Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming in. I really appreciate it, as well as the work they do on the care of our children.

Obviously, the budget did not go far enough with regard to child poverty. It is a missed opportunity, once again, by the Government to look after the households that are most vulnerable.

I have a couple of questions about the future of in kind versus cash supports. What are the organisations' positions on the in kind model of supports as opposed to cash payments when it come to helping disadvantaged families and children? Will they briefly outline any research and findings if they have any information on that?

Social Justice Ireland's submission focused on recommendations regarding State aid and supports to counter child poverty. What is the organisation's position on conditional housing supports tied to child welfare indicators such as school attendance or health check compliance? What alternative accountability mechanisms would the representatives propose?

The equal start funding is limited. Will the witnesses outline briefly what criteria their organisations believe should be used to designate priority settings and how would they ensure transparency in that process?

The Children's Rights Alliance proposed wraparound supports in early years settings. How would its representatives evaluate the effectiveness of these supports in improving child development outcomes? More importantly, what metrics would they use for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of such supports?

Have the witnesses conducted any research to explore how parental engagement or lack thereof is influencing child protection outcomes or whether current supports sufficiently empower parents to take responsibility? They have plenty of time to answer those questions.