Written answers

Tuesday, 26 February 2019

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Youth Services Funding

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

573. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if a project (details supplied) can be guaranteed its funding in 2019. [8974/19]

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

574. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if funding for a project (details supplied) will be confirmed for 2019; the reason the project received no funding or confirmation of same from her Department since November 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9004/19]

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 573 and 574 together.

My Department is responsible for ensuring that Exchequer monies used to fund childcare are spent responsibly and with the appropriate level of oversight. All childcare services in receipt of Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) funding from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs must sign a CCS grant funding agreement which covers a one year period, Under the terms of this agreement the service must be familiar with the rules for DCYA childcare funding programmes and must cooperate fully with the DCYA in this regard.

Officials from my Department inform the service named at the beginning of each programme year that funding is subject to an annual evaluation and funding approved for previous years is not a guarantee of any future amounts.

Following the evaluation a service can also be requested to submit further documentation/clarifications. Communications for the initial part of a review for the service named were concluded recently. As part of the reviews being carried out for the programme year 2018-19 my Department has requested the assistance of the City/County Childcare Committees (CCC's). Visits will be made by the Dublin City Childcare Committee to this service in the coming weeks with the a view to conclusion of the review by the end of April.

I fully appreciate the difficult and complex situation where service providers can find themselves waiting for a review to be finalised and in recognition of this a further tranche of funding will be allocated for the 2018/2019 programme year in March 2019 to the service named. However, no further funding will be released until the review has been fully completed.

I am aware that community childcare settings provide an invaluable service to children and families across the country and face a variety of challenges to their sustainability and my Department has made a number of supports available to community services in difficulty. Pobal who administer the schemes on behalf of my Department oversee an integrated Case Management system through which a dedicated team assesses services facing crisis situations and provide support including financial supports where necessary. This option was offered to the service named.

There is a requirement for services to register children where possible and the service named indicated this may be possible however no registrations have been made by the service to date. Officials from my Department will continue to work with the service to bring the evaluation to a conclusion as quickly as possible.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.