Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 12 Oct 2005

Vol. 181 No. 6

Tallaght Childhood Development Initiative.

Mr. B. Hayes

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this important matter in my area in the Dublin South-West constituency and I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan, who has responsibility for quite a number of these issues.

The childhood development initiative is a long-term project that has been put in place by in excess of 23 different organisations, groups and individuals in the Tallaght west area over the past two years. The Taoiseach was in Tallaght west on Monday to formally launch the next phase of the strategy document they published and he saw for himself the significant support which exists for this initiative in the Tallaght west area.

Briefly, this is a ten-year strategy which has been put in place by a large number of people to improve the health, safety and learning experience for children in the Tallaght west area, which is a significant area of Dublin, and west Dublin in particular. It is an area which has almost 8,000 homes most of which are provided by the local authority, a large number of one-parent families and substantial problems of educational disadvantage. It is an area that has worked closely with this initiative to find the best programme to put in place over a ten-year period to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This initiative is based, not on a whim but on eight separate published reports to date setting out concrete data concerning the different age cohorts in the Tallaght west area. It is also worth noting that their partner in this area is Atlantic Philanthropies, an organisation which has given significant charitable funding to various organisations in this country over recent years. It is a significant partner and the Government is conscious of the fact that this organisation has come behind the childhood development initiative.

The key objective is that children in the area can achieve their potential. It is the same objective that every child in any part of the country would have but because of disadvantage in this community, we must embrace the initiative taken and use this as a pilot project for communities in other areas. It involves the question of child care, the need for safe playing areas, the importance of school attendance and its enforcement and the importance of home support and how parents, and lone parents in particular, can be given support to ensure that their children stay in the formal education sector. Crucially, it also makes provision for after school homework clubs and after school supervision so that parents can grasp the economic opportunities offered by working in the new economy and, therefore, bettering themselves and their families. It also makes provision, as is critical in this area, for surveying the money that will be spent to ensure that the outcomes clearly identified in the strategy document are achieved for children. It is a holistic approach to the first 12 years of a young child's life.

The initial investment for the first three years of the programme is in the order of €15.6 million. The Taoiseach was struck by the professionalism of this initiative and by the considerable community support that exists for it. I ask the Government to continue to give this initiative its support and to meet all of the financial commitments that are being sought in this initiative.

It is fair to say that in terms of child care, there is not one particular Department dealing with this, even though I suspect it is has its origin in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. A number of other Departments also have a relationship with this initiative — the Departments of Education and Science, Health and Children and Social and Family Affairs. We are looking for a co-ordinated positive Government response to the excellent initiative that has come from the ground up in this community. I ask the Minister of State to respond positively to that this evening.

Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. B. Lenihan)

I am pleased Senator Brian Hayes has raised this matter on the Adjournment and I am pleased to reply to him about it. I always have had a positive attitude towards this project and was delighted to be able to intervene and secure some funding to ensure that this valuable research continued after a previous parliamentary discussion about the subject which took place in the other House.

I am also glad that Senator Hayes has given me an opportunity to outline to the House the position of the Government on the launch of this ten-year child care strategy for Tallaght west. The objective of the strategy, as the Senator outlined, is to improve children's health, safety, learning and achieving and to increase their sense of community belonging. I welcome its goals and its aims.

Given the research, planning and consultation, including consultation with children that has gone into this project, it is clear that the strategy is based on a realistic picture of life for children in Tallaght west. It emphasises the need for joined-up thinking across Departments and agencies, together with co-operation from the local community and from the local authority, South Dublin County Council. The Taoiseach, in launching this ten-year strategy entitled "A Place for Children" on Monday last, indicated that it is his view that this strategy points in the right directions.

Despite the real progress that has been made in Ireland in recent years with increased investment, spending and planning, many children continue to experience poverty and disadvantage in their daily lives. The problems which lie behind this poverty and disadvantage are often complex and do not lend themselves to simple solutions. To address these problems, social policy must be based on a strategic approach and must target those in need. In the case of children and young persons, the Government has put a number of initiatives in place with the ultimate aim of improving children's lives. I will outline some of these.

As a Government designated geographic area of disadvantage, namely, a RAPID area, it has been estimated that approximately €27 million was spent in the year 2004-05 by statutory bodies on children's services in the part of it covered by the strategy. I know the project recognises this. This is a substantial sum in the area concerned.

The National Children's Office is in place to co-ordinate the implementation of the children's strategy, including consultation with children and hearing their voices and the Ombudsman for Children provides an independent voice on their behalf.

Ireland is one of the first countries in the world to have a national policy on play. The Government wants to build more playgrounds and parks with spaces to play and to make playgrounds and play areas safer for children. Part of this can be done through direct provision from the Exchequer and part by good forward planning on the part of local authorities. In Tallaght west, grants of €72,000 each have been provided to Jobstown, Fettercairn and Killinarden for playgrounds under the RAPID scheme.

Having launched the national play policy, Ready, Steady, Play, in the spring of 2004 and having secured funding for it, I now know that a large number of objections have been made to the location of playgrounds throughout the country. I take heart from this because it is a sign that the policy is being implemented and that a proper play infrastructure is being put in place. When the policy was being drawn up, I took a keen interest in the provision for play in the different local authority areas. There was a wide variation in provision with the urban authorities having a better record, by and large. One rural authority, Roscommon, had an outstanding record but some had made no provision at all for a play infrastructure. The policy has resulted in local authorities addressing this issue, both in their planning and in negotiations with those developing space in their communities.

The provision of early childhood care and education services is identified as central to positive outcomes for children. The Government is reviewing options for future child care policy taking account of the work of the high level working group on early childhood care and education and other reports on the issue. The National Children's Office, under my direction, was asked to prepare the high level working group report that I presented it to Government last week. Funding of over €10.6 million under the equal opportunities child care programme has been allocated to the Tallaght-Jobstown area since the beginning of the programme. School age child care is also being addressed under the EOCP, under an initiative announced by my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, earlier this summer. The Health Service Executive is also involved in developing and supporting a number of child care and family support services in the Tallaght area.

Education is the key to young people reaching their full potential. It can provide them with the confidence to participate actively in society. Tackling educational disadvantage continues to be a key priority for the Government. This is reflected in the new action plan on educational disadvantage, DEIS, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, launched by my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science last May. The new action plan aims to ensure that the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities are prioritised and effectively addressed in a more targeted, coherent and integrated way.

Another priority for the Government is reform of the youth justice system. I have taken a personal interest in this and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, has asked me to examine the issues featured in recent debate on youth justice and to bring proposals to the Government. Young people are subject to many pressures. Drugs, alcohol and social disadvantage can lead to a cycle of poverty, anti-social behaviour and getting into trouble.

The Government is working to identify those at risk as early as possible and build their capacity to become responsible citizens. The Children Act 2001 provides us with unique and specific opportunities. Major principles enshrined in the Act include the need for early intervention and the provision of community alternatives to detention and the principle that custody must remain a measure of last resort. The review of the structures of our youth justice system is being finalised and the results will be brought to Government shortly.

These developments at national level are mirrored in the approach outlined in the childhood development initiative's ten-year strategy. The strategy will support steps already being taken to improve outcomes for children in this area and play an active role in seeking new solutions to emerging issues. As the Taoiseach indicated at the launch, the strategy and its proposals will be considered by relevant officials of Departments, drawing on the involvement of many local agencies in its preparation.