Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Prior to last year's election, I attended a briefing at Carrigtwohill Family Resource Centre where I was humbled to hear about the invaluable work it does on a shoestring budget for people in need in this community. I had a positive engagement with the staff there and I commend them on their fantastic work in supporting the local community in Carrigtwohill and the surrounding areas of east Cork. Their work is vital for addressing social exclusion, poverty, assisting marginalised groups and providing equal opportunities to all.

Their work underlines the need for family resource centres and other community sector organisations to be protected and adequately resourced in order that they can continue to provide these invaluable services. An example of this can be seen in the €166,400 the centre received in core funding in 2024, which pales into insignificance when stacked against the average of €6,388 per week or €332,000 it costs the State annually to keep a child in care. The centre can point to at least four cases where it prevented children from going into care in 2024. The value of this one piece of work is in excess of €1.3 million.

Carrigtwohill Family Resource Centre is just one of 120 family resource centres in the country. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the State to replicate the work of family resource centres, certainly in purely financial terms. This work should be valued appropriately.

The Minister quoted a figure of €160,000 as a minimum core funding currently allocated to all family resource centres. To be honest, it is simply not enough. Shortfalls in funding hinder the centres' ability to meet the growing demand for their services. The challenges families face have become more complex and widespread, especially with the ongoing cost-of-living pressures and the housing crisis. As a result, the demand for family resource centre services has surged, yet funding has not increased to reflect this. Fergal Landy, the CEO of the Family Resource Centre National Forum, has lobbied for a minimum of €250,000 in core funding for each family resource centre in the programme. This is a more realistic figure than has been costed.

When family resource centres are properly funded, they can create lasting positive changes in communities by providing early intervention and preventative services that reduce long-term social costs. Investing in family resource centres can lead to significant cost savings for broader social services by reducing the need for more expensive interventions. An increase in funding would allow centres to recruit and retain qualified staff, invest in training and build an internal capacity necessary to better serve their clients. With many family resource centres operating understaffed and with limited resources, they are often stretched to breaking point, impacting the quality and accessibility of the services.

The Minister has also allocated an additional €800,000 to allow for the expansion of family resource centre programmes in budget 2025. While the funding and additional five family resource centres are welcome, the reality is we will have five additional underfunded family resource centres going forward. Quality over quantity needs to be prioritised here and I would appreciate if the Minister could give this issue urgent attention.

I normally do not read from scripts but I wanted to get it right. I have met people in many family resource centres in my time in east Cork and each and every one of them tells me the same problem. They are overstretched and overburdened with the demand for services. They just do not have the funding to cover services. I know there are people coming out of UCC and giving their time for free to counsel young kids in difficulty. I have met families that have gone through these centres that are an amazing achievement and are something we should really respect. That is why I raised this issue here tonight. I look forward to the Minister of State's answer.

See this speech in context