Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Gannon for raising this issue this evening. Cabra, like every other community in the country, is as entitled to it as anywhere else. I have the lived experience of the benefits of a family resource centre in my community in Bailieborough. Many moons ago, a community got together and established it in a housing estate in Bailieborough called Drumbannon. I had the privilege of starting my teaching career there, interacting with the young people in the area and interacting with the families. The service, provision, support and assistance they can give families is hugely valuable. When you see it working in a community and the benefits of it, you realise how important it is. Deputy Gannon described it well - as an anchor. It is a basis for a community and somewhere to go to. I wholeheartedly support the Deputy's campaign for this for Cabra.

The Minister, Deputy Foley, sends her apologies. She would like to be here herself but she was in the House earlier today and has a prior engagement this evening. I will pass on the Deputy's sentiment to her. I am pleased the family resource centre programme is expanding. We see that throughout the country. I think everyone will agree it is a very welcome development in the programme for Government for the member organisations and the communities the new family resource centres will serve. While I do not have specific details about each application, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has been in contact with a representative of a subcommittee of the Cabra child and family support network, which would say to me that things are happening and beginning to move. That was to establish details of the application process related to the planned expansion of the family resource centre, FRC, programme.

As part of a range of measures aimed at reducing childhood poverty, the current programme for Government commits to work to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of FRCs. Regarding FRC programme expansion, the Minister's Department secured funding in budget 2025 for five additional FRCs. I am delighted that on Thursday, 1 May, the opening of the application process was announced by Tusla and welcomed by the Minister, Deputy Foley. This is an open call for groups and organisations to apply for FRC programme membership. I am sure the community group the Deputy is talking about is mobilised by the fact there is an open process now. It is a game-changer and it helps to focus people's minds on what the needs are. It will make it a personalised service and function for the local community in Cabra. The commissioning unit of Tusla is managing the application and selection process, with five new family resource centres expected to become operational later this year, all of which are core funded by the Department.

It is important to note that core funding is only one element of funding that family resource centres can avail of. Core funding comes from the Department and is administered by Tusla, but many family resource centres obtain other sources of funding under various Departments, State agencies and private sources. This allows them to expand the scope and reach of their services and to tailor those services to the needs of their communities. It is important to acknowledge all of these entities that offer continuing support to the FRC network and acknowledge the work done by the staff and boards of management of individual centres.

Any support the Deputy can give by being on the management committee or steering committee certainly gives it weight and emphasis. It helps to drive it on and, one would hope, to make the application a success when it goes through the process and analysis. I wish the Deputy luck with the community. I will certainly express his sentiments to the Minister, Deputy Foley, and I am sure it will be a successful application.

See this speech in context