I propose to take Questions Nos. 705 and 709 together.
The national youth work development plan, published in August 2003, identifies four main goals and proposes some 50 action points to achieve these goals over a five-year period. Work has commenced on certain priority areas as follows. 2003 an amount of €80,000 was allocated in 2003 to the implementation of the child protection training programme for the sector. In 2004 an amount of €500,000 was made available in 2004 for the roll-out of the plan and was expended on further support for the child protection training programme for the youth sector; the development of projects funded under the special projects for youth scheme; the Increased support to youth information centres and the youth information support partnership.
In 2005 an 18% increase in funding for the youth work sector has been provided for in the 2005 Estimates. This additional funding will cater for several developments under the national youth work development plan and the Youth Work Act 2001. The following measures, will be addressed as a result of this: additional funding; upgrading of some one worker special projects for youth; additional special projects for youth increase in local youth clubs grant scheme; development fund for youth organisations; funding review consultancy; youth information consultancy; special once-off funding for youth work organisations; continued funding for child protection training programme; North-South youth work training endorsement panel.
Additionally, funding is available for to the appointment of an assessor of youth work. My Department is also working towards the provision of resources for VECs to enable them fulfil their responsibilities under the Youth Work Act 2001. A portion of the funding will be allocated towards both of these matters. With regard to the implementation of a child protection programme for the youth work sector, the National Youth Council of Ireland appointed a national co-ordinator for child protection in December 2004 to manage and oversee its implementation.
The duties of the national co-ordinator include the development and implementation of a comprehensive awareness and training programme for the youth work sector based on the code of good practice, Child Protection for the Youth Work Sector, September 2002, as well as the assessment of the child protection training needs of the youth work sector. A preliminary needs analysis of youth organisations was carried out in January 2005 and this identified the priority need of training youth workers in a training of trainers programme. In April 2005, 19 youth workers commenced the keeping safe child protection training programme, accredited by the Open College Network. The final moderation of this programme will be in September 2005, when these workers will be accredited child protection trainers of trainers.
Work has also commenced on developing a national child protection basic awareness training programme. The keeping safe programme is also being modified and updated in order to seek national accreditation. An independent analysis of child protection needs will commence in September 2005 and a child protection workers' forum will take place in October 2005.