Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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15. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he has evaluated the psychological impact on young persons arising from the economic downturn; how this is most regularly represented; if he has taken specific measures to offset such issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3199/16]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The National Longitudinal Study Growing Up in Irelandprovides us with valuable information on a wide range of issues affecting children, including a better understanding of how they were affected by the economic recession.

A study that used data from Growing Up in Ireland examined the impact of economic vulnerability on the socio-emotional development of children. The data indicated a substantial increase in economic vulnerability for children over the period of the recent recession, and demonstrated that it had negative consequences for children’s social and emotional development.

Unsurprisingly, the study found higher risks of economic vulnerability among groups such as lone parents, families where the primary caregiver had lower levels of education, and families where the primary caregiver was very young at the time of the child’s birth.

The analysis points to the need for a continuing emphasis on education and skills, especially for early school leavers. It also demonstrates the need for the right mix of income support and services such as training and childcare, so that families can be supported through both immediate financial protection and enhanced labour market prospects.

My Department has a key role to play in promoting positive parenting and supporting families in difficulty. It also plays an important role in supporting high quality and affordable childcare, an area for which I secured an increase of €85m, or 33% of our existing investment, in 2016.

For parenting and family support, my Department published the High Level Policy Statement on Supporting Parents and Familieslast April, which provides the context for considerable work being done in this area by Tusla. In addition to its important child protection and welfare functions, Tusla also works to support all families in universal programmes such as Parenting24seven.

For families in difficulty, Tusla's Meitheal programme is a valuable national practice model for assessing the needs of children and families that come to the attention of practitioners and communities. It focuses on early responses to help prevent family problems from reaching a stage where they might otherwise require more specialised supports.

There is no doubt that the recent recession was an extremely difficult time for all children and families, but particularly those in vulnerable situations. The Growing up in Ireland data provide us with an important insight into the nature of the challenges they have faced, and it is vital that all Government policies are appropriately tailored to meet their needs.