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Child and Family Agency Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2015

Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Ceisteanna (9)

Seán Kyne

Ceist:

9. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children's services committees; the local authority areas which have such a committee; if it is envisaged that all counties would have a committee; and if he will report on the way the committees interact with the local community development committees. [14468/15]

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Freagraí ó Béal (4 píosaí cainte)

My question concerns the number of children's services committees, the local authority areas which have such committees, and what engagement they have with the local community development committees.

I thank the Deputy for his question. Children and young people’s services committees or CYPSCs - God knows, there are a huge amount of acronyms in my Department - are being put in place to develop and implement a local planning model for inter-agency working to improve outcomes for children and young people. The age remit of the committees has been extended to include 18 to 24 year olds. The earlier children's services committees, or CSCs, applied from 0-18 years only. The CYPSCs will cover 0-24 years and are aimed at aligning with Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures to ensure a more connected and co-ordinated response to the needs and aspirations of children and young people.

At present, there are 22 CYPSCs established in Ireland across 22 counties and 25 local authority areas. Three CYPSCs are yet to be established in Clare, Laois-Offaly and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. The CYPSC boundaries generally match those of the local authority, but in some areas a CYPSC covers two local authority areas or counties. By the end of 2015, when all children and young people’s services committees are in place, there will be full coverage across the State.

Local authority engagement with the committees has always been strong with local authority managers and directors chairing or co-chairing committees in the past. This engagement with local authority structures will continue to be strengthened as the programme achieves full roll-out.

Staff within my Department are currently engaging with counterparts in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government on the form and structure of interaction between the children and young people’s services committee and the local community development committee in any given area. There are clear opportunities for closely working together as both committees work towards collaborative and coherent cross-sectoral and inter-agency responses to locally identified needs.

I thank the Minister for the reply. I appreciate that the original children's services committees were to bring together a diverse group of agencies in the local counties to engage in service planning for children. Regarding the local community development committees, is the Minister confident that they have a strong interaction with the children's services committees or with the new children's and young people's services committees? What links are there between the child care committees and Tusla? Do they have any links with the local community development committees? Is there full engagement within all these groups or is there a lack of engagement?

It would vary around the country but of the ones I have met there is very strong coherence, connectivity and interaction between the various committees. They have the same interests at heart.

I was at the opening of an all-weather pitch in Balbriggan today where I could see all that coherence coming together, with Fingal County Council management, the councillors themselves, the local GAA club, the local soccer club, the president of the GAA and the vice-chair of the FAI and many other community people present to support this initiative, which is basically about sport but is helping children be active, physically exercised and well. There are also the night leagues, which the Garda run in conjunction with the youth service in my Department. They are aimed at keeping youngsters out of trouble. The league is run from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on a Friday night because that is the night when they are most likely to become involved in criminal activity and where they have been in operation they have been very successful. The results show that there has been a 20% reduction in minor crimes. That is another example of co-operating right across the various committees and the community.

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