It is recognised that particular groups of children and young people can face more challenges in achieving the five national outcomes set out in Better Outcomes Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (2014-2020), and numerous specific commitments of the Framework reflect this.
My Department identified prevention and early intervention as a key cross-sectoral priority. This is being addressed through the Area-Based Childhood programme, the development of a Quality and Capacity Building initiative, and supporting relevant priorities of other Government Departments. As part of this, the Advisory Council for Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, which brings together members of the community and voluntary sector as well as independent experts, has worked on a number of priority areas including homelessness and child poverty. Members of the Council and officials from my Department recently met with representatives from Focus Ireland and St. Vincent de Paul to progress these issues.
My Department funds the County and City Childcare Committees; and Childcare Committees Ireland, to provide business support to services. Funding is also provided to Better Start, to provide a quality support service and to Pobal who undertake compliance visits on behalf of this Department, and the Department of Education and Skills who provide education focused support to childcare providers.
My Department also administers a range of funding schemes and targeted programmes that support the provision of youth services for young people who are at risk of drug and alcohol misuse; early school leaving; homelessness; or who are living in disadvantaged communities. Overall, the funding schemes support national and local youth work provision and involve approximately 1,400 youth work staff and 40,000 volunteers, working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. In 2017, funding of €57.4m has been provided by my Department for various youth schemes, an increase of €5.5m on 2016. The additional funding is being used for programmes that target disadvantaged young people, and to assist national youth organisations in their work to support local voluntary youth services.
As the Deputy may be aware, a number of funding schemes supporting youth services were the subject of a Value for Money and Policy Review in 2014. Work on the development of a new funding scheme has been prioritised by my Department, and consultations with youth services are continuing, with a view to introducing the new youth funding programme in line with the review.
My Department has embarked on an exercise, in conjunction with Pobal, and each Education and Training Board (ETB) Youth Officer, which will map youth service provision across the State. This mapping exercise will assist my Department and the relevant ETB's in developing a detailed socio-demographic profile, in terms of both population numbers and deprivation levels. It is my intention that this mapping exercise will inform future development and investment in youth services.
The Deputy will be aware that my Department provides funding for the Child and Family Agency, Tusla. In 2017, Tusla has been allocated Exchequer funding of €713 million, representing an increase of €37 million on 2016. Tusla provides a comprehensive range of services and supports for vulnerable children and families. These include: Child Welfare and Protection Services, including family support services; Educational Welfare Services; Pre-school Inspection services and Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence services.
My Department is currently working on legislation to reform the Guardian ad litem service. Guardians ad litem perform a very important function in child care proceedings. They are an invaluable source of advice to the Courts and a great support for the children and young people who are involved in these proceedings. The reform proposals will address significant inadequacies in the existing arrangements and will replace the existing ad hoc system with a high quality, child-centred, cost effective national service. Most importantly, it will extend the Guardian ad litem system to benefit the greatest number of children and young people.
