Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question about the Cottage Home family support service, which provides family support services to children and families in the south Dublin area. The organisation also provides a residential care service for young people and, in 2018, Tusla is providing €1.6 million in funding for the residential component of this service. I have received correspondence from several Members of the Oireachtas, including the Deputy, on this matter. I have also received detailed correspondence from the management of the Cottage Home detailing the nature of the valuable work the organisation does, the cost pressures it is under and the reasons it wishes to receive State funding for its family support service to ensure its sustainability.

While the provision of family support services is a matter for Tusla, I have raised with it the concerns of the Deputy and others regarding the future funding of this organisation. I have been informed that the family support service has been in operation for a number of years and, to date, has been privately funded by the Cottage Home. It has not received funding from Tusla or the Health Service Executive, which provided child and family services prior to the establishment of Tusla in January 2014. Tusla acknowledges the value and benefits of this service in the community it serves and has advised me that its service director and the area manager are familiar with and have visited the services provided by the Cottage Home. At the time the Cottage Home made a request for funding, available resources for family support services had been allocated to services in the area. However, Tusla has advised the Cottage Home to apply for funding through one of its funding streams, including support for counselling, which would assist in the provision of some of its services.

Tusla is currently compiling a services commissioning plan in order to assign resources to areas of the greatest need and ensure the best possible outcomes. Requests for funding from the Cottage Home will be considered in this context. The planning process will help inform any future spending in the area based on evidenced needs. Tusla has invited the Cottage Home to be involved in stakeholder consultations on the planning process early next year. As previously highlighted, Tusla is committed to working with service providers in the area to ensure services are available to vulnerable children and families.

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