Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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434. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are plans in her Department, including Budget 2026 plans, for an assessment of the funding of youthwork services in the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47554/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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435. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are plans in her Department, including Budget 2026 plans, for an assessment of the funding of youthwork services in the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47576/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 434 and 435 together.

The Department is actively engaged in reviewing and strengthening youth work services to ensure they are responsive to the evolving needs of young people, inclusive in their reach, and effectively resourced. As part of this work, the Department is examining existing schemes to ensure they are positioned to meet current challenges, support youth organisations in delivering high-quality services, and enhance the governance and oversight structures that underpin their operation.

UBU Your Place Your Space is the Department’s flagship targeted youth funding programme, designed to support disadvantaged, marginalised, and vulnerable young people aged 10–24. It delivers evidence-informed interventions that promote soft skills, confidence, and progression into education, training, or employment. As part of Action 8 under the Opportunities for Youth framework, the Department has committed to a comprehensive review of the scheme to ensure it is delivering on its policy aims and to identify whether changes are needed to its operating system to better meet the needs of its target groups. Department officials are currently engaged in defining the scope, methodology, and key focus areas of the review process.

In 2025, the Department received €500,000 to implement the Summer 2025 Holiday Meals Pilot Programme (Summer Meals Programme), a targeted initiative designed to address holiday hunger among young people during the post-primary school summer holidays (June–August). The programme aims to provide a hot or substantial meal to young people attending UBU Your Place Your Space youth services who are at risk of not having access to adequate nutrition during official school closure periods. A total of 41 UBU youth services across the 16 education and training boards (ETBs) signed up to participate, with the programme officially launching on 3 June 2025. Participating services are piloting a range of delivery models tailored to local needs, including catered meal delivery and on-site meal preparation. An independent evaluation, led by Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), is currently underway to assess the programme’s impact and effectiveness. The findings will inform best practice, guide the design of future programmes, and support decisions around future funding allocations should the initiative be continued.

In parallel, the Department is progressing a number of strategic actions under the Opportunities for Youth framework, notably Action 2 and Action 3, which are central to enhancing the governance and coherence of youth work services.

• Action 2 involves the establishment of a National Youth Sector Reference Group (NYSRG). This group is designed to incorporate robust mechanisms for young people—especially those from diverse backgrounds and those facing particular barriers to participation—to influence decision-making. It will also include expert and sectoral perspectives to ensure balanced and transparent input from across the youth sector. The NYSRG will serve as a key platform for coordinating the implementation of other actions under Opportunities for Youth, including those related to youth work services.
• Action 3 complements this by establishing a cross-departmental group comprising representatives from various Departments and agencies that fund or engage with the youth sector. This group will be integrated, where possible, with the Young Ireland governance structures and the Young Ireland Policy Forum. Its purpose is to develop a renewed, whole-of-Government vision for State-funded youth work services, improve coherence across schemes, and support a joined-up approach to youth provision.