Noel Ahern
Ceist:196 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health and Children if his Department has supported the springboard project; the level of funding allocated; and the heading under which moneys were paid out. [29091/01]
Written Answers. - Springboard Programme.
Springboard is a pilot programme of support for vulnerable families initiated by the Department of Health and Children with funding from the Cabinet committee on social inclusion through the young people's facilities and services fund.
The initiative was launched in 1998 and has been driven centrally by the child care policy unit in the Department of Health and Children. Health boards established 14 family support projects in communities located throughout the country. The projects are supported at local level by community, voluntary and statutory partners and at national level by an interdepartmental monitoring committee.
The springboard projects have been extensively evaluated and a final evaluation report on the pilot phase is due to be published in December 2001. In addition, two policy papers on family support have been published under the springboard initiative with a third relating to fathers and families due to be published shortly. A number of training seminars on relevant topics have also been organised for project staff and stakeholders.
A total of £7.685 million – 9.76 million – has been allocated to these projects. The young people's facilities and services fund provided £7.2 million – 9.14 million – during the three year pilot phase. The pilot phase continued into 2001 due to the delay in establishing some of the projects. Funding has been allocated as follows: £1.625 million – 2.06 million – in 1998, £1.5 million – 1.9 million – in 1999, £1.8 million – 2.28 million – in 2000 and £2.76 million – 3.5 million – in 2001.
The Department of Health and Children allocated additional funding to establish three new projects in 2001. Funding allocated to date for these projects totals £775,000 – 1.02 million.