Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 April 2021
726. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the funding provided by his Department or agencies under his remit annually to family resource centres; the primary funding streams in each of the years 2016 to 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22202/21]
View answerTusla administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme and provides funding supports to 121 FRCs across the country. Core funding for the national FRC Programme is provided from my Department (Vote 40), and, since 2019 has involved the allocation of approximately €18m annually to Tusla for this purpose.
FRCs will receive funding from Tusla other than core funding, as well as occasional one-off supports (for example in the context of Covid-19 in 2020). I have requested that Tusla respond directly to the Deputy with regard to the details of final funding amounts provided to FRCs annually since 2016.
In terms of funding from my Department, in addition to core funding provided by Tusla, some FRCs provide childcare services and would be eligible to sign funding agreements under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and the Community Childcare Scheme Plus (CCSP) saver programme. Services operating any of the aforementioned programmes would also be eligible to apply for Programme Support Payments. My Department also has a number of strands of sustainability funding which are available for community services presenting with sustainability issues following a financial assessment by Pobal. However, it is not readily feasible at present, to disaggregate the total amounts of funding provided to those childcare providers that are provided by FRCs.
It may also be possible for FRCs to access youth funding programmes, from my Department's Youth Affairs Unit. For example funding has been provided to FRCs under the Follow Your Dreams project in recent years.
With regard to other agencies under my Department's remit, the majority do not provide funding allocations to FRCs. I have also requested that the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO) respond directly to the Deputy to outline funding, if any, allocated to FRCs since 2016.
