Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1202. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the date on which successful applicants of the children’s disability services grant were provided funding under the grant,; the amount that was provided to them (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30116/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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In October 2023, the HSE, in conjunction with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, launched an open call for applications for the Children’s Disability Service Grant Fund. The Children’s Disability Service Grant Fund is an initiative detailed under action 2.7 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026, Disability Services for Children and Young People.

HSE Evaluation Process

A CDS Grant Scheme Evaluation Panel was formed to assess all applications based on the following criteria:

• Quality and coherence of proposal;

• Contribution to wellbeing of children and families;

• Potential lasting impact;

• Capacity and sustainability of providers to deliver person-centred services and comply with standards;

• Value for money.

Due to the sheer volume of applications and the additional administrative work involved in co-ordinating and collating the proposals, the HSE had to revise the anticipated time-frame for the assessment process and the award of funding to successful proposals.

Confirmation of Funding

It was confirmed on 25th March 2025 that the Department of Children, Disability and Equality had secured sanction for the €8m Grant Fund, with funding allocated from the €3.2 billion disability services budget.

There is a target date for commencing the projects mid-year and many of them are due to be completed to the end of 2027. The HSE will engage with successful applicants around the drawdown of funding and the financial and governance requirements in relation to the delivery of projects.