Mr. Pádraig O'Donovan:

Home school sommunity liaisons and education welfare officers are among our many referrers, with almost one third of this year's participants having been referred by them to the strengthening famiilies programme in Kildare. The success of the programme in Kildare is due to the inter-agency collaboration, which is a core part of its delivery. It relies on the support and involvement of link workers and facilitators whose time is given by statutory and community agencies to support and implement the delivery of the programme. Co-ordination of the programme is a significant undertaking in terms of the time and resources required to oversee all of the elements of the programme from referrals and home visits to co-ordinating the steering group and weekly programme sessions. Given the success of the model, the proven outcomes and the demand for places on the programme, our ambition for the programme in County Kildare and elsewhere is that a role be funded to oversee the delivery of the strengthening famiilies programme.

The strengthening famiilies programme has been shown to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors for families and for young people. The programme works because it is a unique relationship building and community engagement piece by Foróige and its partners. The evaluation report clearly demonstrates the benefits of the programme and outlines the need for a sustainable funding structure to be put in place. There is a clear appetite to see this programme delivered more widely. Foróige is committed to supporting the delivery of the strengthening famiilies programme in Kildare and elsewhere and to maintaining the crucial interagency relationships that help achieve the desired outcomes.