Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator O'Rourke for inviting me here today and for giving me the opportunity to talk about youth work in Ireland. As Senators will be aware, Ireland has the youngest population in Europe. Our present population is over 4.027 million, the highest on record since 1871. A total of 41% of the population, or two in five, are under the age of 25. The EU average for under 25s is 25%. Our young people represent an active and vital force in our country's social, political and economic development and well-being. It is important that we recognise the valuable contribution that young people make to our society and that we support their personal, social and educational development.

Irish society has changed dramatically in the past ten to 15 years. At least four major types of recent change, all interrelated, have been identified, namely, economic, political, technological and cultural. These changes are impacting significantly on the lives of young people. The make-up of the youth population is more culturally diverse than hitherto, increasing the need for intercultural awareness among young people and, indeed, those who work with them. Ensuring that this diversity is seen as a positive thing from which all can gain enrichment is a key challenge for all of us.

Against this background, the youth work service in Ireland has a necessary and valuable role to play in preparing and equipping all our young people for adulthood. The overall purpose of the youth work service in Ireland is to assist young people to realise their full potential and to become active participants in a democratic society. Youth work can be described as a planned, systematic, non-formal educational process, which assists and enhances the personal and social development of young people. It is complementary to the formal school system and in Ireland is implemented primarily by voluntary youth work organisations and groups. Perhaps where it differs most to the formal education sector is that it is characterised by requiring the voluntary participation of young people.

A benefit of the youth work approach is that when formally linked with school provision, it can diminish some factors that contribute to educational disadvantage and, thus, a link between the community and school life of the young person is forged. This is particularly true where teachers and youth workers are clearly seen by the young person as forming a seamless support for him or her. Youth work organisations such as Foróige, Scouting Ireland, Catholic Youth Care and Youth Work Ireland, to name but a few, provide opportunities for young people to develop themselves in a non-formal and fun setting.

Over 50 voluntary youth organisations operate in Ireland, with a stated membership of over 450,000. Over 40,000 voluntary youth leaders are the main educators, with support from approximately 1,000 full-time staff. These organisations and their young members are represented and supported in their work by the National Youth Council of Ireland. The National Youth Council of Ireland is pivotal to the provision and development of youth work in Ireland and the dedication and commitment of its staff to member and affiliate organisations is highly commendable. Indeed, it is in recognition of the NYCI's ongoing support and advocacy of the youth work sector that earlier this year I prescribed the NYCI as the national representative youth work organisation for a further three years.

The programmes operated by the voluntary youth work organisations vary widely and include outdoor pursuits, arts, recreation, project work and international exchanges. Qualities and skills such as leadership, co-operation, decision-making, motivation, and self-responsibility are acquired by young people through this non-formal learning process. As Minister of State with responsibility for youth affairs I am extremely conscious of the great benefits of youth work to young people themselves and to society. I am aware too that this recognition requires appropriate support. Through the youth affairs section of my Department, I am working with the National Youth Council of Ireland, the National Youth Work Advisory Committee and other interested parties to support the youth work sector. This support is provided by way of financial and other assistance.

With regard to financial support for the sector, I am pleased to inform the House that I have acquired significant additional funding for the sector and the schemes and programmes funded by my Department since taking office in 2002. Funding for the sector stood at €23 million in 2001 and has now increased to just over €43 million in 2006. I am sure Senators will agree that this is testimony to the Government's commitment to the work of the sector.

With regard to funding for the sector for 2006, in addition to the €1.012 million increase made available in the Abridged Estimates in November 2005, I secured a further €5.021 million in the 2006 Revised Estimates, bringing the total provision for youth work purposes to €47.037 million in 2006. This represents an increase of almost 15% over the 2005 provision. This substantial increase, together with the 18% increase I secured in 2005, is further evidence of the Government's commitment to young people and is a recognition of the value of youth work as a non-formal educational and developmental intervention which can enhance the personal and social development of young people and can be a significant force in combating social exclusion.

The additional €5.021 million for 2006 comprises the following elements: an additional €2 million for the ongoing development of youth work programmes and services as well as catering for the further progression of the Youth Work Act 2001 and the national youth work development plan; and a €2 million allocation from the dormant accounts fund. This is a once-off allocation which will focus on small capital grants for the provision of equipment and improvements to facilities for local youth clubs. This scheme will complement the Department's existing local youth club grant scheme which is administered through the vocational education committees, VECs. The youth affairs section of my Department is currently working on the details of the funding which will be administered through the VECs. An additional €1.021 million has been made available for the mainstreaming of a further 24 projects under the young peoples facilities and services fund. This fund aims through the provision of services to divert at risk young people in disadvantaged areas from the dangers of substance misuse.

These additional funds provide me and my Department with the means to progress a number of very important policy issues as well as supporting local youth clubs. It also gives me the scope to provide greater support for youth work provision. I look forward to seeing the contribution, which the sector will be empowered to make, as a result of this increased allocation.

My Department's strategy statement states, "Education is central to overcoming socio-economic disadvantage and poverty". ln this regard, it is important to understand that youth work also plays a significant role in addressing the needs of young people from disadvantaged communities. It provides another avenue for participation and inclusion to those young people who might traditionally have had fewer opportunities. It aids and supports the social development of vulnerable, marginalised and disadvantaged young people through non-formal education provision in ways that school is not always in a position to address and provides "successes" to the individual that can be shared in and out of school. The peer support for those with a common experience, the engagement of community actors and youth workers and the facilitation of flexible learning that reflects and respects the cultural values and experiences of participants contribute to the success of non-formal learning.

It is accepted by those involved in the education process in Ireland that innovative approaches are required to meet the identified need of these young people, with provision being made available through non-traditional modes, including those used by the youth work sector, where appropriate.

The development and expansion of my Department's special projects for youth scheme is a recommendation in the national youth work development plan and in this regard I have steadily increased support for these projects. I have provided additional grant-in-aid to allow 32 projects to employ a second worker and have provided grant-in-aid to 13 new projects. There are currently 177 projects in operation and these are recognised as a valuable tool in addressing the needs of marginalised young people in disadvantaged areas. In general, projects are located in areas with high levels of social deprivation, poverty, unemployment, a high youth population and a history of early school leaving.

My work, and that of my Department, is underpinned and guided in the youth work field by two major interlinked policy documents, namely, the Youth Work Act 2001 and the National Youth Work Development Plan 2003-2007. The Youth Work Act 2001 provides a legal framework for the provision of youth work programmes and services by the Minister for Education and Science, vocational education committees and national and regional voluntary youth work organisations. The Act was developed following a widespread consultation process and is providing a co-ordinated approach to the provision and development of youth work services at local and national level.

Some sections of the Act have already been implemented including the establishment of the National Youth Work Advisory Committee. The composition of this committee is unique in that half of the membership is from statutory organisations and half is nominated by the National Youth Council of Ireland. This partnership structure between statutory and voluntary sectors acts as an important advisory function for me, both in relation to identifying priority areas for development and also on other issues, such as youth welfare, which impact on young people's lives.

l take this opportunity to acknowledge the excellent work and advice given to me on many aspects of youth work by the National Youth Work Advisory Committee and its various sub-committees. l am appreciative of the valuable advice this committee gives me on issues which concern young people. The committee's comments are very beneficial to me and my Department in determining areas which require attention.

Another significant policy document is the National Youth Work Development Plan 2003-2007 which l launched in August 2003. The Act and the plan have, to a large extent, been developed in tandem; the Act provides the statutory framework and the plan provides the road map. The plan is the result of a lengthy consultation process and provides a blueprint for the development of youth work. It has four broad goals and cites some 50 actions to achieve these goals. The plan, the first of its kind for youth work in Ireland, presents challenges to all parties in the development of youth work. It is important we ensure that this work is done in consultation and in this regard I welcome the ongoing work of the National Youth Work Advisory Committee and my Department in the work to date on its implementation.

With regard to the progressive implementation of the Youth Work Act, a sub-committee of the National Youth Work Advisory Committee has been steadily progressing the ground work and developing detailed guidelines and procedures, including those for the designation of local voluntary youth organisations and the establishment of voluntary youth councils, which are vital for the further roll-out of the Act in a planned and structured manner. The work of this sub-committee is continuing.

As a priority for 2005 I identified the capacity development of youth work organisations to assist them in preparing themselves organisationally for the implementation of the Act. To this end I established a development fund of €300,000 for youth work organisations to help ensure that they can achieve the new standards for approval and engage effectively with the new structures arising from the Youth Work Act 2001. Some 30 national and major regional youth organisations received one-off grants in 2005, ranging up to €15,000, to help develop their information communications technology capacity. I am making similar funding available in 2006 for further organisational development of youth work organisations.

Another area receiving my attention is the capacity development of vocational education committees to carry out their responsibilities under the terms of the Act. I am pleased to report that further progress has been made recently in this regard. A structure for the resourcing of VECs to carry out the functions set out for them under the Act has now been agreed in principle between my Department and the Irish Vocational Education Association. I propose to approve a number of additional youth officer posts to vocational education committees in this regard.

The national youth work development plan strongly recommends the appointment of an assessor of youth work. Following the advertisement of the post in December 2005, an interview process took place and I am pleased to inform the House that the Public Appointments Service is currently finalising various details and procedures relating to the post. The functions of the post include the support and development of good youth work practice through the assessment, monitoring, and review of youth work programmes and services provided by the voluntary youth work sector in Ireland. I regard this development as essential to the development of quality youth work provision and I am confident that everyone involved in the sector will regard it as a very positive step forward.

As a society we have become more aware of our duties and responsibilities in the protection of young people under our care and in the prevention of child abuse. It is vital that young people are given the opportunity for personal and social development in a safe environment. The national youth work development plan also stressed the importance of child protection in youth work. The National Youth Work Advisory Committee developed a code of good practice, entitled, Child Protection for the Youth Work Sector, which I published in September 2002. The overall aim of the code is the protection and well-being of aIl children and young people participating in youth work activities.

Since its publication in September 2002, my Department has supported the appointment of a national co-ordinator for child protection and the establishment of a child protection unit within the National Youth Council of Ireland. The unit is providing ongoing support and comprehensive training for the youth work staff and volunteers. I am very pleased to inform the House that a process for the Garda vetting of new youth work staff and volunteers, which will come into effect later this year, is being agreed between my Department, youth work organisations, and the central Garda vetting unit. This development will serve as an additional precaution in the safeguarding of our young people.

The plan also recommends the establishment of a North-South panel for the professional endorsement of youth work training. ln this regard, following detailed discussion between youth work interests North and South in January this year, I had the honour to officially co-launch the North-South education and training standards for youth work with Minister Angela Smith of the Department of Education in the North. The objective of this North-South partnership is to establish a process which is purpose-built to serve youth work training in Ireland, North and South, and which will be consistent in regard to value-base, curricula and quality standards with similar bodies in England, Scotland and Wales. This will help to achieve the highest quality professional training for youth work, North and South, and facilitate mobility in the sector.

As recommended in the national youth work development plan, a national youth work development unit is to be established on a pilot basis within the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. This unit will spear-head youth research and development in Ireland. As some of the actions recommended in the plan are dependent on this unit being in place, the setting up of the unit will allow for the further implementation of various actions.

Two important reviews recommended in the plan, the first on youth information provision and the second on funding of the youth work sector, commenced in 2005. These are nearing completion and will inform future developments in these areas. The national youth work development plan is ambitious, with 50 actions recommended. The steps taken to date are of fundamental importance to the pursuance of quality youth work provision in all its facets. While there is more work to be done, I am sure the House will appreciate that vital work has already been carried out to implement the plan.

Youth work is characterised by the required voluntary participation of young people. A common and commendable feature of such work is the voluntary nature of much of its provision. In an era when people have increasing difficulties balancing work and family commitments, I take this opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in youth work. The ongoing maintenance of our youth work services would not be possible without the selfless work of volunteers. The range and diversity of the services offered by our voluntary youth work organisations has been brought about by the skills, experience and commitment of the volunteers involved. These volunteers are the unsung heroes of youth work, who give freely and unselfishly of their time each week to enhance the lives of others.

In outlining the many youth work developments taking place, I am conscious of the necessity to emphasise the required voluntary participation of young people. I am aware too that young people themselves must be listened to when determining actions to address their needs. Through various structures in youth work organisations, the National Youth Council of Ireland, student councils, youth councils, Dáil na nÓg and other fora, young people can articulate their concerns and views with mechanisms to feed into the development of public policy making.

Given the importance of young people's input, I hosted an informal conference for Ministers and youth with the dual themes of "Young people and politics" and "The development of young people at EU level" as part of Ireland's Presidency of the EU in 2004. I followed this up with a national conference for young people in Dublin, entitled "The EU and you", which was aimed at eliciting the views of young people on the European Union and particular aspects of policy at EU level. Building on these initiatives, I held a further national youth conference in 2005 which explored a range of issues, including youth welfare and youth participation at local, national and European level. It is my intention to host a further conference this year and to put a mechanism in place to refer the views of the participants to the relevant policy making areas.

As Minister of State with responsibility for youth affairs, I believe it is imperative we do our utmost to help prepare our young people to take up their adult roles in society. I am sure Senators will agree that we are obliged to give them the best possible preparation academically, emotionally and socially to help them meet the challenges ahead. I look forward to continuing to develop the close working relationships with youth work interests through the National Youth Work Advisory Committee and I am currently identifying priorities for development and advancement of the youth work sector for 2006 in consultation with the committee. I look forward to listening to the views of Senators on the youth sector.