Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Cummins for raising this important issue and for offering me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. I can see the Deputy's commitment to the area. She has lived it and breathed it so I can see how important it is to her on both a political and personal level.

The Minister is committed to supporting the delivery and development of youth work services and opportunities for young people throughout the country. This year, almost €85 million in funding has been allocated for youth services and capital expenditure, which represents an increase in funding of €7 million, or almost 9% on the 2024 budget. Over the period from 2021 to 2025, the level of current Exchequer funding for youth services and programmes will have increased by more than 34%.

In September 2024, the then Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, launched Opportunities for Youth: the National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services. This strategy aims to provide a more strategic, data-driven and joined-up approach to the delivery of youth work and related services in Ireland. Informed by wide-ranging consultation with young people, the youth sector, education and training boards and other key stakeholders, the strategy identifies both strategic objectives and individual actions to guide the delivery and development of youth work services.

Challenges to the youth work workforce emerged strongly as a key theme across the consultations. In response to the consultations with youth workers, action 7 of Opportunities for Youth aims to produce a workforce development strategy this year. This strategy will include consideration of training needs and the requirement for high-quality, accessible and inclusive youth work services and opportunities. To date, a large-scale workforce survey in the sector has been compiled, gathering the views of almost 1,000 individuals, including youth workers and youth work managers.

When the Department’s analysis of the responses is complete, we will have a clearer picture of the range, level and type of qualification held by or being undertaken by youth workers and managers. Furthermore, this week a survey will issue to employers in national youth organisations and independent youth services in the sector. This will provide a more complete picture of the workforce in the sector and enable comparative analysis to be undertaken.

The data and information gathering and analysis is a critical step to informing the Department’s approach to actions regarding the education and training of youth workers in the workforce development strategy. The broad aim of the workforce development strategy is to support youth workers and youth organisations in delivering a best-in-class service to young people in Ireland. The Deputy will know that many youth workers are already qualified in youth work or related fields. She gave us an indication of her own pathway into the area. Ultimately, this strategy will support those in the sector who wish to follow in this pathway.

The Deputy made reference to an all-island approach. Currently, there are five higher education institutions on the island of Ireland offering undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in youth work. The North South Education and Training Standards committee for youth work, NSETS, is responsible for the professional endorsement of undergraduate and postgraduate youth work education programmes in higher education institutions on the island of Ireland. NSETS is funded and supported by the Minister, Deputy Foley’s Department.

See this speech in context