Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 170: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding a resource centre (details supplied), that has in the past provided outreach service but due to the cut in funding the continuation of their service is now in doubt; if she will give a commitment that the service will be assisted to ensure its continuity in the future. [23621/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Family Support Agency, under my Department, operates the Family Resource Centre Programme. The aim of the Family Resource Centre Programme is to combat disadvantage and improve the functioning of the family unit. There are 107 family resource centres throughout the country funded under the programme. The programme emphasises involving local communities in tackling the problems they face, and creating successful partnerships between voluntary and statutory agencies at community level. Family Resource Centres have an important role to play, in harnessing local community efforts, in support of improved outcomes for children and young people which is a key objective of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

On 5th December 2011, the Government announced the funding levels being made available to my Department in 2012. As part of the national effort to address Ireland's fiscal deficit, the Family Support Agency, like all other State bodies, has been asked to make significant savings across all the programmes which it administers. The Agency is required to achieve savings of 5% per annum over 2012 – 2014 on the costs of the Family Resource Centre Programme. The Family Support Agency has written to the family resources centres advising them of the reduction in funding and the need to plan for change. The Agency is acutely aware of the challenges that the reduction in funding raises for the family resource centres throughout the country. The Agency has not stipulated how centres should apply the reduction in funding. The family resource centres are asked to focus, in particular, on addressing the scope for greater efficiency and for reduction in the administration and overhead costs associated with the day-to-day running of the centres, with the objective of supporting as far as possible, the services that the centres provide to families and groups at local level. The Family Support Agency has advised that family resource centres should work with the two regional support agencies that provide support and training to them and are available to provide guidance to assist centres to manage within the resources available.

In 2012 an allocation of €26.465m has been made available to the Family Support Agency to fund its services for families. This includes funding of over €15m for the Family Resource Centre Programme.