Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/200988 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Citation: 
[Journal:] International Journal of Management, Economics and Social Sciences (IJMESS) [ISSN:] 2304-1366 [Volume:] 8 [Issue:] 2 [Publisher:] IJMESS International Publishers [Place:] Jersey City, NJ [Year:] 2019 [Pages:] 81-98
Publisher: 
IJMESS International Publishers, Jersey City, NJ
Abstract: 
Against the backdrop of austerity measures and public sector reforms in Ireland, this paper examined legal costs incurred in child welfare proceedings by the State Child and Family Agency - Tusla, using a need-based allocation model. The direct financial costs of engaging with legal services, necessitated by the adversarial nature of child welfare proceedings, were scrutinized to determine if resources were allocated based on need. Adopting a cross-sectional research design, secondary data (obtained from the organization's financial billing system. n =1032) were employed in an econometric analysis examining the factors influencing variations in Tusla's legal expenditure. The dependent variable was total amount billed by legal firm per observation and the independent variables included type of legal activity involved (a proxy for need), geographical location and type of legal personnel (supply factor). Type of legal personnel, volume and type of legal activity have significant positive effects on legal spend. Administrative area does not significantly affect spending on legal services. We found that engagement with legal services, demanded by the adversarial nature of child welfare proceedings, has considerable cost implications; however, does seem to be allocated on the basis of need. The findings can be employed to increase the organization's awareness of costs.
Subjects: 
Child protection
legal expenditure
public sector
Tusla
Ireland
JEL: 
H83
J13
P36
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc Logo
Document Type: 
Article

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