Richard Boyd Barrett: Playground supervision cut will harm children

Minister, the playground in question is in an area where very few people have front or back gardens. They're old terraced council houses. It's an area where there's a desk school, so it's a pocket of disadvantage in Dun Leary. A lot of the kids who go there between the ages of about three and four up to the ages of about 13 or so are kids who frankly wouldn't go to the other open playgrounds. There's quite a lot of kids with special needs, so this is a community amenity and facility which caters for kids with special needs, people in an area of disadvantage, and it's not unique to have such a thing. I talked to Bernardos, for example, who run one in Waterford City. So this is a good thing. It works, and it's a glue for the community. Very, very good for kids. You know, we often talk about early intervention. This is a form of early intervention, and indeed the people who are in there are trained. They have FETAC qualifications, okay? So to remove the supervision will be retrograde, and a lot of the kids that go there will not return to us if there's any supervision. Minister, your response? Well, thank you, Deputy. We have been directly in contact with Dublin, Dun Leary, ETB, and the Development Officer for Youth and Sports there. And what the information I have in the email back is that the supervision was never for the children. It was for the play equipment. Well, I accept that you're stating that, but I have information directly back from your ETB that says otherwise. So, I mean, that's what I have. Of course. And furthermore, you know, let's see. I imagine I've been able to... Exactly. So, if you are arguing to me that there are currently people there, is that what you're saying? That who are supervising the children? Well, that's not the information that I have. And please tell me who should I ask, if not the Sports Development Officer for Youth and Sports? Sure. Their names are Pauline and Jill. They've worked there for more than a decade. Probably in Pauline's case, about 20 years. And a lot of the kids who now go there just won't go there anymore if the supervision is removed. There's some agenda operating. I think somebody else wants the building that they partly use, to be honest. I think that's what's going on. And I think that's very wrong and retrograde. The fact that CrossCare run it and employ them, and before that CYS ran it, right, indicates, doesn't it, that there's a childcare component to it. So, why else would they have employed them for the last 10 years? Now, CrossCare saying, oh, the kids are too young for us, we deal with teenagers. Well, actually, it caters for kids between the ages of three and about 14, right? So, it's retrograde the CrossCare pulling out. I'm disappointed with them. It's retrograde that the council seem to think, oh, let's get rid of something when it really works, right? And these kids, you know, this is an area where the community and the area will, and the kids in it, will suffer consequences if the supervision is removed. So, I'm asking for some proactive intervention with the council, with CrossCare, whoever we can, not to lose this really good facility that works for the community. Thank you, Deputy. Minister, your final reply? The ETB, or the ETB, indeed. Well, I suppose, Deputy, I can completely understand that you want the children to go to the playground. And if it's worked in the past, of course, it would be fantastic that that continues. The second point I say, sorry, what were their names? Paul? Pauline and Jill. Pauline and Jill? Yeah. Okay, all right. You're saying, are currently supervising the children, as distinct from the information I have, is that there's some supervision going on of the play equipment. Okay. So, I mean, all I can do is, I can go back, we can go back and communicate that to the Development Officer for Youth and Sports, that you're claiming something different there. I can ask CrossCare these questions as well, but I can also then say to you is that, you know, it seems to be, in terms of the County Council, this is raised in that context as well, and to say, why is this happening? But I've tried to answer as best I can with the information that I do have. And I agree with you, we need to support our young people. Thank you, Minister. Moving on to question number 57, the name of Deputy Adam Rabat, 30 seconds to introduce Deputy. All right. And to ask Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, whether she has considered reviewing the system through which youth groups and services can access public funding? My department administers a range of funding schemes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country, including those from disadvantaged communities. Both the targeted and the universal youth funding allocations for 2020 for organizations and services are currently being finalized within my department. These schemes, especially the targeted, have been subjected to very significant review and reform. I'm closely working with, or I'm working currently closely with the officials in my department to complete the final phase of preparation of the new targeted youth funding scheme, which will be launched before Christmas. I believe that this new scheme will be highly beneficial to the most vulnerable groups in society. The scheme is designed to support young people who are marginalized or disadvantaged or vulnerable, and aims to provide services which support young people to develop the personal and social skills required to improve their life chances. The design of the scheme has been the subject of considerable collaboration with the youth sector. The experienced gain in reforming the targeted youth funding schemes will also assist us in reviewing the funding scheme for universal services. And in that regard, my department plans to commence a review of the youth services grant scheme next year. That scheme makes funding available on an annual basis to 30 national and major regional youth organizations. In 2019, I provided an additional 2.5 percent in funding to the scheme, bringing the total allocation to over 11 million euros. The review of this scheme will aim to enhance accountability, transparency, outcome measurement. It will also seek to ensure that the scheme responds as effectively as possible to the ever-evolving needs of young people. And my department, of course, is committed to consultation with the youth sector in relation to this review. We have a professional, constructive, working relationship with national youth organizations, which my department works hard to maintain. And I most recently met with the national youth organizations on the 2nd of December of this year. Thank you.