Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I have worked with family resource centres in a voluntary capacity for many years. I agree wholeheartedly with the Deputy that they provide an invaluable service. They provide family support for children. Many have community childcare centres attached to them. We have previously spoken about addiction and recovery services. They are the backbone of many rural and urban communities.

The Government greatly appreciates the valuable work of our family resource centres and the work of community and voluntary bodies funded by Tusla Child and Family Agency. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has met a number of family resource centres in recent months to discuss their concerns, and this area of work is a significant priority for him and the Government. Over a period of two years, 2018 and 2019, the Department of Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth provided Tusla with an additional €4.5 million to invest in family resource centre programme. This funding facilitated the expansion of the programme to 121 family resource centres and provided additional supports in core funding for existing family resource centres. In 2020 and 2021, Tusla provided additional supports, as needed, to family resource centres and other funded community and voluntary partners to assist with the pressures arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Tusla had a core budget of €18 million for the family resource centre programme.

This is a portion of more than €130 million in Tusla funding to community and voluntary bodies associated with the statutory remit for family support.

In budget 2022, additional funding of €6 million is allocated to enable Tusla to increase supports for the wider community and voluntary sector and for family resource centres, FRCs. An additional €650,000 was allocated to family resource centres in 2021 from the dormant accounts programme. A further €1 million in dormant accounts funding is being provided to FRCs during 2022.

The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is aware that the family resource centres are providing significant levels of assistance on the ground to communities that are welcoming Ukrainian people and he has asked Tusla to continue to support FRCs in those efforts. The Minister will seek funding for family resource centres, specifically for this purpose, during discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

While Tusla is a significant funder of FRCs, other Government bodies also provide substantial funding to FRCs to deliver services on their behalf. A short study of family resource centre funding in 2020 highlighted that, overall, more than half of their funding came from non-Tusla sources such as local authorities, education and training boards, ETBs, the HSE, Pobal and the Department of Social Protection.

Tusla provides a range of family support services, both directly and through its commission partners, which include FRCs. Tusla family support services are delivered on the basis of low, medium and high prevention. Tusla is working to embed and develop a consistent national approach to practice in all its response pathways and this aim is to ensure families receive consistent service levels in all Tusla areas and levels of needs.

With regard to Bandon and Skibbereen, it is incredibly tricky to find premises that are suitable for starters. There is probably no shortage of vacated or empty buildings such as bank buildings etc. but they have to be fitted out. Capital moneys, either through the LEADER programme or the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, could be a mechanism of supporting them to find a permanent home. I absolutely sympathise with both FRCs in trying to secure that. Securing long-term leases on premises is incredibly tricky and making them fit for purpose for the specific needs of families is a considerable challenge.

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