Written answers
Tuesday, 23 September 2025
Department of Children, Disability and Equality
Family Resource Centres
Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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14. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the work of her Department to support the opening of new family resource centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50188/25]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the Family Resource Centre Programme is expanding from 121 to 126 members this year, in line with the Government’s commitment to its growth. Funding for this expansion was secured by my Department as part of Budget 2025. Core funding of €160,000 per year is being provided to each of the new Programme members, and I understand that the Family Resource Centre National Forum will be on hand to assist the new services to assimilate into the Programme.
This is the first expansion of the Programme since 2018, and a very welcome development.
The five successful services joining the Programme were announced in a press release from my Department on 29 August 2025. They are:
- Cabra Family Community Development Group – Dublin 7.
- South Monaghan FRC Advisory Group – County Monaghan.
- Dundalk Counselling Service – County Louth.
- Leixlip Youth and Community Centre – County Kildare.
- Bru Bhride – County Galway.
There is a Programme for Government commitment to work to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of Family Resource Centres, and this is something I intend to engage on over the lifetime of this Government.
I have witnessed first-hand the impacts that Family Resource Centres have on the communities that they serve, engaging with vulnerable families, offering services to individuals across the whole life cycle from early years to senior citizens and, crucially, fostering a positive and inclusive community spirit. The high levels of activity associated with Family Resource Centres indicate the scale, value for money, and potential of the national Programme. Many services are delivered at no-cost or at low-cost, to families who otherwise might not be able to access them.
The addition of five new services to the Programme, and the Programme for Government commitment to its expansion will, I believe, see more people benefitting from the many positives that Family Resource Centres can bring to communities.
Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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17. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the supports she is providing for crèches operating in family resource centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49989/25]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Family Resource Centre Programme is a community development programme that is financially supported by many State agencies in a partnership approach.
The Programme for Government commits to increasing funding and expanding the capacity and network of Family Resource Centres over its Government given the important role these Centres play in local communities.
Recent developments in respect of the Family Resource Centre Programme include my Department’s securing of additional funding of €800,000 in Budget 2025, to allow for an expansion of the Programme from 121 members to 126 members. In this context, we have recently welcomed five new members to the Programme.
Among the ranges of services provided by Family Resource Centres is the provision of early learning and childcare.
The funding Family Resource Centres receive from my Department for these early learning and childcare services is provided on the same basis to all services.
Specifically, the overall funding provided to services in contract with my Department - including those operating in, and out of, Family Resource Centres - is provided through a number of funding schemes including: the National Childcare Scheme, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme, Core Funding, the Access and Inclusion Model, and Equal Start.
A data matching exercise conducted by my Department identified 79 early learning and childcare services who reported that their premises was in, or had an address at a Family Resource Centre.
In the last programme year, which ran from September 2024 to August 2025, these services received a combined funding allocation of €22.8 million under the Department's early learning and childcare funding schemes.
Equal Start has, since September 2024, been supporting 787 services throughout the country that are operating in the context of concentrated disadvantage. 57% (a total of 45) of the services who reported that their premises was in, or had an address at a Family Resource Centre also have an Equal Start priority designation. Between September 2024 and August 2025 these services have been in receipt of Equal Start staffing supports funding.
From October, all Equal Start designated services providing the ECCE Programme will also be eligible to participate in the ‘Bia Blasta’, the Pre-School Nutrition Programme.
In addition to the funding available through the schemes, there are wider financial supports available from my Department for services who are experiencing financial difficulty or that have concerns about their viability, which can be accessed through their local City/County Childcare Committee.
I would encourage any service experiencing financial difficulty and who would like support to contact their Childcare Committee to access case management supports. Contact details for the Childcare Committees can be found online at the Department’s gov.ie website.
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