Joe O'Reilly urges Family Resource House for Coot Hill

Thank you. Now, I also at the outset want to congratulate the voluntary local people and thank them for their work, who are involved in Criller and Drumline, and basically involved in trying to get a resource house for Goodhill, and notably among them, Dr Fiona O'Hay and Ms Kerry Mullan. I want to thank them for their work. I want to also thank my colleague, Councillor Carmel Brady, for her advocacy in this area. She was on to me about this no later than yesterday. So, I grew up in Crute Hill myself, or in the area, and spent a lot of my youth there and I went to school there, so I have a passionate interest in this, Minister, and indeed I want to welcome you, Minister. Now, when the group got together to do this, they developed a target area, or an operational area. It was proposed, they got an area together for the resource house that would be serviced by the resource house to serve a natural community area, and they got that researched, and they found a number of things. They found that there was a deprivation score as low as mine researched, and they found a number of things. They found that there was a deprivation score as low as minus 29.54 in the area, and technical people will know what that means. One third of the population has primary education only. Less than 9% had third level education at the time of research. There's an oldest age profile of any settlement larger than 500 in the country. So, that's a very specific issue, the older age profile. Child welfare referrals and substance abuse are at the highest level in Cavanagh Monaghan, in this Coot Hill area, I'm saddened to say. Suicide rates are double those in other areas. The HAP in the private rental sector is very strong. Now, that's the need that's there for a family resource house. There's a hub Winkler, they have a site there, and there's a hub Winkler doing, a little group doing, and so far as they can, voluntary family support work, social inclusion work, etc. In 2019, they got a survey done by LIDA, with LIDA funding, and they established in that survey five things, Minister. First of all, there was a lack of investment in community resources in Coot Hill. Second, there was a lack of feeling accepted and respected in the own community. People felt that they weren't getting their fair share of things. Third, not being able to access needed services was a real issue for people. This is empirical research. Fourth, a lack of support networks to help them with their problems and difficulties. And fifth, an absence of ability to feel safe in the community. And all of that is quite distressing. There was a number of other things that are important. There's an available and suitable premises in the hub Winkler, what was the Bank of Ireland building there. It's a suitable legal entity. There's support from all the relevant agencies. The CYPSC, the CCC, the Cabin County Council and the CCLD, cross-community support, the supporters there. So what I'd be fundamentally saying in my part of the time is that a drop-in centre with support for people to get what they need is very necessary in Coot Hill and will serve a great purpose. Thank you very much to Senator O'Reilly for raising this issue, which I know is very close to your heart. As a man from Coot Hill, I know this is something you see on the ground day in and day out. And you really fully understand the need here. It's great to see such cross-party cooperation in the interests of local democracy and shared local community. And thank you, Senator Robbie Gallagher, for your comments on the matter as well. So just to let people know I'm taking this on behalf of Minister Norma Foley. The Minister informed me earlier today that she had met with you both and with the fantastic women and volunteers and men involved in this fantastic local initiative. And it's great to hear, Senator, that Councillor Carmelo Brady is involved also in the campaign. I think you put it very well when you spoke about the deprivation index of the area, how high a need there is. The survey results that have been gone through really are backing up exactly what you're saying. And it's really encouraging to hear about suitable venue and support on the ground from local agencies. In terms of the expansion of the Family Resource Centre programme, I suppose this is the latest in a number of very positive developments for the programme over the last few years. There's a programme for government commitment, obviously, to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of Family Resource Centres. And this year's budget honours that commitment to funding secured for a further 10 Family Resource Centres. This will bring the Family Resource Centre membership up to 136 members this year. And that expansion follows the increase in the membership of the programme by five members last year, where funding was secured then as part of the 2015 budget. That was the first expansion since 2018, so expanded by five last year and 15 this year. The commissioning of the new Family Resource Centres is an operational matter for TUSLA, the Child Family Agency. And it's them that are responsible for the day to day administration of the Family Resource Centre programme. So just to be clear, neither the minister nor the department have any involvement in the assessment process for new members of the Family Resource Centre programme, or indeed in the selecting of new programme members and cannot therefore comment on any particular application. A comprehensive national application assessment process was undertaken in 2025 and that was led by TUSLA, and it was independently chaired by a representative of the University of Limerick. All applications were reviewed and scored against clearly defined and published criteria, including population need, level of deprivation, child population data, existing service provision and existing service gaps. and decisions on the successful services were made by the assessment panel. This process was outlined in the TUSLA outcome letters that have issued to all applicants. A total of 49 organisations applied for membership of the Family Resource Centre programme, following an open call from TUSLA for applications to join the programme. This shows a really strong level of interest in communities around the country in having Family Resource Centres as part of their community infrastructure. I understand that TUSLA was very impressed with the level of interest in joining the programme and with the quality of applications they received also. Regretfully, funding only allowed for 15 new members to be selected out of the 49 organisations that applied and that left 34 applications unsuccessful. I suppose just to thank those organisations for their interest in joining the programme and for the important work that they continue to do on a day in and day out basis. The benefits of community-based services such as Family Resource Centres cannot be overstated. Many of us will have witnessed first-hand the impacts that Family Resource Centres have on the communities they operate in, the communities and the families they support. They engage with vulnerable families, they offer services to individuals across the whole life cycle from early years right through to senior citizens and crucially, they foster positive and inclusive community spirit. The range of services they provide can be extensive, determined by the needs of the relevant communities. It is particularly important to note that many services are delivered at no cost or at low cost to families who otherwise may not be able to access them. Also, by availing of funding schemes operated by other government departments and agencies, there is huge potential for Family Resource Centres to grow their scope and reach and further embed themselves in their communities. That is what we wish to do in government. Thank you, Lasker. Thank you, Minister. Thank you for acknowledging the fact that I have been discussing this with you personally and writing to you on this subject indeed in your role as Minister for State over some time. And I also appreciate your acknowledgement of the need. I just want to, I suppose in the minute that I have, say to you, Minister, that I would like to hear as a concluding remark from you that the real need that's in Coote Hill will be brought to the decision-making table on the next occasion. Let's assume the funding is there. If it's not, you can't do it. But let's assume it's there. That the real crying need of Coote Hill that I can't see could be rivalled elsewhere. That that need for a resource house is there. It will be a place people can drop in, get a form filled, get counselling, chat to chat, find companionship. And it will just be what it's called, a resource house for the community. A home from home that people can pop into. And it's very well situated in the centre of the town, the proposed site. And it's a very fine building. So I look at, it would be exciting from Coote Hill. And I'd be delighted to invite you and Minister Foley down for the day. If you can give me the commitment. Thank you. Thank you very much, Cahirlock. And thank you very much, Senator, for your fantastic advocacy of this issue, which I know is so important to you and to your constituents. I suppose the next step is to make sure that we can secure funding for continued expansion of this scheme. Step after that then would be for Coote Hill and others in this boat to apply for any such new scheme that may come in. And then I suppose the exact same requirements will be looked at. So just to reiterate, it's a comprehensive national application and assessment process. It's led by two sleds, independently verified, independently chaired. And applications are reviewed and scored against clearly defined and already published criteria. So population need, level of deprivation, child population data, existing service position and existing service gaps are all part of that picture. And you've clearly outlined that you feel that Coote Hill absolutely fits that criteria. Unfortunately, there may be plenty of other places that fit that criteria. So it's really important that the next application deals with in particular those particular... I hope you're right, Senator. And I suppose just to say, while there is no additional funding available for this year, the Minister intends to continue to pursue the expansion of the programme through the budgetary process in line with the programme for Government. And if successful in securing funds for future expansion of the Family Resource Centre programme, a new call for applications will be launched to ensure all existing and newly interested locations can apply. And I understand that Tusla over the coming months will be in contact with organisations whose applications were unsuccessful as part of this call. And that Tusla intends to engage with any parties interested in applying for potential future open calls for applications. So I would encourage you both to ask them to engage with Tusla on this matter.