Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the confirmation that the Minister is working with the HSE to find a funding solution and that she is going to meet the board of ParentStop later this month. I acknowledge that Tusla and the Department have tried their best to sustain the services but I feel other agencies and Departments have failed ParentStop.

Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures is a very good framework. ParentStop is an example where, clearly, its responsibilities in working with over 400 families across Donegal, from one end of the county to the other, are cross-departmental and cover all spectrums, particularly in regard to education, health and the Minister's own area of responsibility, namely, children and youth affairs. The problem has been that other agencies and Departments have not stepped up, despite the forbearance of the Minister, the Department and Tusla, and they have not matched the funding. My concern is that the Minister's statement refers to maintaining the existing level of funding which, at €68,000, would not be enough for this organisation in 2020. I have corresponded with the HSE in Donegal and asked whether it can put some money on the table to make it sustainable in 2020. Does the Minister agree we need more money from the HSE on the table, with the funding from the Department, to give ParentStop a budget it can work with and then, hopefully, build the service?

It would be unimaginable to lose this service. We are talking about hundreds of families and about the social fabric of society. These families have given testimonies that they are in a very bad place and, through the help and support provided, these adults and, more importantly, these children are getting the environments they need, which is better for all of society. This is one we have to win. I appreciate the statement, which is positive and encouraging, but I would like to see more on the table from the HSE.