Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)

The national youth work development plan, which was published in 2003, identifies four main goals for the development of youth work in Ireland and proposes 50 action points to achieve these goals over a five-year period.

My Department has been actively engaged in consultations with the national youth work advisory committee regarding the prioritised implementation of the plan. Based on these consultations, my Department identified a number of priority action areas for implementation and I am happy to report that progress has been made in a number of important areas.

As recommended in the plan, my Department has targeted the development and expansion of the special projects for youth scheme which supports some of the most marginalised and vulnerable young people. To date, the number of projects supported by my Department has increased from 164 in 2003 to the current level of 177. In addition, 32 single worker projects have been upgraded to two worker projects.

Significant progress has also been made in the area of child protection training for the youth work sector. A national child protection unit, which is based within the National Youth Council of Ireland and supported by me and the Department, has led and co-ordinated child protection training initiatives and assisted many youth organisations with the drafting of child protection policies and guidelines. In recent months my Department has worked with the unit and the central Garda vetting unit to agree a process for the Garda vetting of new youth work staff and volunteers. This process is due to commence in September 2006 and is a most welcome development for all involved in youth work as it will be an added safeguard in ensuring the safety of the young people involved in youth work activities.

As proposed in the plan, a committee for the professional endorsement of youth work training has been established on a North-South basis. In the first instance, the role of the education and training standards committee for youth work, which was set up following agreement between the relevant parties in both jurisdictions, is the professional endorsement of courses, programmes of education and training in youth work provided by higher education institutions in Ireland, North and South.

Two major reviews are recommended in the plan. A review of youth information provision and a review of funding of the youth work sector have been commenced and are near completion.

In 2005, I established a development fund for youth work organisations to prepare themselves organisationally for the roll-out of the Youth Work Act 2001. More than €300,000 was provided for this fund in 2005 and I will make similar funding available to national and major voluntary youth work organisations in 2006. In this regard, my Department is engaged in discussions with the various youth work interests regarding further priority areas for development for 2006.

A structure for the resourcing of vocational education committees to carry out their functions under the terms of the Youth Work Act 2001 has now been agreed, in principle, between me and the Irish Vocational Education Association.

Work is also under way on the establishment of a national youth work development unit at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. This unit will spearhead youth research and development in Ireland. This is an especially important development in the context of the plan because 18 of its actions are in some way linked to such a unit being set up. I am confident the establishment of this unit will pave the way for the implementation of further actions recommended in the plan.

I also expect to have a youth work assessor appointed soon. Further action areas for development in 2006 and 2007 are being considered by my Department with advice from the national youth work advisory committee. Significant progress has been made and I intend to build further on this work in 2006.

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