Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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556. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the consideration which is given following the release of census of population data in respect of provision of services; if the census is not used to determine need, the way in which deployment of resources is decided; if there is a change planned in this context; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31400/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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My Department makes good use of data from the Census of Population for a variety of purposes, including analysis of key demographic information on the cohort of children and young people that are under the Department's remit. Much of this data will feature in my Department's forthcoming publication of an indicator set to track the progress for children and young people aged 0-24, across the five outcomes outlined in Better Outcomes Brighter Futures (BOBF) and some is already utilised as contextual data in the Department's biennial publication - State of the Nations Children.

As part of the Quality and Capacity Building Initiative (QCBI) my Department has invested in Tusla's Outcomes for Children Project. The project offers a sustainable opportunity to provide a national standardised framework for mapping outcomes, indicators and services for children and young people based on the Children & Young People’s Services Committee's (CYSPC) geographical areas, to underpin all multi-agency children's service planning.

One of the aims of the Outcomes for Children Project, is to develop one nationally centralised open platform data hub which will hold and analyse data for all CYSPC areas, regionally and nationally, to ensure effective, accessible, integrated, multi-agency outcomes based children services planning. The data hub will utilise all relevant published and other data including CSO, SAHRU, Pobal, HSE, TUSLA, DES, An Garda Síochána et al, to ensure system users have access to quality information that will inform children services planning.

It is envisaged that through the development of the open platform and the related extensive training and capacity building provided by Tusla, that CYSPC across the country will utilise the data gathered, including census data, to optimally plan children's services.

CYPSC, as part of their three year planning cycle also use socio and demographic data and census data to plan for delivery of services in their local area.

In 2016, my Department embarked on an exercise, in conjunction with Pobal and each Education and Training Board Youth Officer, to map youth service provision across the State. This mapping exercise will assist my Department and the relevant Education and Training Board, in developing a detailed social demographic profile in terms of both population numbers and deprivation levels; particularly as the Census 2016 data becomes available. The exercise is now in its final stage and it is my intention that this mapping exercise will inform future development and investment in youth services.