Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1303. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding arrangements for a group (details supplied) post July 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13570/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Youngballymun receives funding from my Department under the Area Based childhood (ABC) Programme. The ABC Programme is a prevention and early intervention initiative led by my Department. It is a time-bound, co-funding arrangement in conjunction with The Atlantic Philanthropies for the period 2013 to 2017. The aim of the ABC Programme is to test and evaluate prevention and early intervention approaches to improve outcomes for children and families living in poverty in 13 areas of disadvantage, and to help break the cycle of child poverty in areas where it has become entrenched.

The ABC Programme was preceded by the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP) (2007-2013) in which three sites participated: Youngballymun, Preparing For Life (Dublin Northside), and the Childhood Development Initiative Tallaght. Youngballymun received €15 million as a participant in the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme. The total original funding for Youngballymun under the ABC programme was €5 million bringing the total funding received by Youngballymun under both programmes to €20 million.

Owing to their earlier transition into the ABC programme, Youngballymun and the other two PEIP sites were contracted to deliver services in their areas until mid-2016. In July of 2016 my Department, and co-funder The Atlantic Philanthropies, furnished additional funding to Youngballymun of €500,000 to enable the organisation to extend its service provision for a further year, to end-July 2017, bringing their total budget under the ABC Programme to €5.5 million.

In late 2016 my Department secured additional funding of €4.5 million, which is to be used to ensure that all 13 of the existing ABC sites are to remain in contract to the end of December 2017. This brings the total investment in the ABC Programme for the period 2013-2017 to €34.2 million. We are currently working with ABC programme managers to identify the full running costs for each site to end of December 2017. Furthermore, it is the intention of my Department to seek additional funding in this year’s estimates process to support the ABC programme to end August 2018. A communication was recently sent to the ABC site managers in this regard.

My Department and The Atlantic Philanthropies are securing this extension of funding to bring the existing programme closer in line with the expected timeline for delivery of the national evaluation report in 2018. My Department will utilise the learnings emerging from the programme, and the findings from the national evaluation, to inform the design of prevention and early intervention initiatives that comprehend the Programme for Government commitments.

I look forward to the continued engagement of Youngballymun, and all other ABC sites with my Department as we work towards the implementation of quality prevention and early intervention initiatives in order to achieve our shared goal of improving the lives of children and families throughout the country.