Mr. Andy Leeson:

Our experience in County Kildare, and elsewhere where we have delivered the programme, has been extremely positive. In Kildare we have four strategic partners, namely, Foróige ourselves, the south western regional drug and alcohol task force, the County Kildare Leader Partnership and Tusla. These are the four key pillar organisations that support it. We also have active involvement from a range of organisations, from the schools and the home school liaison officers to Kildare youth services, local drug addiction services, family resource centres and juvenile liaison officers in the Garda. There is a steering group that Mr. O’Donovan chairs, which oversees and co-ordinates the work both in terms of getting referrals into the programme and following up on those referrals. Implementation of the programme requires all of those organisations to commit staff, time and resources to support the delivery of the programme.

It is very much reliant on that goodwill, but it is also very much a true inter-agency piece.