Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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320. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which his Department continues to monitor children deemed to be disadvantaged; his plans in progress or otherwise to address these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49017/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, takes a whole-of-government approach to addressing disadvantage and child poverty. The BOBF indicator set tracks progress for children and young people aged 0-24 across the five national outcomes outlined in Better Outcomes Brighter Futures.

My Department uses a range of data, metrics and evidence to formulate policy for children, young people and families, with a particular focus on those experiencing disadvantage, such as the Outcomes For Children Data and Information Hub developed under the What Works initiative, Growing up in Ireland, and our statistical spotlight series.

My Department has a number of strategies and initiatives in place that address disadvantage including the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy, The National Childcare Scheme, and What Works. The Deputy will be aware that my Department takes a particular focus on prevention and early intervention which can be an effective tool to address issues children and young people experience without causing distress or disruption.

Under the What Works initiative over €1 million has been allocated to children and youth services in 2021, under a number of funding measures that promote innovation, collaboration, learning and development in order to address aspects of disadvantage and identified need. Specifically, I recently launched a What Works Training Fund designed to support nonprofit community and voluntary organisations, who provide direct services to children, young people and families, to meet training needs. As a condition of funding, the organisations which will be awarded grants under this fund must serve an area of disadvantage in Ireland.

My Department also supports Tusla’s Prevention, Partnership and Family Support Programme which aims to prevent risks to children and young people arising or escalating through building sustainable intellectual capacity and manpower within Tusla and partner organisations to perform early intervention work.

Furthermore, my Department is working on the implementation of the European Child Guarantee which aims to break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion across generations. It is my intention to submit our national action plan to the Commission by mid-March 2022. The development of the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures successor framework has now commenced, in parallel with the development of the action plan and enabling framework for the EU Child Guarantee and reporting to the United Nations Children’s Rights Convention. This successor framework will be an important milestone in mitigating disadvantage in our society, and ensuring a robust alignment with the EU Child Guarantee.