Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I echo the sentiments expressed by the Acting Chairmen and welcome the Minister to the House. I have worked with him on other issues and know his capabilities. He is an excellent appointment to the post and I look forward to working with him on children's issues in the coming years.

There is probably much correspondence already on the Minister's desk on child care issues from all over the country on local and national issues but the matter I wish to raise is one of particular urgency and particular seriousness, namely, that the largest child care centre in the country, Jigsaw Darndale, is facing immediate closure due to lack of funding.

Jigsaw Darndale, formally known as the Darndale Belcamp Integrated Child Care Centre, provides an excellent service to 250 children and their parents. If the Minister is familiar with Darndale, Belcamp and the broader areas, he will be aware this area suffers from significant levels of socio-economic disadvantage. It is the type of place where children desperately need to get the best possible start and need to have access to State-funded child care services in order that they get the same level of child care and opportunities as children in other areas and are not falling behind before starting school. Of the 250 children served by Jigsaw Darndale, 40 are referred by the social services from families at risk. A letter from a member of staff mentioned the type of backgrounds from which the children come and expressed the view that for many of them, the centre is their only safe space as staff look out for them and check that everything is okay for them and ensure they have three hot meals per day. These are children who desperately need that level of care and attention. Obviously, not every child who uses the centre has those needs but all of them need access to a child care service. It is also essential for their parents so that they can avail of training, education and employment opportunities to improve their life chances and those of their children. I cannot speak highly enough of the service with which I am familiar.

We should bear in mind that Departments have endorsed the service. It has been awarded the Síolta framework in 2013, ahead of many private services which charge high fees but have not reached that quality mark. Everybody recognises the service is doing a good job and is of the highest quality and should be retained yet, as we speak, it is facing the risk of closure this week. It has flagged various issues with the Department in recent years. It has had a succession of funding cuts in the past five years. It flagged to the Department in recent months that it had serious and immediate issues and was given short-term funding while discussions took place. So far nothing has come out of those discussions and it is still faced with a €200,000 gap in funding. It costs €2 million to run the service and it has only €180,000. It has already reduced staff wages to deal with the cuts of recent years. It has done massive fundraising, it charges the parents fees ranging from €25 to €200, depending on the family income.

The centre has gone out of its way to raise the money in order not to have to go back to the Department but it has no choice. There is nothing else it can cut. I sat down with the manager of the service yesterday who told me they have looked at everything from pens to toilet rolls and there is nothing else they can cut. At this stage it is looking at a situation where it will have to let its staff go immediately. Unless it gets a guarantee from the Government it will not be able to pay wages in a few weeks.

I have tabled this Adjournment debate to bring the matter to the Minister's attention and ask him to prioritise it among the various issues that have been put in front of him to ensure a solution to the issue. It may be that it will take a few weeks to figure out the best course in terms of finding a sustainable arrangement. While that is being worked out, I stress the need for an immediate cash injection to deal with the cashflow problems in order that the service does not go to the wall while arrangements are being made. I ask the Minister to prioritise the issue and look forward to his response.