2969. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to support family resource centres in responding to increasing demand for their services; whether additional family resource centres are planned in areas currently without one; the assessment undertaken of the need for a family resource centre in Dungarvan and west Waterford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58151/26]

In Budget 2026 I successfully secured the largest increase in funding for the Family Resource Centre network in eight years. This additional funding allowed me to honour the current Programme for Government commitment to work to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of Family Resource Centres.

In this context funding was secured to provide for an increase in minimum core funding to a new base level of €180,000, up from the previous base level of €160,000. This benefitted a significant number of Family Resource Centre Programme members.

Since becoming Minister I also secured funding for the largest expansion of Family Resource Centres in eight years. Membership has grown from 126 members to 136 members, an increase in ten members. This followed the 2025 expansion from 121 members to 126 members. Recent increases in FRC Programme membership have been very welcome developments for an additional fifteen communities in need of the comprehensive range of services offered by Family Resource Centres.

Tusla continues to invest in counselling and therapeutic supports, and recognises that Family Resource Centres are able to reach clients who, in many cases, would not be able to access such services. These services are delivered at low to no-cost to recipients. These supports have a strong focus on early intervention, affordability, and a holistic approach to mental health and well-being for all ages. I was pleased that over the last number of years the Department secured additional funding for family support services counselling providers around the country, many of which were Family Resource Centres.

Clinical and Therapeutic Lead posts were established by Tusla in 2024 in a number of FRCs around the country, to ensure that there is a Clinical and Therapeutic Lead in all six Tusla regions. I understand that this initiative is working very well in the context of clinical leadership, development of quality services and monitoring of clinical practice and governance standards.

I wish to reiterate my support for the work of the Family Resource Centre Programme members, having witnessed first-hand the benefits that the centres bring to their communities. I acknowledge the increasing demands on their services. I have previously indicated that in the next series of Budget negotiations I will have a mind to the Family Resource Centre Programme and any measures that can be put in place to further support the Programme and the valuable work that it does. This is with a view to building on recent achievements related to core funding and Programme expansion.

It is important to note that the Family Resource Centre Programme is a community development programme that is financially supported by many State agencies in a partnership approach. Centres may draw on various sources of funding provided by other Government Departments, State agencies and private sources. This approach allows centres to further embed themselves in their communities by meeting the specific needs identified within those communities. This is a flexibility that all FRCs are encouraged to leverage, to reflect the diverse range of potential funders for services an FRC may provide, beyond services to children and families.

I will continue to pursue the expansion of the FRC Programme through the budgetary process and in line with the Programme for Government commitment to work to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of Family Resource Centres. Improvements to core funding for Family Resource Centres will also remain under consideration as part of the negotiations for Budget 2027.

The most recent expansion of the Family Resource Centre Programme followed a comprehensive national application and assessment process undertaken in 2025, which was led by Tusla and independently chaired by a representative of the University of Limerick. All applications were reviewed and scored against the clearly defined and published criteria, including population need, level of deprivation, child population data, existing service provision and existing service gaps. Decisions on the successful services were made by the assessment panel. This process was outlined in the Tusla outcome letters that issued to all applicants

If successful in securing funds for future expansion of the FRC Programme, a new call for applications will be launched to ensure all existing and newly interested locations can apply. I understand that Tusla has been in contact with organisations whose applications were unsuccessful as part of the most recent call, and that Tusla intends to engage with any parties that express an interest in applying for any potential future open calls for applications.