Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
1924. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of funding for Youngballymun; if further supplementary funding will be allocated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24799/16]
View answerThe Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a joint prevention and early intervention initiative led by my Department and The Atlantic Philanthropies. The ABC Programme is a time-bound, co-funding arrangement of €29.7m from 2013 to 2017. The aim is to test and evaluate prevention and early intervention approaches in 13 areas of disadvantage to improve outcomes for children, in particular children and families living in poverty. The focus of the work under the ABC Programme covers: Child Health & Development; Children’s Learning; Parenting; and Integrated Service Delivery.
This programme was preceded by the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP) (2007-2013) which funded the following three organisations: Youngballymun, Childhood Development Initiative Tallaght, and the Preparing for Life Programme Darndale. Total funding provided to these 3 sites over the duration of both programmes amounts to €50m. Owing to their earlier transition into the ABC programme, Youngballymun and the other two sites were contracted to deliver services to children in their areas until mid-2016.
In July of this year, my Department and co-funder The Atlantic Philanthropies furnished additional funding to Youngballymun of €500,000 to enable the organisation to extend its service provision for an additional year, to end July 2017. Extensions were also furnished to the two other former PEIP sites which brings the contract completion date for these three sites in line with the other sites funded under the ABC programme. These extensions utilised all remaining funds within the ABC Budget.
The Government is fully committed to ensuring that learning from all sites funded under the ABC programme will inform other services and supports for children in the area of prevention and early intervention. Such an approach would offer a greater reach, in scope and depth, which will in turn enhance outcomes for children throughout the country. As there is effective work being done on a range of themes across all 13 ABC sites, a key focus over the next year will be to determine the high-impact programmes and provision across these areas so that a more strategic approach can be taken to mainstreaming such learning. In line with the commitments made in the Programme for Government, my Department is examining this learning to inform further consideration in the realm of prevention and early intervention.
