Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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541. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports she is providing for family resource centres; if she will commit to delivering requests from the Family Resource Centre Forum which is calling for Budget 2026 to include €240,000 core funding for each of the 121 family resource centres, joint TUSLA-HSE investment in counselling services, dedicated capital funding for infrastructure and sustainability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53823/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that the Department allocates core funding for the Family Resource Centre Programme through Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Tusla administers the Family Resource Centre Programme, which supports members throughout the country. The core funding allocation is standardised across the Family Resource Centre Programme, and principally covers the salaries of staff, along with contributing towards a centre’s operational costs. This allows for the delivery of essential family support services, in line with Tusla’s national priorities.

Family Resource Centres play a pivotal role in so many communities across the country, where they provide a comprehensive range of services tailored to individual community needs. In addition to core funding, it is important to note that Family Resource Centres may draw on various sources of funding provided by other Government Departments, agencies and private sources. Such funding can allow the centres to extend the scope and reach of their services.

A funding equalisation scheme for the Family Resource Centre Programme was initiated by the Department in 2024. The scheme ensures that all Programme members receive minimum core funding of at least €160,000 from 2025 onwards. As part of yesterday's budget for 2026 this minimum core funding will now rise to €180,000 from January 2026.

In recognition of the importance of the Family Resource Centre Programme, the Department received additional funding, as part of Budget 2025, to allow the Programme to grow from 121 members to 126 members in 2025. This is the first expansion of the Programme since 2018. The five new members of the Programme were announced by me on 29th August. They are based in Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth and Monaghan. In yesterday's budget, I was pleased to announce a further 10 members will join the programme in 2026.

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 will engage on over the lifetime of this Government. The addition of five new services to the Programme, and the Programme for Government commitment to its expansion, will see more people benefitting from the many positives that Family Resource Centres can bring to communities.

Funding for counselling services is administered by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. There are no plans to jointly fund such services in Family Resource Centres in collaboration with the Health Service Executive. Appendix 8 of the most recent Tusla Annual Report records payments to Family Support Services Counselling providers around the country. Many of these providers are Family Resource Centres, offering counselling and therapeutic services at no to low-cost for the communities that they serve.

Building on Family Support Services Counselling funding, in 2025 my Department secured an additional €1.5 million – formerly allocated under Dormant Accounts – for counselling, psychotherapy and therapeutic services to children and young people. A significant portion of this funding was allocated to Family Resource Centres, to allow them to continue their important work of providing counselling and therapeutic services in the community. The funding helps to address unmet need and will reduce waiting lists for community-based counselling services.

In 2024, Clinical and Therapeutic Lead posts were established in eight FRCs around the country, to ensure that there is a Clinical and Therapeutic Lead in all six Tusla regions. I understand that this initiative is working very well. The focus of the role includes providing clinical leadership, ensuring that quality services are developed and adapted to meet emerging and presenting needs in the region, and monitoring standards regarding clinical practice and good governance.

In relation to capital funding, neither the Department nor Tusla currently have capital funding to support the building of new or refurbishment or extension of existing Family Resource Centres. Tusla does not have a dedicated budget for capital or building works for third party organisations such as Family Resource Centres. I would suggest that the local County or City Council be considered as a starting point in the context of any capital funding requests.