grounds of illness, old age, unemployment or widowhood through a mix of social insurance and social assistance programmes. Other features of the system include supports for people seeking employment, lone parents, in-work benefits and family support for people at work on low pay, free dental examinations and free eyesight examinations, and a range of secondary benefits such as free travel for pensioners, and financial support toward the cost of fuel, TV licences and telephone rental charges.

In some circumstances, an exceptional needs payment is available to help pay for once-off items such as clothes.

Social welfare officers, based in social welfare local offices, are responsible for developing and implementing policies and for administering payments. Within the Health Service Executive Areas community welfare officers provide supplementary welfare provision outside the general system. Social workers liaise with community welfare officers and social welfare officers in relation to clients with social security issues.

Department of Social and Family Affairs, Áras Mhic Dhiarmada , Store Street, Dublin 1.
Tel: (01) 7043000. E-mail: info@welfare.ie - Web: www.welfare.ie

Social workers may also be able to access some financial assistance from outside the statutory sector on behalf of clients. Some charitable organisations have funds that can be accessed by submission / letter. Information on relevant organisations is often available in the social work department.

Social policy

In the Republic of Ireland, there are various fora that shape and influence social policy, of which social workers need to be aware.

Government policy is guided by certain key documents such as the National Development Plan 2007-2013: Transforming Ireland - A Better Quality of Life for All and Towards 2016; 10 Year Framework Social Partnership Agreement 2007-2015, which combine economic objectives with social considerations. The principle of 'social partnership' is at the core of these documents. Made up of representatives from the social partners, the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) monitors and analyses social policy from this perspective.

Under the aegis of different government departments, a number of working groups, commissions and expert review groups have been set up to deal with social policy issues. Many of these are open to social work input.

In the health area, the Department of Health and Children is charged with developing a health strategy. Much of current debate is focused on quality assurance, standards of service and information and protection for users of services. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), and its constituent body the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI), have a particular role in this. Users of public services themselves can turn to the Ombudsman's Office with their complaints / grievances.

Various government and semi-state agencies have been established to deal with specific issues, groups or policies, for example the National Disability Authority. There are also interest groups and umbrella organisations in the non-governmental sector such as the Irish Refugee Council and the Children's Rights Alliance.

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