Ms Tanya Ward:

The Deputy is correct in that the most important thing for services is a lower staff to child ratio. We have visited a few of our members who are providing these services. One I would recommend is Ballyfermot Star in Ballyfermot. The service works with people in the community and parents dealing with addiction. It deals with children with very complex needs and the staff are carrying high levels of risk. Their job is quite stressful. They sometimes worry whether children are being fed over a weekend because of the level of challenges they are dealing with.

If asked, they tell us they need more time per child. If more funding goes into the equal start programme, that should, it is to be hoped, allow more direct contact with children. Some organisations are very small and are trying to get funds from different areas. Instead of spending time with the child or the service, they are spending time trying to get small pots of money.