Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to join with Deputy Ellis in this initiative. Deputy Ellis and I are long-time representatives of the Ballymun area, but we also work very closely with public, national and local representatives from all parties who are absolutely committed to the Young Ballymun model. We have long experience of the success of that model and are very conscious of the scale, depth and complexity of disadvantage within an area like Ballymun, a town of 18,000 people. It is important to bear in mind that huge scale. We are very conscious that since 2007 Young Ballymun has made an enormous difference to the lives of many children and their parents within Ballymun. That is because it is not a single project but an area-based change programme that works very closely with everybody involved in children's lives: parents, public health nurses, preschool leaders, primary school teachers and everybody who interacts with children. That is the secret of its success.

There are some 4,000 children, parents and service providers involved in the Young Ballymun project this year alone. It has been hugely successful and has made an enormous difference to the well-being of children and families in the area. That is why we are so disappointed that funding is running out for this project. All of us, at a political level, met with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. We made the case and were told that consideration would be given to extending the funding to allow Young Ballymun to continue for another year. We were very disappointed when the Department came up with €1.2 million and split it three ways, even though the Young Ballymun project is on an entirely different scale from the other two projects that received funding. This project is supported by many different people, from Danny McCoy to Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, Tony Fahey and Fr. Peter McVerry. This is a tried and tested programme. We want to retain it, and it needs to be expanded to other areas. That model is there and can be used. I ask the Minister, please, not to close it down.

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