Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 6 March 2019

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs

Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised)

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It has been running with Foróige for a number of years. It operates in a strong way and provides a number of services. The programme received €792,000 in funding in 2018 and had a target of 500 community-based matches and 2,430 school-based matches. It is a sizeable programme.

The Deputy identified another example, that of the therapy demonstration project, which also involves the Department of Education and the Skills, the National Council for Special Education and the HSE. A great deal of money - €609,000 - has been contributed to a demonstration project for 2019. The intention is for it to demonstrate and evaluate the model at that funding level, the hope being that it will be identified as one of the best ways of providing services, in particular speech and language therapy and occupational therapy, to children in a manner that allows them access when they need it. How such services are offered, or not offered, currently presents a difficulty in that regard. The project involves 75 schools and 75 early learning care services. That is why we are calling it a demonstration as distinct from a pilot. Money has been provided for evaluation in the hope that we can move forward and scale it upwards.

Regarding the baby box and the book bag pilots, approximately €100,000 has been allocated to each of these in 2019 to determine what kind of response there would be. I hope that more significant investment will result from that, but these are new ideas and, as such, this is the best way of proceeding.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.