Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 November 2004
109 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the projects undertaken with the International Initiative for Children, Youth and Families; the amount available and the amount spent in each of these projects in 2002, 2003 and 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28157/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe International Initiative for Children, Youth and Families is an international network of policymakers, managers, practitioners and researchers involved in promoting effective policies and services for children, youth and families. The initiative was set up in 1992 with initial funding from the Netherlands Government. It is essentially a networking organisation.
Ireland has been involved with the initiative since 2001. Its objectives are to locate and share information about the best family centred programmes and policies from different countries and to develop and disseminate knowledge about what works to help strengthen communities so that they in turn can support families. The current theme of interest to the initiative relates to community engagement in achieving better results for children and families. Arising from the contacts made through the international initiative a residents exchange programme was set up involving Portsmouth in the UK, Groningen in Holland and Waterford.
The purpose of the exchange was to develop best practice for residents involvement in changes affecting their communities. The process consisted of workshops and visits hosted by each of the cities involved. During 2002, residents from disadvantaged areas of Waterford city, along with representatives of Waterford City Council, RAPID, the Garda, the South Eastern Health Board and this Department visited Groningen. The visit sought to advance thinking on best practice in engaging residents, particularly in the RAPID programme which was getting underway in Waterford at the time. The total cost of the exchange visit was €8,827 approximately.
My Department and the Family Support Agency was also represented at an international expert seminar in Windsor sponsored by the UK Government on the theme of "effective policies to support strong communities and better results for children and families". In early 2004, training on working for better results for children, families and communities — one of the strands of work promoted by the international initiative — was run in Waterford and Clonmel in conjunction with the Waterford city and county development boards and South Tipperary County Development Board.
The training was attended by about 100 people from a variety of State agencies and community groups. Its aim was to promote a method of working which would ensure the achievement of better results for children, families and communities. The total cost of the training was approximately €8,000 to which my Department contributed some €4,500. In May 2004, following an invitation from the international initiative, the board of the Family Support Agency nominated its chief executive officer to join the board of the initiative.
Representatives from the Family Support Agency and the National Children's Office, NCO, together with two young people chosen by the NCO attended a study tour and seminar organised by the international initiative in Boston and Washington respectively from 1 to 5 November 2004. The theme of the study tour and seminar was "Involving Youth in Changing Their Communities".
