Results 6,041-6,060 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Provision (26 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Both I, and my Department, are committed to ensuring that every young person in Ireland has access to the transformational power that participating in youth services can bring. Government investment in services for young people has increased since 2016 by, in the region of, €8.5m. In 2019 we have invested €63.6M in current and capital funding in clubs, services and young...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (26 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 250 to 253, inclusive, together. Officials in my Department are at the latter stages of development of a Childminding Action Plan, which I intend to publish shortly in draft form with a view to public consultation before the Action Plan is finalised. The Childminding Action Plan will be an evidence-based plan for moving progressively towards wider...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Admissions (26 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Educational Welfare Service of Tusla (EWS) has a role in assist parents or guardians source a school place where a child cannot access one, however it cannot compel a school to make a place available for a child. While the matter is an operational one for Tusla, I am informed that the Education Welfare Service has engaged with the family, are supporting the family in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Data (26 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The table below outlines the cost of the CCS and CETS programme from 2016 to date. The National Childcare Scheme (NCS), when introduced this October, will replace the CCS and TEC programmes with a single, streamlined scheme. Recent analysis undertaken by the OECD has concluded that, when the NCS is introduced, the costs of Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare to parents will come...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Data (26 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department does not routinely collect data on the family make-up of children accessing childcare funding programmes. Eligibility of the applying parent/guardian for the CCS programme is determined by their status with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. CETS provides childcare to certain training course participants on courses provided by the Education and Training...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Expenditure (26 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme, once introduced in October 2019, will represent a major landmark for children and families in Ireland. The new Scheme will ultimately replace the existing targeted childcare schemes with a single, streamlined and user-friendly scheme. It entails a fundamental shift away from subsidies grounded in medical card and social protection entitlements, and towards a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (27 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Registration for the Community Childcare Subvention programme (CCS) is specifically based on actual attendance of a child in the service during a snapshot window. For the 2018/2019 programme year, this was from the 17th September to 12th October 2018. While there is no specific cap on the number of CCS children in a service, service provider's are subject to the ratios as outlined in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Programmes (27 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Officials from my Department contacted the service provider in question. It is my understanding that the issue has been resolved and the service provider can now verify their login credentials.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (27 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Community Childcare settings provide a valuable service to children and families across the country, including the provision of vital services to vulnerable families in areas of disadvantage. Over the last four budgets, my Department has increased funding for early learning and care and school age childcare by 117%. A significant proportion of this funding has been targeted at families...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Strategies (27 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Under Part 8 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, Tusla funds a range of organisations which provide services to vulnerable children and families, including those providing parenting supports. Organisations providing parenting supports can also apply for funding under various schemes operated by Government Departments and agencies. As part of the First 5 Strategy for Babies, Young...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Data (27 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department funds 30 City and County Childcare Committees across the country. Part of their role is to advise my Department on capacity issues. I would encourage anyone having difficulty in securing a place to make contact with their local CCC. Contact details for all of the CCCs, in addition to other information about the services they provide, may be found on www.myccc.ie. As regards...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (27 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Sessional services usually refer to a preschool service offering a planned programme to preschool children for no more than 3.5 hours per day for between 38 to 50 weeks per year. A full day care service refers to structured day care for children from babies up to age 13 years, for more than 5 hours per day and may include a sessional preschool service, breakfast club, and or afterschool club....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (27 Jun 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Each year my Department reviews the capital programmes as a whole and determines the priorities for Early Learning and Care and School Age Capital grants. I have allocated significant funding in recent years for this purpose and for improving the quality of infrastructure nationwide. Capital strands are made available to achieve the strategic priorities for the year as determined by the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Maternity Services (2 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The First 5 Strategy was published in November of last year, followed in May of this year by the Implementation Plan for the first phase of implementation in 2019, 2020 and 2021. First 5 outlines Government’s intention to pilot the development and implementation of Baby Boxes and Book Bags initiatives to support parenting with a focus on parent-baby bonding, information on baby...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Resource Centres (2 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme is administered by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Applications to join the FRC Programme are a matter for Tusla. I have asked Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy in this regard. In 2019, I secured an additional €1.5 million in funding for Tusla to develop and invest in existing Family Resource Centres. Currently, there are no...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (2 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: In 2018, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency provided funding of €3,200 to the service referred to by the Deputy for the provision of child counselling services. This level of funding will be maintained this year. Tusla does not commission this particular service for the provision of support services to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and has never done so. Tusla...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence (2 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency provides funding and coordination supports to some 59 organisations that deliver a range of services to victims of domestic, sexual and gender based violence throughout the country. I have requested Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on the matter raised with regard to the number of persons that accessed services in County Donegal by service within the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Reviews (2 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: A full list of live studies, reviews and research currently being undertaken by staff in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, or being carried out under commission from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, is provided in the following table. Also included are the scheduled completion dates for these pieces of work. Name of study, review or research Scheduled completion...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Reports (2 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The information requested is currently being collated by my Department and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as it is finalised.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Guardian's Payment (2 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy may be aware that it would not be appropriate for me to comment on individual cases. I can advise that an application can be made for a Guardianship Payment to the Department of Employment and Social Protection. This payment may be appropriate if a child, who is an orphan or abandoned, is being cared for on a full time basis by adults who are not their parent/guardian. I hope you...