Ms Elizabeth Waters:

I want to comment as a practitioner, first on early years intervention, specifically the two-year preschool, and its absolute significance. Our experience on the ground in Rainbow House shows that the children who go through the two-year programme that we bring them through have far better outcomes in primary school than the other children going into school. It is really important that we target early intervention in areas of disadvantage in order that they have the resources to really bring those children through, along with their parents. We know the issue is intergenerational and that children's outcomes are really connected in with those of their parents. I will not go into the statistics, which are contained in my report which members have. Not everyone will agree with me but I look at the importance of really targeting the other group. I know it is a buzzword now but lone parents has always been a buzzword for An Cosán. Senator Ruane is a shining example but is not the only example of the young women who are lone parents living in social isolation in a very busy area, who come in and who go through a process over two years, which has brilliant outcomes. It was funded for six years as innovation. After six years, they told me that it was no longer innovation so they could no longer fund it. There was no funding available for something that was proven to have quality outcomes.

There are huge issues is respect of young men aged between 18 and 30. I expect the representatives from Foróige will agree that once one hits 18 years of age, one is on one's own. There is very little support available. There is a need for targeted intervention for that particular group.

Every day, I am out trying to raise philanthropic funds to pay for what the State should resource us to do. I will get it for a period, and I prove the model, but it does not matter. I need this committee's support to say that community education has proven itself as an alternative model for education to work with the groups the committee is discussing and is concerned about. Fund us. The young lone-parents programme is an excellent example of a model that works and is proven to work but it is not funded.