Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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206. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if an application or submission was received from Tuam, County Galway in respect of the area-based interventions addressing child poverty; the type of organisations that made submissions or applications; if it is still open to groups to make submissions or applications; the plans for such interventions in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53410/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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My Department is responsible for implementing the new Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme 2013-2016 which is an early intervention and prevention programme which provides for targeted, evidence based interventions, to improve outcomes for children and families in areas of severe disadvantage. The ABC programme is co-funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and will have a total funding allocation over 2013-2016 of €29.7m.

In March of this year, applications were invited from area-based not-for-profit organisations, which were either part of a pre-existing consortium or were prepared to form one for the purpose of the new programme. In each case, the consortium had to be led by an organisation with a proven track record of working with statutory and non-statutory service providers and local community groups. The scoring criteria identified in the application process were evidence of need; quality of the proposal; additionality and sustainability; and understanding and capturing outcomes. The closing date for receipt of applications was 31st May 2013.

Fifty applications to participate in the new programme were received and evaluated against the programme criteria. The evaluation process was undertaken by a Working Group of the Inter-departmental Project Team which was set up in February of this year to oversee the implementation of the programme. The Project Team is chaired by my Department and includes representatives from seven other Departments, our co-funders The Atlantic Philanthropies and two organisations, Pobal and the Centre for Effective Services, which have been designated to manage the programme on behalf of my Department.

Based on the evaluation process, in addition to the three projects which participated in the previous Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP) implemented by my Department in partnership with The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Project Team recommended nine of the fifty applicants for entry into the next, design stage of the programme. A further application was recommended for entry to the design stage of the programme, on the basis that it will form part of one of the three projects which were previously in the PEIP. The recommendations of the Project Team were noted by Government on 25th November 2013.

I can confirm to the Deputy that an application was received from Galway Early Education, under the lead organisation Galway City Partnership, but that this application is not included in the areas which have been invited to proceed to the next stage. My Department is currently engaged in supporting successful applicants through the design stage of the programme and there are no plans at present to invite new applications. My Department will, however, be developing a mentoring programme in 2014 in the implementation of evidence-based programmes to improve outcomes for children and young people, for applicants which did not score sufficiently highly to enter the programme at this stage but showed future potential against the criteria set for the programme. I understand that Galway Early Education was included in this group and has been invited to participate in the mentoring programme when it is established.