Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations and the work that they do. It is truly invaluable and they do not need to convince me of it. We wanted to bring forward recommendations in our report that will strengthen their work.

I will start with Mr. Ferron with regard to funding. The witnesses have all said that without adequate funding, they cannot meet the needs that are presenting. How have funding trends been changing? I am thinking about the different funding streams coming from youth services and justice. How do they interact or not interact? What is the impact of the difference on the delivery of youth services in responding to community needs? Mr. Ferron mentioned counselling. He has a great example that he spearheaded in a previous life in Sphere 17, in Cabra for Youth. It would be helpful to share with the committee the work of the Listen Project. It started as a pilot and has developed significantly. It is something that this committee should look to secure funding for on a much greater basis. Mr. Ferron will explain it much better than I ever could.