Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 July 2013
24. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will set out and provide details on the process for the selection of the sites, programmes, interventions, and supports to be provided under the new area based approach to the child poverty initiative in 2013. [32593/13]
View answerMy Department is implementing the new Area-Based Response to Child Poverty programme which was announced as part of Budget 2013. The programme is being co-funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and is expected to have a total funding allocation of €29.7 million. The programme is being introduced on foot of the Programme for Government commitment to adopt an area-based approach to child poverty, drawing on best international practice and existing services to break the cycle of child poverty where it is most deeply entrenched and improve the outcomes for children and young people. The programme will build on and continue much of the work of the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP) which was also implemented by my Department and co-funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies.
The three existing PEIP sites and at least three additional sites are expected to participate in the new programme. In addition, it is my intention to broaden the impact of the programme by beginning the process of mainstreaming some of the evidence-based programmes which have been positively evaluated and are cost-effective. The establishment of my Department's new Child and Family Agency later this year will be important to this process.
Applications to participate in the programme were invited from interested not for profit consortia earlier this year. The closing date for receipt of applications was 31 May and fifty applications were received. The current priority has been to transition appropriate activities funded under PEIP into the new initiative, and this has been progressed as a matter of urgency. It is hoped that agreement will be reached with the 3 sites concerned shortly regarding their initial activities and funding under the programme. It is hoped that this will be approved by Government later this month.
Twenty six further applications have been prioritised for evaluation based primarily on the level of disadvantage in their areas, and also the child population expected to be impacted, and these will be evaluated in the period July-September by a Working Group led by my Department, using criteria set out in the application process. An Interdepartmental Project Team, chaired by my Department, will consider these applications, and make proposals to Government in October for funding under Phase 1 of the initiative.
The remaining twenty-one proposals will be evaluated in the period October 2013 - January 2014, and where appropriate, good proposals made in this cohort, along with any good proposals which narrowly missed funding under Phase 1, will be considered for funding under Phase 2 of the initiative.
