Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 May 2020
1079. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost of restoring family resource centre funding to peak levels on a per centre basis, that is, taking into account the number of centres within the network. [3974/20]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme.
Prior to 2014, funding to the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme was provided by the Family Support Agency (FSA). The FSA was established by the Department of Social and Family Affairs in 2001 and responsibility for the agency transferred to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in 2011. The FSA was dissolved under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013 on the establishment of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency in 2014. The FSA's constituent programmes, including the FRC Programme, were transferred to Tusla.
In 2008, a total of €18.94 million in funding was allocated to the FRC Programme, supporting 107 Family Resource Centres across the country. This represents the peak level of annual funding for the FRC Programme, as referred to by the Family Resource Centre National Forum.
The funding allocation to the FRC Programme in 2020 is €18 million. To increase funding to 2008 levels would therefore require an additional €0.94 million.
There are currently 121 Family Resource Centres funded by Tusla under the FRC Programme. To increase funding to 2008 levels, on an average per centre basis, would require funding of approximately €21.3 million annually, or an additional €3.3 million over the current budget allocation.
