David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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632. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 272 of 19 May 2015 regarding the steps being taken to address the issues identified in United Nations Children’s Fund Innocenti Report Card 12, the contact that his Department has had with the Government Departments in the whole-of-Government approach to address the issues and recommendations of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22492/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014 - 2020 (BOBF), which was published and launched by Government in 2014, provides the overarching framework for the development and implementation of policy and services for children and young people.

The relevant issues identified in the report referred to by the TD, are addressed within this National Policy Framework.

Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures is a whole of Government framework. In order to ensure the effective implementation of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures my Department has established a robust infrastructure to guide and support cross-governmental delivery of the framework. The Children and Young People's Policy Consortium is composed of high level representatives from all of the key Government Departments and Agencies, and it has responsibility for driving implementation. It is chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, with a Deputy Chair from the Department of the Taoiseach.

As part of the implementation of Better Outcomes, Better Futures, each of the five sponsoring Departments have identified a cross-sectoral priority to progress within the Framework. The Department of Social Protection have identified child poverty as their key cross-sectoral priority. The Department of Social Protection have the lead role in coordinating government strategies on child poverty and are the Sponsor of outcome 4 of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures - economic security and opportunity.

To support this, the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures Advisory Council, which brings together key individuals from the community and voluntary sector, as well as others with experience of working with and for children and young people, have formed a subgroup with the objective of working with key officials from the Department of Social Protection to progress this cross-sectoral priority. The sub-group hopes to bring forward its findings to the Advisory Council for its consideration later this year.

In addition, as noted in my response to your PQ 19734/15, my Department is active in a range of areas which enhance outcomes for children, young people and their families.

These areas include:

- The Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme which focuses on improving the outcomes for children and young people to break the cycle of poverty;

- Early childhood care and education and after-school support programmes spend €260 million annually providing care to 100,000 children. A number of these are targeted at those on lowest incomes;

- Youth Affairs 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. In 2015, an allocation of €49.9 million has been provided to my Department to support the provision of youth services;

- In addition, my Department provides funding to Tusla which support a range of responses in this area such as Educational Welfare Services and Family Resource Centres which seek to combat disadvantage and improve the functioning of the family unit.