Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

There are 107 family resource centres throughout the country funded by the Family Support Agency. My Department assumed responsibility for the FSA when it was established earlier this year. I welcome the opportunity this provides to promote effective operational relationships between the family resource centres and other providers of services to children and families.

The aim of the family resource centre programme is to combat disadvantage and improve the functioning of the family unit. The programme emphasises involving local communities in tackling the problems they face, and creating successful partnerships between voluntary and statutory agencies at community level. In 2011, funding of €15.897m has been provided to the Family Support Agency for the programme. Funding for the programme in 2012 will be a matter for Government consideration in the context of the deliberations on the annual Estimates and budget.

In September, I established a taskforce to advise my Department regarding the necessary transition programme to establish the new child and family support agency. The taskforce has been asked, inter alia, to provide advice as to the appropriate service responsibilities of the new agency. In doing so, it will consider the services within the HSE that relate to children and family services and the services for which the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and its agencies have operational responsibility. No decisions have been made as yet with regard to future arrangements for the family resource centre programme but I can assure the Deputy that the Family Support Agency will be consulted as part of the deliberations of the taskforce on the service responsibilities of the new agency and any issues arising.

See this speech in context