Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

507. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs with regard to the Kerry Diocesan Youth Centre, the way local youth services and officials in his Department are working more collaboratively in the design and development of new youth work systems. [23072/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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.

Kerry Diocesan Youth Service provides a wide range of services for children, young people and their families throughout County Kerry. Kerry Diocesan Youth Service receives funding from a number of statutory bodies including my Department for these services. My Department provides funding to Kerry Diocesan Youth Service for youth services under the Special Projects for Youth scheme which supports projects which target young people who are disadvantaged including young Travellers and young people who are out of school and at risk of drugs, substance abuse or homelessness. Funding is also provided for a youth information centre in Tralee. In 2015, funding of €429,285 has been allocated to Kerry Diocesan Youth Service for these youth services. I am also aware that my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality provides funding to Kerry Diocesan Youth Service, through the Community Programmes Unit of the Irish Youth Justice Service, for the operation of Garda Youth Diversion Projects in the county.

The Deputy will be aware that I launched Kerry Diocesan Youth Service’s Strategic Plan last week, and that I am familiar with the very important work being done by the Service.

Ongoing engagement with the voluntary youth sector is an important priority for my Department in the development of youth policies and in matters to do with the provision of services for young people. Youth Work Ireland and its member services have contributed to the recently completed Value for Money and Policy Review of the youth funding programmes that target disadvantaged young people and to the development of a National Youth Strategy, which will be available shortly.

Last week, officials of my Department met with the President, Chief Executive Officer of Youth Work Ireland and with a group of Youth Work Ireland member services including Kerry Diocesan Youth Service. The meeting discussed matters to do with governance requirements in relation to public funding, the changes that are taking place at both national and local level in the structures that support local youth services, and the proposals for implementing the new youth funding programme as recommended in the Value for Money and Policy Review report.

My Department and Youth Work Ireland has now formalised this meeting arrangement, with a view to monitoring the impact of the changes underway in the structures and systems for the governance of youth funding programmes and addressing the challenges that arise for the voluntary youth services at local level in delivering services for young people.

My Department is committed to working collaboratively with the voluntary youth sector services throughout the country on these issues, and on the implementation of the new National Youth Strategy, to secure improved outcomes for young people.