Family Resource Centres

I raise the severe challenges facing a community service in my constituency in west Finglas, the Finglas West Family Resource Centre. As the Minister of State is well aware, parts of Finglas are some of the most disadvantaged areas in the country. I was looking at the Pobal deprivation index. Unfortunately, it shows that, rather than progressing as most of the country did between 2016 and 2022, a number of areas of severe disadvantage actually became more disadvantaged. Parts of west Finglas number among those. As the Minister of State is also aware, a relatively small number of areas in the country are classed as areas of extreme disadvantage. Several of those are in west Finglas, where Finglas West Family Resource Centre works. The issue that I raise is one of funding required for two basic services. One is Barnardos, which supports the services in the Finglas West Family Resource Centre, but also a number of services that are provided in the Finglas area, and I will go through those. It is also about the family resource centre budget as a whole, because that also funds the family resource centre. I have met people from the centre. They have a number of challenges. It is important to highlight that they provide services. For example, they support parents locally. They support particular groups, including lone parents and Traveller groups. They provide a safe space. With issues of community safety, it is important that parents, children and carers can come to places like this. They provide creative play programmes, well-being programmes for children, family fun days and the Finglas fathers and toddler group. They are vital services. The issue the people at the centre face is the funding commitment. As the Minister of State is well aware, there are a number of different funding streams. People are constantly trying to make a number of programmes work, but they do not have enough funding to ensure that they can provide the service to the extent they need to. Indeed, they said to me that their consistent worry was that the core funding did not cover the cost of delivery of the centre and the programmes. They have this requirement to be constantly seeking further different aspects of localised funding to keep them afloat. It is a hugely time-consuming process when their focus should be on continuing to offer, as they describe them, evidence-based, trauma-informed, needs-led programmes and services to children, families and the local community. They are facing severe challenges in doing that. Barnardos essentially operates the service. Funding is got through the family resource centre, FRC, scheme, but also from Barnardos itself. As the Minister of State will be aware, Barnardos highlighted in the run up to the budget that it needed an additional €1.4 million to sustain the existing direct services in 2027. Maybe the Minister of State could give an update on that and outline whether it will be provided, as well as increased funding for the family resource centres to ensure that the Finglas West Family Resource Centre can continue to provide services.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and for affording me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley, who is not here today. The Government is committed to the family resource centre programme and cognisant of the benefits that family resource centres bring to their communities. The family resource centre network is an important component in how issues that arise in communities across the entire age spectrum, from early years to old age, are responded to. The Minister was pleased that Tuesday's budget provided a further expansion of the FRC programme to 146 members, an increase of ten. This is a welcome development for communities that will be served by these centres and is in line with the programme for Government commitment to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of the family resource centres. The positive developments for the family resource centre programme that have come out of the budget 2027 negotiations build on the achievements of the programme over the last number of years. These include: the expansion of the programme in 2026 from 126 to 136 members, which followed an expansion of the programme in 2025 from 121 to 126; the securing of an increase in the minimum core funding level for family resource centres from €160,000 to €180,000 as part of budget 2026, which benefited approximately 100 family resource centres around the country, including the Finglas West Family Resource Centre; the establishment by Tusla of clinical and therapeutic lead posts in a number of FRCs around the country to ensure that there is a clinical and therapeutic lead in each of the six Tusla regions; and, most recently, the announcement by the Department in September 2026 of a one-off family resource centre capital allocation of €1.36 million, providing €10,000 to each of the 136 members of the programme for capital improvements. Like all of the family resource centres, Finglas West Family Resource Centre will be able to use this capital allocation to support locally identified capital, premises, equipment, ICT and infrastructure priorities. The funding provides family resource centres with the flexibility to identify investments that will make the greatest difference to the children, families and communities that they serve. Finglas West Family Resource Centre takes a community development approach to its work and adheres to the core principles of active participation, empowerment, community engagement and advocacy. The focus of its work is to improve outcomes for children and adults so they can actively participate fully in society. The centre works in a flexible, innovative and dynamic way to make a real and lasting difference for children and families in the area. A range of high-quality and evidence-informed programmes are offered to enhance well-being and strengthen the resilience of children and their families. The centre aims to support community members to actively participate in its activities to promote positive family relationships and to promote community well-being.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I outline again the level of deprivation in west Finglas. A number of areas are affected by extreme disadvantage and their deprivation levels actually increased. Between 2016 and 2022, three areas of extreme disadvantage in west Finglas increased their deprivation scores. For example, one went from -22 to -41. As the Minister of State knows, minus mid-40s is one of the highest levels of deprivation in the country. Another went from -22 to -27 and another from -4 to -20. What we actually saw was an increase in the level of extreme disadvantage. The Pobal index makes it very clear that entrenched deprivation has existed in a number of geographical areas for some time. If we are really to tackle and meet commitments on child poverty, we need to go at the root cause and make an early intervention. Services like the Finglas West Family Resource Centre provide such early intervention. Barnardos provides a number of services in Finglas, including the family intensive support and early years young parents support. The Minister of State did not answer the question about the request from Barnardos to get a €1.4 million increase. Maybe he could respond to that, because it is clear that it is needed. Regarding the deficits the centre faces, there are areas not funded sufficiently by organisations like Tusla. These services are working with the most vulnerable families and children in Finglas. The Minister of State mentioned the increased €180,000 per family resource centre, but the family resource centres' request for the budget was an increase of core funding to €250,000. That was my understanding. Will the Minister of State respond, please?

Obviously, the Minister, Deputy Foley, is not here today, but I will pass the Deputy's questions directly to her, as I know he will himself. The Government fully supports the family resource centre programme and the positive impacts that family resource centres have had nationally. The centres are a great endorsement of what can be achieved locally and with the associated good for communities. Family resource centres foster cohesion and collaboration and ultimately enhance the communities they serve. Many family resource centres have become indispensable, with clients engaging with the centres across all stages of life. The Government is aware of the funding challenges being faced by many community organisations to sustain and expand their services, and is aware of the strong level of interest in communities in participating in their local family resource centres. Family resource centres are encouraged to engage with Departments and agencies where funding mechanisms exist for local service delivery. 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 increased funding and expansion across the term of this Government, and I have been pleased to outline the positive measures that have taken place in this respect. I will pass the Deputy's questions to the Minister.