Dáil debates

Wednesday, 27 May 2015

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions

Child Care Services Data

10:30 am

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department in conjunction with Atlantic Philanthropies has funded Preparing for Life through 2007 to 2013 via the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme or PEIP, which was established to examine innovative and integrated ways to improve outcomes for children across areas such as literacy, speech and language, parenting, health and pro-social behaviour.

Since 2014, Preparing for Life has been funded by my Department and Atlantic Philanthropies to build on their prevention and early intervention work with children and families living in Dublin 5 and Dublin 17 under the area-based childhood, ABC, programme. The ABC programme 2013 to 2016 is an innovative prevention and early intervention initiative consisting of committed funding for an area-based approach to helping improve outcomes for children and thereby impacting on child poverty. It aims to "break the cycle of child poverty within areas where it is most deeply entrenched and where children are most disadvantaged through integrated and effective services and interventions" in the areas of child development, child well-being, parenting and educational disadvantage.

The ABC programme, which includes Preparing for Life, is currently being evaluated by the Centre for Effective Services under the guidance of an expert advisory group. This evaluation will focus on outcomes changes for children and their families and progress in the implementation of evidence-informed approaches, and it will examine the costs of programme provision. This is critical, as we want to be sure that the money we are spending is getting the outcome we desire. I have no reason to believe that it does not but I value having the hard evidence, as it allows me to make the case at Estimates time to ensure that this can continue to be funded in future.

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