Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 November 2014
113. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if he has familiarised himself with the child support services provided by Teenline; the degree to which he has evaluated the importance of the services provided by the organisation; the extent to which he might expect to be in a position to provide ongoing support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44431/14]
View answerTeenline is a voluntary organisation established in 2005 to provide a dedicated helpline service for young people who may be going through difficult times and need someone to talk to. Teenline provides an evening phone line service 7 days a week. The organisation was funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) between 2007 and 2013.
Following many months of engagement with Teenline Ireland, which included an independent evaluation, the NOSP notified the organisation on 3rd March, 2014, of its decision to withdraw funding for this service. This decision was based on two primary considerations, the enduring and prevalent concerns pertaining to multiple aspects of Teenline Ireland’s governance and service provision and the limited capacity of Teenline Ireland to provide a national, quality assured helpline and multimedia service to young people.
It should be noted, however, that the NOSP continues to support a range of services for teenagers and young people including Childline, SpunOut.ie and ReachOut.com/Inspire Ireland. The 24-hour call services provided by the Samaritans and Childline remain available to any young person in distress and continue to be funded by the NOSP.
The NOSP helps to support a wide array of work in communities, in partnership with the voluntary sector, across the country that focus on promoting positive mental health and reducing suicide and self-harm by providing significant grant funding each year - almost €5 million in 2013 – as well as by assisting in coordinating and giving strategic direction to the work undertaken.
