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Youth Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 February 2014

Wednesday, 12 February 2014

Questions (192, 193)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

192. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which her Department continues to have dialogue with the various community-based youth support voluntary groups with a view to addressing areas of concern; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7176/14]

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Bernard Durkan

Question:

193. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which her Department is in a position to reach out to and support young persons deemed to be in danger arising from depression and possible self-harm; the means used to liaise with such persons; the number of such contacts made in each of the past two years to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7177/14]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 192 and 193 together.

My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. Targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people are provided through the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund, Rounds 1 and 2, Local Drugs Task Force Projects and certain other programmes including the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme and Youth Information Centres. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 400,000 young people and involve approximately, 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. In 2014, funding of €50.530m including €750,000 for a new capital funding programme has been provided to my Department for these schemes.

I, and officials of my Department have met, and continue to meet, regularly with many youth organisations and groups to see how we can work together to bring about the best possible outcomes for young people, having regard to resources available to us and to ensure that the programmes and services being provided are relevant and responsive to young people’s needs.

Young people benefit hugely from participation in youth work services. There is a growing body of research evidence which highlights how engagement in quality programmes helps young people to acquire important life skills such as confidence, problem solving, resilience and the ability to develop and maintain positive relationships and how it can enhance young people’s competences for communication, leadership and innovation and their employability.

My Department also provides funding on an annual basis to support the work of the National Youth Health Programme (€83,940 in 2013). This programme is a partnership between the National Youth Council of Ireland, my Department and the HSE. The programme aims to provide a broad-based, flexible health promotion/education support and training service to youth organisations and to all those working with young people in out-of-school settings.

This work is achieved through the development of programmes and interventions specifically for and with youth organisations throughout the country and the provision of training and support for workers and volunteers who implement these programmes. In particular, the Mindout Mental Health Promotion training and resource pack, which was developed by Health Promotion HSE West and NUI Galway, takes a positive approach to the promotion of emotional and mental health among young people and adopts a universal mental health promotion approach which has strong links with the “Support for all” element of the recent guidelines on Mental Health Promotion for Schools published by the HSE, Department of Education and the National Office for Suicide Prevention.

Ongoing engagement and dialogue with the youth sector organisations and with young people themselves are priorities in the development of the policies and services to support young people’s development and learning.

The National Youth Work Advisory Committee, appointed by me in January 2013 includes the key national youth organisations, that work directly with young people. The Committee, which also includes representatives of Government Departments, the Education and Training Boards and other statutory agencies involved in youth matters, has an important advisory role to me on issues to do with how youth work practice and services can better meet the requirements of young people.

My Department has regular engagement with members of the youth sector organisations in the development of policy initiatives that impact on young people. At this time, members of youth sector organisations are contributing to the development of the Children and Young Peoples’ Policy Framework, my Department’s new strategy for children and young people. They are also engaged with my Department in relation to the potential contribution of the youth sector to the measures to implement the youth guarantee. The National Youth Council of Ireland has a lead role in carrying out the EU structured dialogue process with young people in Ireland and the youth sector organisations are represented on the National Steering Committee chaired by my Department. It is planned that youth organisations will have a significant role in the new youth policy strategy which is being developed in my Department for completion in 2014. The next stage of the development of the youth policy strategy will include a consultation process with youth organisations, other youth stakeholders and young people themselves.

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