Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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269. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will prioritise the volunteer support system for youth organisations (details supplied) in the plans to change the funding model for the vital community services these organisations are delivering, in view of the fact that volunteers require Garda vetting, training and ongoing support to ensure they are confident and skilled to work with young persons, as prioritising the support of volunteers will pay dividends for our young persons and the communities they live in; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19667/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people and involve approximately 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. In 2015, funding of €49.9m has been provided to my Department for these schemes. There has been no reduction in the overall allocation for youth services in 2015. This was an important priority for the voluntary youth organisations that have a key role in the provision of quality youth work services for young people.

Three of the targeted funding schemes, the Special Projects for Youth scheme, the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund, and Local Drug Task Force projects scheme, were the subject of a recently completed Value for Money and Policy Review.The schemes support the provision of youth services for young people who are at risk of drugs, alcohol misuse, early school leaving, homelessness or who are living in disadvantaged communities. In 2012, expenditure on the schemes amounted to €39.7m. The review involved an in-depth scrutiny of a complex area to do with the impact youth service provision has in young people's lives. Overall, the review found that the youth programmes can provide a significant contribution to improving outcomes for young people, and should be considered for on-going public funding.

The review makes a number of recommendations for the future operation of the youth schemes and their development in the years ahead. It recommends that the three schemes be replaced with a single, targeted, evidence-based and outcomes focussed scheme designed to secure the optimal outcomes for young people and their communities. It sets out guidance as to how services may be developed to better meet the needs of young people in the target cohort and how demographic information and CSO data about local areas should be part of the programme design. The key role of volunteers and volunteerism is both acknowledged by the report to date and considered a key element of the new programme, going forward. The review does not include a recommendation that the funding programme should be operated on the basis of a competitive tendering process. Instead, it recommends that the governance of the programme should be reformed with a greater role for the network of local youth officers throughout the county, employed by the Education and Training Boards, supporting the development of local youth services.

My Department has undertaken a detailed consultation process with the youth sector and providers of youth services, including volunteers, about the review's findings and recommendations. The consultation included regional meetings across the country. All local services were invited to participate. My Department is committed to working collaboratively with the voluntary youth sector, in the development and implementation of the new programme over the next two years. Support for volunteers engaged in the provision of youth services is a priority for my Department in this context. Supports in place include training and awareness programmes in child protection matters through the National Youth Council of Ireland, and support programmes for both staff and volunteer led youth services in implementing the quality standards initiatives in local youth services. I intend that the reforms recommended in the review will be progressed in the context of the new National Youth Strategy, which is nearing completion. The strategy will be a universal strategy for all young people aged 10 to 24 years. It will have a particular focus on the needs of young people who are at risk of experiencing the poorest outcomes. It is anticipated that the new National Youth Strategy will be finalised in early Summer.