Family Resource Centres

82. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to consider upgrading the Carrigaline family support centre to a family resource centre. [77818/26]

Will the Minister of State consider designating the Carrigaline family support centre as a family resource centre?

I thank Deputy McGrath for the question, which I am taking on behalf of his colleague, the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley. The programme for Government commits to work to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of family resource centres. Budget 2027 honours this commitment and I was delighted that the Minister secured funding as part of the budget for a further ten family resource centres. This will bring the family resource centre programme membership up to 146 members next year. This further expansion of the programme is the latest in several very positive developments for the programme over the last number of years. It follows an increase in the membership of the programme in 2025 by five members and in this year 2026 by a further ten members, bringing overall membership to its current 136 members. Next year we will establish ten new centres, which will be very welcome for the communities that will be served by them. The most recent national application and assessment process for the programme was undertaken in 2025. It was led by Tusla and it was independently chaired by a representative of the University of Limerick. This followed an open call for applications, with applications reviewed and scored against clearly defined and published criteria, including population need, the level of deprivation, child population data, existing service provision and existing service gaps. Decisions on the successful services were then made by an assessment panel. There continues to be a strong level of interest in communities around the country in having family resource centres as part of their community infrastructure. This is borne out in the 49 applications that were received in response to the 2025 call. The securing of the funding for next year's budget will now result in a new call for applications which will open in early 2027. The process for the forthcoming call, including the assessment arrangements and the applicable criteria, remains to be confirmed. Details of the process and how to apply will be published and publicised widely once they are available. The location of the ten new family resource centres will be determined through that process.

I thank the Minister of State for the update. The Carrigaline Family Support Centre is an organisation that was started in 2008 by community activists. It has grown to be a fantastic local service provided to all generations, young and old. For older people, it provides a care and repair service, a senior alert service and social networking such as day trips. For children, it provides art therapy, play therapy, counselling and wider family supports. We know families go through very difficult times, whether through relationship breakdown, financial stress, mental health issues or abuse issues. It has to be noted that this family centre in Carrigaline provides services to the wider surrounding areas as well, which are developing and growing with an increasing population. It is important, therefore, that this family support centre is designated as a resource centre so that it gets additional resources and is able to provide even more services to the local area. I understand what the Minister of State has said about a new call in 2027, and I very much welcome that. I understand there are criteria that have to be met but it is important that I make the case this morning for the Carrigaline Family Support Centre and that it be strongly considered in that new process next year.

The Deputy has made the case very well. Ultimately, however, it would be premature to identify specific locations or confirm a timeline at this stage. I understand that the Carrigaline Family Support Centre applied before under one of the processes. While it was not one of the 15 organisations granted membership, it still can reapply. Tusla has advised me that there is a service level agreement in place between it and the Carrigaline Family Support Centre, and that the centre works very closely with Tusla's social work department in particular. I believe the centre is active in the south west region child and family support network and the parent champions fora initiative and that it engages in child, youth and parental participation events. That all certainly sounds very positive. The centre also offers programmes for over 60s, family support, low-cost counselling, play therapy and art therapy. It is home to the Carrigaline women's circle and partner services, such as Age Action, Foróige and employment services. It certainly sounds like a fantastic centre in the Deputy's community.

I thank the Minister of State for outlining the great work done by the Carrigaline Family Support Centre. It is certainly welcome that in budget 2027 funding has been provided for ten additional resource centres across the country, bringing the total to 146. That there will be a new call in 2027 is also very positive. I understand it is a very transparent process in terms of the criteria being outlined and so on. From a socio-economic point of view, this area probably does quite well and would be regarded as reasonably affluent. With regard to the measurement of deprivation, while I understand it needs to be done, it is also important to point out that there are issues in families in all areas and all socio-economic areas, and we need to be very cognisant of that. There are relationship breakdowns, instances of abuse, issues with mental health and strains within families, for which services are needed. We need to be careful not to place too much emphasis on the issue of deprivation. While I understand it has to be a part of this, it is worth making the point that we should not overrate that either. These issues are across the board from a socio-economic point of view.

On the criteria for the applications for the previous round, while this was led by Tusla, it was independently chaired by a representative of the University of Limerick. That is the level of transparency, fairness and equity that is afforded to all applicants. Tusla has been very clear that any organisation that has applied before is not automatically readmitted to the process. Organisations must submit a new application so it would certainly be timely for the Deputy to engage with the Carrigaline centre and suggest that it prepare for the opening of applications. The last time around the application looked at things like willingness to engage with Tusla on funding for children and family services, which the centre is clearly doing already. It is also desirable for a board of management to be in place, so if that is not in place currently, perhaps it is something the centre could do as preparatory work. It should also have existing facilities suitable to deliver the programme and be able to demonstrate the ability to deliver outcome-driven services. These are the kinds of things that the board could focus on in advance of the next call.