Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In the 1970s and 1980s, I had the privilege of bringing children from my own local youth club on holidays to Rathangan on many occasions. As a result, I know Rathangan very well. We were always well accepted by the community even though we were from the inner city. We always gelled with the people there. It was a lovely place to go. Even though it was not a very long drive to Rathangan, for many children from the inner city it felt like they were going to the other side of the world. I have been familiar with Rathangan for many years and I continue to be familiar with it.

After I have read the response that has been prepared on behalf of the Minister of State, I will reply to some of the issues that have been raised by the Deputies on the basis of the notes I have taken. The HSE has indicated that funding to Kildare Youth Services will not be cut this year. Kildare Youth Services, in consultation with the HSE, will review the current provision of services in Rathangan. As the Deputies indicated, this initiative was funded as a result of a number of suicides in the area and as an acknowledgment of the lack of relevant supports and services to young people in the community generally. The funding will be reviewed to enable equity of access to other groups across the Kildare region and to ensure that those who most need services can access them.

The HSE is providing funding to Kildare Youth Services for a counsellor and a youth worker in Rathangan to provide dedicated youth counselling sessions to individuals and groups in the town. This is being done as part of an inter-agency approach to the promotion of positive mental health, involving community leaders, schools, parents and students. The agencies in question include the HSE, Kildare Youth Services, County Kildare Leader Partnership, the Garda, Kildare County Council and Mental Health Ireland. The objectives of this initiative were to establish contact with individuals, families and community-based organisations, especially in estates and localities where residents and families may experience social exclusion or feel disconnected from the wider Rathangan community. It developed links with local service providers, including schools and relevant statutory services, to assist in the initial contact programme and to co-ordinate appropriate agency interventions based on identified local needs. Kildare Youth Services is a voluntary organisation providing a range of development and learning opportunities and services throughout the county to respond to the changing needs of young people, families and communities. It supports personal and social development and positively promotes the rights of these groups. The HSE is funding Kildare Youth Services to provide a counsellor and a youth worker in Rathangan. The youth worker, who works part-time three days each week, runs groups for young people between the ages of 11 and 18. I know some of this might be irrelevant now.

In 2015, the Government launched Connecting for Life, which is the national strategy to reduce suicide and self-harm over the period from 2015 to 2020. The strategy sets out a vision where fewer lives are lost through suicide and where communities and individuals are empowered to improve their mental health and well-being on many fronts. It provides community-based organisations with guidelines, protocols and training on effective suicide prevention. One of the main goals of Connecting for Life is to target approaches among priority groups, including young people. This objective, along with the type of work being undertaken by this particular service in Rathangan, is complemented in a wider sense by the ongoing work of the national task force on youth mental health, which was established by this Government. This has brought together different perspectives and insights from the public, private, community and voluntary sectors and is operating as an action-oriented, decision-making group focused on making improvements and getting things done. An overriding objective of the task force, which is chaired by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, is to identify areas where services and supports could be provided in a more integrated way. I have listened to the Deputies and I will respond to what they have said in my concluding remarks.

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