Family Support Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 April 2021

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Questions (1238)

Martin Browne

Question:

1238. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on south County Tipperary being left behind in relation to the to the roll-out of the national prevention, partnership and family support service; and the initiatives being taken currently to rectify the matter. [19577/21]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

South Tipperary PPFS continues to develop as do other PPFS services across the country in line with available resources. The purpose of the Prevention, Partnership and Family Support Programme is to support children, young people, parents and families in accessing preventative and support services while enabling their participation in decisions which affect their lives. It aims to prevent risks to children and young people arising or escalating through building sustainable services within Tusla and partner organisations to perform preventative and early intervention work. The programme addresses Tusla’s statutory requirement under the Child and Family Agency Act to provide ‘preventative family support services aimed at promoting the welfare of children’. PPFS works to build connectivity by engaging with Tusla and external services across the continuum of care.

Tusla has established 118 Child & Family Support Networks (CFSNs) across Ireland, which help to support integrated and co-ordinated supports for children, young people and families at local community level. CFSNs are a frontline operational structure set up by Tusla to support integrated service delivery. Members of CFSNs come from a variety of agencies or local voluntary and community services such as the Community and Voluntary Sector, HSE Primary Care Social Work, Early Years Services, Sports Clubs, Speech & Language Therapy, An Garda Síochána Youth Probation Services, Primary and Secondary Schools etc. There are three CFSNs supported by PPFS staff in South Tipperary.

I refer to my previous response of 01 April 2021 to PQ 17833/21 and to my response to PQ 19578/21 in this regard.