From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), Roderic O’Gorman, today welcomed the first steps undertaken under two Family Support projects co-funded by the exchequer and the European Union, under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).
Seventeen Family Support Practitioners are being recruited in each of Tusla’s 17 regions, to work with families and children living in International Protection accommodation nationally. They will work directly with families, supporting them to access any wider family supports services they may need, for example, parenting support programmes, access to family support clinics, youth groups and access to family resources centres. The practitioners will keep children at the forefront of their work, focussing on the promotion of their personal, social and educational development needs. It is anticipated that all 17 roles will be filled by the end of the year.
The Family Support Practitioner roles align closely with the commitment to link families in the International Protection accommodation with support groups and networks that are relevant to their needs, as outlined in the White Paper on Ending Direct Provision, published in February 2021.
DCEDIY is also rolling out, with Tusla, the national expansion of the Young Parents Support Programme, under this round of ESF+ funding. This programme promotes and enhances the well-being of young parents and their babies, during this crucial stage of their parenting journey.
Support is offered in all areas of the young parent’s life; parenting, health, relationships, education, training, childcare, housing, social welfare supports, and anything else concerning the young parent and their child. It is anticipated that expanding the programme with ESF+ funding, will allow for all young parents in Ireland, up to the age of 25, to access a Young Parent Support Programme. Currently the service is only available to those aged up to 20 years of age.
Minister O’Gorman added:
“I am very pleased to see these Family Support Projects being rolled out. They will help us reach and support families, young parents and children to access a range of services to improve their quality of life.
"The Family Support Practitioner roles being established around the country will support families living in International Protection accommodation. These families will be connected with services in the community to ensure they get the support they need. Young parents nationally, will be able to avail of high quality, dedicated supports tailored to meet their needs, ensuring their parenting experience is a more positive one, delivering better outcome for their children.
"We are very grateful to our partners in Europe for co funding these projects to 2027 under the European Social Fund Plus. The Family Support projects fall under the ‘social inclusion’ priority of the ESF+, which strives to promote the social integration of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, including the most deprived persons and children.”
The European Social Fund (ESF) is the EU's main instrument for investing in people, focusing on improving employment and education opportunities as well as enhancing social inclusion and tackling poverty.
The ESF is implemented by Member States in partnership with the European Commission and the ESF Managing Authority in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has responsibility for implementation of the ESF in Ireland.
ESF Funding is allocated over 7-year programming periods aligned to the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework. For the 2021-2027 period, the ESF will be merged with the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), the Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived (FEAD) and the directly managed Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) Programme, to become the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).
Ireland’s ESF+ allocation for 2021-27 is €508 million in current prices. ESF+ is a co-financed programme, which means that the EU allocation must be matched by national funding.
The ESF+ Operational Programme, Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training (EIST) was formally launched in March of this year. The programme will see European co-funded investment in access to employment, skills and lifelong learning, tackling poverty and social exclusion, food and basic material assistance to the most deprived and social innovation throughout the current funding period.
DCEDIY secured Exchequer funding of €1.127 million for 2023 to fund the two Tusla Family Support projects.
The projects are estimated to cost €11.346 million in total between 2023 and 2027, which will result in ESF+ funds of €5.369 million being returned to DCEDIY.
DCEDIY has three other activities included in the ESF+ programme: measures to support the integration of migrants (under the social inclusion priority), gender equality (under the employment priority) and childcare upskilling (under the skills and lifelong learning priority).