Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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281. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total funding for the area-based childhood programme for children since 2006 and each subsequent year to date in 2016; her plans or proposals for expanding same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27847/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a joint prevention and early intervention initiative led by my Department and The Atlantic Philanthropies. The ABC Programme commenced in 2013 and was co-funded for the period 2013 to 2017 in the amount of €29.7m, providing areas with multi annual budgets. The aim of the programme is to test and evaluate prevention and early intervention approaches in 13 areas of disadvantage in Ireland to improve outcomes for children, in particular children and families living in poverty. The focus of the work under the ABC Programme covers: Child Health & Development; Children’s Learning; Parenting; and Integrated Service Delivery.

Prior to the ABC Programme, the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP) ran from 2007-2013. PEIP funding amounted to €36m and funded the following three organisations: youngballymun, Childhood Development Initiative Tallaght, and the Preparing for Life Programme Darndale.

When combined with the funding provided to the PEIP programme since 2007, the total spend on both programmes will be €67.1m.

The Government is fully committed to ensuring that learning from all sites funded under the ABC programme will inform other services and supports for children in the area of prevention and early intervention. Such an approach would offer a greater reach, in scope and depth, which will in turn enhance outcomes for children throughout the country. While the National evaluation of the ABC programme will not be complete until 2018, the Department is currently reviewing the emerging learning from the programme in terms of design and implementation and having regard to most recent developments in our own policy domain and in other related areas. It is acknowledged given Programme for Government commitments that some decisions will need to be made on the future of the programme in advance of the completion of all the elements of the evaluation.

The Department is preparing a paper on the options for a future ABC Programme. The paper will set out the optimum course(s) of action for the future of an area-based approach in line with Programme for Government commitments. It is intended that the Minister will present a Memo for Government in the coming months in relation to the Programme for Government Commitments.