Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

201. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if family resource centres will be guaranteed of their budget on a yearly basis (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23502/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Family Resource Centres are funded by Tusla, from the allocation secured for Tusla by my Department in the annual estimates and budget process. Potential changes in funding are considered and explored through the annual budgetary process. 

Tusla administers the Family Resource Centre Programme which provides funding support to 121 FRCs across the country and my Department allocates core funding for the Family Resource Centre Programme. I was pleased to attend the 25th anniversary event hosted by the Family Resource Centre National Forum last week, and recently I met with senior members of the National Forum to discuss some issues of concerns for FRCs.

The relationship that has developed between the Tusla Areas, Tusla Commissioning, the Family Resource Centres and National Forum means the use of core funding is maximised and allows for engagement around additional activity and potential for pilot schemes to be explored. Many of those schemes make a real impact on people's lives.

Having been made aware of a survey conducted by the National Forum of Family Resource Centres during 2022, I and my Department were in a position to allocate extra funding to Tusla to use in Family Resource Centres to assist with the needs of those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Family Resource Centres can also make use of non-core funding from other Government Departments or agencies and indeed from other sources such as philanthropic concerns. I commend Family Resource Centres around the country for their continued efforts to leverage and attract funding from other state actors or the private sector. 

This year I will be be delivering my Performance Framework for Tusla to cover the period 2024-2026 to give policy guidance, direction and prioritisation parameters for the next three years. In deriving the Framework, I have informed Tusla that I will be looking at actions for Tusla to carry through into their Corporate Plan laying out activity over the next 3 years, with a view to looking at options to stabilise the current Family Resource Centre programme, safeguarding its approach to working with all aspects of a community and giving serious consideration to potential approaches for future expansion of the programme.