Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald. I welcome the opportunity to address the issue and thank the Senator for raising it.

The Minister is conscious of the great benefits that can accrue to young people and society as a whole from involvement in youth work. She is also aware this recognition requires appropriate support. Through the youth affairs unit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, work is ongoing with the national youth work advisory committee which includes representatives of the National Youth Council of Ireland, the Irish Vocational Education Association and other Departments and interested parties to support youth work policy development and activities. Support is provided by way of financial and other assistance.

Youth work programmes and services are delivered to over 1.2 million participants in the various programmes by some 1,100 youth work staff and a volunteer base of 62,015. Youth projects and organisations present valuable opportunities for the social and personal development of young people. Qualities and skills such as leadership, co-operation, decision making, motivation and responsibility can be acquired through learning by doing. The aim of the youth service is to assist all young people to become active participants in a democratic society. In essence, the primary objective of the service is to help realise the potential of each young person and facilitate his or her full participation in community life.

More than €60 million is being provided in 2011 by the youth affairs unit of the Department to support the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and youth services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth work sector. The focus of this financial support in 2011, as in previous years, is on the consolidation of existing youth work provision and safeguarding front-line programmes, services and jobs, particularly in disadvantaged communities, through the youth service grants scheme, the special projects for youth scheme, the youth information centres, the young peoples' facilities and services fund, the local drugs task forces, initiatives such as the local youth club grants scheme, the national youth health and arts programmes, as well as EU initiatives such as youth in action.

In the light of budgetary constraints, the youth budgets in 2011 and 2012 will require careful management, with a focus on prioritising front-line services and protecting jobs and pay in so far as is possible. Officials from the Department have met representatives of the youth sector, including the City of Dublin Youth Service Board, CDYSB, on an ongoing basis to ascertain the sector's views on how best to minimise the impact of budgetary constraints with a view to consolidating, in so far as is practicable, the progress made in previous years. Every effort will be made to notify the various youth work organisations and administering agencies, including the CDYSB, of their 2012 allocations as speedily as possible. The Department has also exhorted all of the national youth organisations and vocational education committees to revisit their level of expenditure to determine where cost savings can be achieved.

The CDYSB is in receipt of funding from the youth affairs unit in the Department for a number of schemes and programmes. These are the special projects for youth scheme, the young people's facilities and services fund, rounds one and two, and the local drugs task force initiative. The 2011 allocation to the CDYSB for these schemes is almost €14 million.

The Minister is very much aware of the valuable services provided by the Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service for young people aged between ten and 21 years in such areas as Bonnybrook, Darndale and Priorswood across Dublin 17. She visited the service last week. It provides young people with a wide range of programmes and activities, seven days a week, which reflect their needs, interests, capacity and age profile. These programmes and activities include personal and social development, with a particular focus on recreation, education and health. The service also has a significant and impressive youth justice element aimed at addressing anti-social behaviour and under-age drinking. Projects engage with young people in an open, creative and health focused way, using a variety of youth friendly approaches. A team of trained and dedicated staff work with and for young people in the Dublin 17 area, supporting them to achieve their potential and contribute positively to their communities.

In the context of the 2012 and future budgets, one of the key aims of youth policy development will be to ensure optimum use of all the financial and human resources available. Accordingly, the development of the Department's policy on young people will focus specifically on ensuring greater coherence, co-ordination and impact in youth policy and provision so as to ensure quality outcomes for all. It is intended that the policy framework will also facilitate and promote co-ordination and coherence across Departments and services and set out the priorities, rationale and criteria for future funding programmes. It will also accommodate issues relevant to young people within the ten to 24 year age range in informal or out-of-school settings that fall within the remit of the Department. The overall aim will be to clarify and enhance coherence, connectivity, co-ordination and delivery of youth and related out-of-school services for young people and to ensure such provision is both quality and outcomes-based. As part of this approach, the Department is in the process of commissioning a review of international best practice in the area of youth development and support. The findings from this work will inform the Department's policy objectives and future funding provision, with the aim of ensuring young people engaging in youth services derive maximum benefit from that engagement. Projects such as the Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service will continue to play a central role in this provision.