Update: Youth Support Services 2nd July 2014

2nd July 2014 - Bernard Durkan TD

QUESTION NO: 648

DÁIL QUESTION addressed to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Mr. Flanagan)

by Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

for WRITTEN ANSWER on 01/07/2014

* To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the degree to which he continues to liaise with various youth organisations with a view to determination of the appropriate level, scale and quality of youth support services; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Bernard J. Durkan T.D.

REPLY.

My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. Targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people are provided through the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund, Rounds 1 and 2, Local Drugs Task Force Projects. In addition, 31 national and major regional youth work organisations are supported under the Youth Service Grant Scheme. Other schemes include the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme and Youth Information Centres. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people and involve approximately, 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. In 2014, current funding of €49.78m has been provided to my Department for these schemes.

Ongoing engagement and dialogue with the youth sector organisations and with young people are priorities for my Department. My Department has regular engagement with members of the youth sector organisations in relation to a range of issues including the development of initiatives to meet young people’s needs, funding matters and issues that arise in the provision of services at local level.

Most recently, my Department has worked closely with some of the larger youth organisations on the development of a youth employability initiative and the youth sector’s contribution to the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs. Youth organisations are working collaboratively with my Department and the ETB sector implementing quality standards initiatives in the youth area. These standards are helping to ensure an improvement in good practice, that services and projects are outcomes focussed and that the young people are deriving the maximum benefit from being involved. The National Youth Council of Ireland has a lead role in carrying out the EU structured dialogue process with young people in Ireland and the youth sector organisations are represented on the National Working Group chaired by my Department.

The National Youth Work Advisory Committee, appointed in January 2013, includes the key national youth organisations that work directly with young people along with representatives of Government departments, the Education and Training Boards and other statutory agencies involved in youth matters. The Committee has an advisory role on issues to do with how youth work practice and services can better meet the requirements of young people. The Committee is engaged with my Department on the development of the new National Youth Strategy for completion later this year.

I, and officials of my Department have met, and continue to meet, regularly with many youth organisations and groups to see how we can work together to bring about the best possible outcomes for young people, having regard to resources available to us and to ensure that the programmes and services being provided are relevant and responsive to young people’s needs.

Bernard Durkan TD

Kildare North

Bernard J Durkan is the Fine Gael spokesperson on Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. Originally from Killasser, Co Mayo,…

Update: Youth Support Services 2nd July 2014

Bernard Durkan TD

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