Minister O’Gorman announces the 2021 LGBTI+ Capacity Building Initiative Funding Scheme for service providers to families and young people

Minister Roderic O’Gorman, T.D., has today announced a joint initiative from the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth and Tusla – Child and Family Agency, which aims to build capacity among services for young people and their families.

This grant scheme will build capacity among providers of family support services to work with LGBTI+ young people and their families, and, where relevant, in collaboration with youth services at the local level. The initiative aims to provide funding to implement evidence-based LGBTI+ training and guidelines for professional service providers of family support along with youth services, with a focus on Trans and gender-related issues.

Speaking today Minister O’Gorman said:

"LGBTI+ young people have told us that support from their families is the most important factor in ensuring their well-being. For this reason, I am delighted to announce this collaboration between my Department and Tusla to build integrated community approaches that support families of LGBTI+ youth."

Tusla CEO, Bernard Gloster said:

"Tusla is very happy to collaborate with The Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth in this way.. It is another measure of support that is necessary for young people. The recent narrative of their lives has been dominated by Covid-19 but the reality is that all of their other needs for support remain with them. This is a very positive intervention. Our Tusla family support services are being delivered across the country every day with many organisations partnering in the effort. The new funding grants will complement this work benefiting young people, and their families."

HOW TO APPLY:

Deadline: 12 noon on 16th April 2021

Contact: lgbtiyouthstrategy@equality.gov.ie

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Notes to Editor:

The LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy, launched in June 2018, is a cross Government strategy driven and coordinated by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
Capacity building for professional service providers working with young people is a key action within the Strategy, under Objective 7 to provide capacity building measures among service providers to improve their understanding of and ability to engage with LGBTI+ young people, which is an objective of Goal 1 to create a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for LGBTI+ young people.
Action 7(a) is the responsibility of this Department and requires the implementation of evidence-based LGBTI+ training, CPD initiatives and guidelines targeted at professional service providers, youth services and family support services. Training and guidance should include a particular focus on trans- and gender-related issues.

Previous LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Schemes

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has provided funding through its LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Scheme to support capacity building in organisations that work with young people, over the duration of the LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy.
In September 2018 the Department announced a €100,000 grant scheme to make services across the country more accessible to LGBTI+ young people. Small grants were awarded to a number of youth services throughout the country.
In 2019 a two phased LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Scheme, totalling €400,000 over 2019 and 2020, was launched which awarded funding to organisations with LGBTI+ specific expertise and specialist knowledge to develop initiatives that disseminate LGBTI+ specialist information, skills and knowledge to service providers that work with young people. Phase one of this scheme was awarded in 2019 and a second phase was awarded in 2020.

2021 LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Scheme

In 2021 the Department will provide funding of €150,000 to Capacity Building. The 2021 LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Scheme aims to provide further capacity building support for organisations working with young people and their families, to ensure that professionals working with families of LGBTI+ young people have the capacity to provide support in dealing with LGBTI+ issues.
This grant scheme will be open to professional service providers who provide family support services that have an identified need for capacity building in the area of assisting parents and carers in their role supporting a young person who has come out as LGBTI+. Professional service providers who deal with young people and youth services in collaboration with family support services.