disbursement of moneys from the investment and

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Disbursement of Moneys from the Investment and Disbursements Accounts

Dormant Accounts Fund

Annual Report 2017

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Disbursement of Moneys from the Investment and Disbursements Accounts Dormant Accounts Fund

Annual Report 2017

1. Background

The Dormant Accounts Acts 2001-2012, together with the Unclaimed Life Assurance Policies Act 2003, provide a framework for the administration of unclaimed accounts in credit institutions (i.e. banks, building societies and An Post) and unclaimed life assurance policies in insurance undertakings.

The main purpose of the legislation is to reunite account or policy holders with their funds in credit institutions or insurance undertakings and in this regard, these bodies are required to take steps to identify and contact the owners of dormant accounts and unclaimed life assurance policies.

However, in order to utilise the unused funds in dormant accounts and unclaimed policies to best use, the legislation also introduced a scheme for the disbursement of funds that are unlikely to be reclaimed from dormant accounts and unclaimed policies for the purposes of measures to assist:

1. the personal and social development of persons who are economically or socially disadvantaged;

2. the educational development of persons who are educationally disadvantaged; or,

3. persons with a disability.

The Dormant Accounts Acts set out a statutory framework governing how measures to assist the above groups should be formulated and implemented.

2. Statutory Framework for Dormant Accounts Funding

Under Dormant Accounts legislation, Disbursement Schemes are drawn up at least every 3 years which outline the types of projects and programmes which should be funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund.

The overall objective of a Disbursement Scheme is to ensure that dormant accounts funds are spent in a manner that optimises their effectiveness and assists the personal, educational and social development of persons who are economically, educationally or socially disadvantaged or persons with a disability, as prescribed in the Dormant Accounts Acts.

The Dormant Accounts Acts also require that the Minister for Rural and Community Development produces an annual Dormant Accounts Action Plan, which contains details of the measures put forward by Government Departments to aid the aforementioned groups. The measures put forward in Action Plans must be in accordance with the principles and objectives set out in the Disbursement Scheme.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development is then tasked with reporting (also on an annual basis) on the rollout by all Departments of the measures funded from the Dormant Accounts Fund during the preceding year. The Minister may also set out other matters relating to the operation and administration of Dormant Accounts funding as part of his annual report.

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3. Annual Report 2017

The measures to assist disadvantaged groups and the disabled which were funded from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017 were allocated specific blocks of funding in the annual Action Plans of 2014, 2016 and 2017 and were governed by the principles and objectives set out in the Disbursement Schemes of 2013-2016 and 2017-2019. These documents can be viewed on the website of the Department of Rural and Community Development, www.drcd.gov.ie.

Section 5 of this Annual Report provides details of the measures implemented by Government Departments which benefitted from Dormant Accounts funding in 2017, as well as the amount of funding drawn down from the Fund which enabled them to take place. Appendix I provides further details of the measures which benefitted from Dormant Accounts funding in 2017.

4. Review of the Administration of the Dormant Accounts Fund and Decommittal of Funding

Following the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Accounts for the Public Service 2016 (Chapter 7 of which dealt with the operation of the Dormant Accounts Fund) a review of the administration of the Fund was initiated by the Department of Rural and Community Development in 2018.

The Department of Rural and Community Development has consulted with other Departments and agencies as part of this ongoing review and has been able to identify a number of actions which should be taken to improve the administration of the Dormant Accounts Fund.

In that regard, following consultations with other Departments, the Department of Rural and Community Development has identified a number of measures in previous Dormant Accounts Action Plans for which funding has been identified as surplus to requirements, following the full completion of measures. In addition, there are other measures which are not proceeding or which have been rolled into or superceded by new measures. All of the aforementioned funding can therefore be decommitted from the Dormant Accounts Fund and freed up for new measures.

Section 6 of this Annual Report sets out details of the funding which is being returned to the Fund.

5. Measures which benefitted from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017.

Total expenditure on Dormant Accounts measures during 2017 amounted to almost €15.8m across a number of Government Departments:

No. Government

Department/Agency Measure

Expenditure disbursed from DAF

during 2017

1 Department of Rural and Community Development

Disadvantaged Youth Employment Initiative1

€38,600

1 Responsibility for this measure was transferred from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to the Department of Rural and Community Development in July 2017

http://www.drcd.gov.ie/

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Social Innovation Fund Ireland2 €2,081,112


Social Enterprise3

€1,632,020

4 Department of Justice and Equality/Irish Prison Service

Community Based Health and First Aid in Irish Prisons

€200,000

5 Department of Justice and Equality

Victims of Trafficking and Persons/Groups at Risk of Human

Trafficking

€78,061


Support Services for Victims of Crime

€120,000


Awareness-raising of Domestic and Sexual Violence

€130,000


Midlands Traveller Conflict Mediation Initiative

€126,497


Pre-Activation Supports for Female Refugees and the Female Family

Members of Refugees

€485,226


Garda Youth Diversion Projects

€1,182,505


Additional Youth Justice Workers €793,975


Mentoring Programme €460,020


Additional Intervention Training for Youth Justice

€60,000


Expansion of the Youth Work Initiative in the HSE Mid-West Area

(Janus Justice Limerick)

€210,000


FETAC QQI Co-Ordinator for Midlands Regional Youth Service

€39,040


Capital Funding for Garda Youth Diversion Projects

€513,235


Expansion of the Garda Youth Diversion Project service by Cloyne

Diocesan Youth Service

€70,000

18 Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Sports Measures

€4,550,810

2 Responsibility for this measure was transferred from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to the Department of Rural and Community Development in July 2017

3 Responsibility for this measure was transferred from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to the Department of Rural and Community Development in July 2017

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19 Department of Education and Skills 4

Arts in Education Initiative

€162,262

20 Department of Education and Skills

Young Social Innovators €25,000


The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship

€221,771


Integration of Newcomer Students €100,000

23 Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Life after Caring Transitional Supports and Training and Support

Services for Carers

€526,625

24 Department of Health5 Mobile Health Screening Unit €444,890

25 Department of Health Supports for People with Dementia €241,833

26 Department of Health Intercultural Health Project for Refugees

€197,000

27 Department of Children and Youth Affairs6

Youth Programmes €774,933

28 Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Localise Service Skills for Life Programme

€100,000


Quality and Capacity Building Initiative

€190,070


Youth Employability Initiative €33,290

Total €15,788,7757

4 Funds are claimed from the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) only after expenditure has been incurred on programmes identified in Dormant Accounts Action Plans and any refunds that are received in a particular year are offset against the total Dormant Accounts funds to be recouped from the NTMA in that year. In that regard, the Department of Education and Skills disbursed €509,033 on Dormant Accounts measures in 2017 (€25,000 for Young Social Innovators, €221,771 for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, €162,262 for the Arts in Education Initiative and €100,000 for Integration of Newcomer Students) and received a refund of €2,000, resulting in a net recoupment of €507,033 from the NTMA that year. 5 See footnote above for context. The Department of Health disbursed €883,723 on Dormant Accounts measures in 2017 (€241,833 on Supports for People with Dementia, €197,000 for the Intercultural Health Project for Refugees and €444,890 for the Mobile Health Screening Unit. However, a refund of €119,038 was returned to the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017 by the Health Service Executive, resulting in a net recoupment of €764,685 from the NTMA that year. 6 See footnote 4 for context. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs disbursed €1,098,293 on Dormant Accounts measures in 2017 (€774,933 for Youth Programmes, €100,000 for the Localise Service Skills for Life Programme, €190,070 for the Quality and Capacity Building Initiative and €33,290 for the Youth Employability Initiative and received a refund of €15,000, resulting in a net recoupment of €1,083,293 from the NTMA that year. 7 See footnotes 4, 5 and 6. The total drawdown figure of €15,788,775 above details the total amount spent by Departments on Dormant Accounts measures in 2017. However, the actual amount drawn down from the Fund in 2017 was €15,652,737. This takes account of the various refunds and returns to the Fund by Departments detailed in footnotes 4, 5 and 6, which totalled €136,038.

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Further details in respect of each expenditure item are set out in Appendix I. Administration Costs The Dormant Accounts Acts also provide that the cost of engaging service providers to administer the application process may be met from the Dormant Accounts Fund, while normal administration costs incurred by relevant Departments will be made from existing budgets. In 2017, Pobal8 (a not-for-profit company now under the aegis of the Department of Rural and Community Development) was responsible for the management and administration of eight Dormant Accounts Fund measures (under the 2014 Action Plan) and three Dormant Accounts Fund measures (under the 2016 Action Plan), on behalf of four Government Departments. Pobal’s role included the delivery of an application, appraisal and contracting service, beneficiary support events, contract and performance management and audit and verification services. In 2017, an administration fee of €425,500 was paid to Pobal by the Department of Rural and Community Development on foot of the administrative work undertaken on its behalf and that of other Departments, this forms part of a service agreement that was signed in 2014 and updated in 2016.

6. Funding Decommitted from the Dormant Accounts Fund The following table provides details of funding which is being decommitted from the Dormant Accounts Fund and freed up for new measures in forthcoming Dormant Accounts Action Plans.

The process of decommitting funding has been undertaken in instances where funding has been identified as surplus to requirements following the full completion of measures. This is a common occurance as measures included in Action Plans are provided with maximum allocations for the completion of the measure and generally full allocations are not availed of. In addition, there are other measures which are not proceeding or which have been rolled into or superceded by new measures. All of the aforementioned funding can therefore be decommitted from the Dormant Accounts Fund and freed up for new measures.

The full range of measures being undertaken by Government Departments with the aid of Dormant Accounts funding will be set out in the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2018.

8 www.pobal.ie – Pobal manages a number of programmes on behalf of the Government and the EU.

http://www.pobal.ie/

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Lead Department/Agency Decommitted

Funding Description

Action Plan(s) the Measure was

originally included in

Reason(s) Dormant Accounts Funding (DAF) being decommitted

Department of Rural and Community Development

€4,702,830 Gateway Initiative9 2016 and 2017 Programme currently being wound down

€2,515,900 Disadvantaged Youth Employment Initiative10 2014, 2016 and

2017 Programme currently under review and will not require the funding at this time

€82,306 Social Enterprise 2014 and 2016

The objectives of the measure were achieved within budget when it was run in 2015 and 2017 – the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

€28,000 Implementation of new PPN Structures across Local Government

2014 The objectives of this measure were achieved within budget; the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

Department of Justice and Equality

€20,775 Addressing the Social, Economic and Educational Disadvantages of Victims of Trafficking and Persons/Groups at Risk of Trafficking

2014 DAF funding remains in place to continue this programme – the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

€181,328 Support Services to Immigrants to Access Employment

2014 and 2016

The objectives of this measure were achieved within budget when it was run in 2016 – the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

9 Responsibility for this measure was transferred from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to the Department of Rural and Community

Development in July 2017

10 Responsibility for this measure was transferred from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to the Department of Rural and Community

Development in July 2017

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Funding Description




€975 Community-Based Health and First Aid in Prisons 2014 and 2016 The objectives of this programme were achieved within budget; the amount shown was surplus to

requirements and not drawn down

€918,393 Establishment of Mentoring Programme 2014

This programme was established and DAF funding remains in place to continue it – the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

€233,500 Expansion of the Youth Work Initiative in the HSE Mid-West Area

2014 This programme is underway and is currently being funded by DAF – the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

€27,887 Additional Intervention Training for Youth Justice Workers

2014 This programme is underway and is currently being funded by DAF – the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

€98,570 Emergency Support Services Training towards Pathways to Employment for Disadvantaged Young People

2014 and 2016 The objectives of this programme were achieved within budget; the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

€93,422 Training and Support for Carers 2014

The objectives of this programme were achieved within budget and it will be run again in 2018 – the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

€29,000 Big Brother Big Sister 2014 This programme is underway and is currently being funded by DAF – the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

€86,966 Development of a Phone App for Young People in State Care

2014 This programme is being finalised in 2018 – the amount shown is surplus to requirements and is not being drawn down

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Funding Description




€6,470 Aftercare Information Packs for Young Persons 2014 This programme is being completed with DAF funding – the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

€6,352,000 Area-Based Childhood Programme 2014

This programme’s successor, the Quality and Capacity Building Initiative, is now well underway and is being supported by equivalent funding from the DAF – the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

Department of Health

€125,294 Local Area Co-ordination Initiatives 2014 The objectives of this programme were achieved within budget; the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

€384,838 Substance misuse/prevention: Development of Drug and Alcohol Awareness Campaigns

2014 The objectives of this programme were achieved within budget; the amount shown was surplus to requirements and not drawn down

€325,550 Advanced Best Practice in Meeting HIQA Disability Standards


€127,339 Person-Centred Innovations in the Delivery of Non-Centre Based Respite Services


€90,000 Dementia Friendly Community Groups 2017

This measure is being replaced by a new proposed measure in the 2018 Action Plan. The amount shown is surplus to requirements and is not being drawn down

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Funding Description




€40,000

‘Pathways to Participation’ Mapping Project to develop a cross-departmental report to highlight the participation programmes currently run or funded by public sector agencies

2017

This measure is being replaced by new proposals in the 2018 Action Plan. The amount shown is surplus to requirements and is not being drawn down

€49,048 Community Based Models of Support for People with Dementia

2016 This funding was intended for an evaluation which has already been completed. Therefore, the amount shown is surplus to requirements and is not being drawn down

Total Decommitted Funding € 16,520,392

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Appendix I

Further Information on Measures Funded from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017

Department of Rural and Community Development

1. Disadvantaged Youth Employment Initiative

The aim of the Disadvantaged Youth Employment initiative under the Dormant Accounts Fund is to target the most disadvantaged young people who tend not to avail of mainstream supports and are most distant from the labour market or the education system. This measure was to focus on vulnerable youth by providing more intensive engagement and supports to those most marginalised or disadvantaged or within “NEET” youth (i.e. a young person who is “Not in Education, Employment or Training”).

Funding was made available from DAF to deliver supports for young people who are disadvantaged or at risk of disadvantage, to help them participate and succeed in education and training, thereby improving their employability and reducing long term dependency on welfare.

€38,600 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017 for this measure.

2. Social Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI)

The Social Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI) was established in 2013 following recommendations of a 2012 report of the Forum on Philanthropy and Fundraising. Its mission is to provide growth capital to Ireland’s best social innovations, investing in solutions to social problems in this country and creating jobs.

As a partnership between the private sector and Government, provision was made for SIFI to receive €5m in total from the Dormant Accounts Fund over the period 2014 to 2017 to support its set up and development. The partnership was based on a 50:50 matched funding arrangement with funding from private philanthropic sources.

In 2017, this measure was supported with funding of €2,081,112 from the Dormant Accounts Fund to develop the following programmes:

ANIMATE programme 2015-2016. Ireland’s first Non-Profit Accelerator involved the selection of 4 early stage social innovations. The second element of this programme has a specific focus on community health.

THINKTECH was launched in June 2016. This is Ireland’s first TechforGood Fund.

ENGAGE AND EDUCATE FUND is open to projects that empower people through education, to achieve their full potential and to contribute to community.

EDUCATION FUND is open to all projects that are focused on improving educational outcomes (QQI level 6 or higher) for those experiencing educational disadvantage.

RESILIENT COMMUNITIES FUND with a focus on rural communities to find and back innovative projects that strengthen community resilience and have an economic, social and environmental impact.

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SOCIAL ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT FUND. This €1.6m Fund will be available over 2 years and will provide a capacity building programme for social enterprises in rural and urban areas.

3. Social Enterprise

In February 2017, under the umbrella of the Dormant Accounts Fund, the then Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs announced a competitive call for proposals from social enterprises that provide services to, or employment opportunities for, disadvantaged people, particularly in rural areas. The aim of the Social Enterprise measure was to increase the impact of social enterprises by enhancing their capacity to delivery services and generate traded income through the provision of small capital grants and capacity support funding. Following the completion of the application and assessment process, 42 social enterprise projects located across the country were allocated funding. Amongst the projects supported was the creation of an enterprise and exhibition centre in Inishowen, the provision of a refrigerated van for the Foodbank service in Co. Kerry, the purchase of specialised therapy equipment by Sensational Kids for a new centre in Munster, the conversion and redevelopment of enterprise centre workspace in Co. Leitrim and the installation of a greenhouse in GIY Ireland in Co. Waterford. Funding of €1,632,020 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017 for this measure.

Department of Justice and Equality Measures and the Irish Prison Service

4. Community Based Health and First Aid in Prisons – Irish Red Cross Project with the Irish Prison Service

This programme operates under a partnership of the Irish Red Cross (IRC), the Irish Prison Service (IPS) and Education & Training Boards. It is operated by IPS and IRC Programme Managers in liaison with the Care and Rehabilitation Directorate of the IPS.

Community based health and well-being projects, including violence reduction, overdose prevention and mental well-being have been developed and implemented by inmate special status Irish Red Cross volunteers. The volunteers, with the support of staff, work on a peer to peer basis raising awareness and implementing projects aimed at improving the overall health and wellbeing of prisoners in their community. Significant work has been undertaken on overdose prevention and violence prevention. In addition, conflict awareness workshops amongst traveller communities have also been carried out in Castlerea prison, which has a high proportion of the traveller community as inmates.

The CBHFA Programme is continuing to develop and improve existing services by way of the following:

Reflecting the priorities in health as defined by WHO, WHO HIPP such as non-communicable diseases (NCD), Overdose Prevention and the reduction of violence in prisons.

Contributing to higher numbers of prisoners receiving Viral screening through advocacy and working with relevant clinical teams.

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Contributing to care of the elderly in specific prisons by encouraging independent living.

Contributing to the development of a prison service-wide module in mental health well-being for prisoners in collaboration with Psychology and IPS Care & Rehabilitation Directorate.

In partnership with the Probation Service, developing the ‘prison to community’ phase of CBHFA in Prisons, providing the opportunity for IRC inmate volunteers to have a Red Cross function post prison that takes peer to peer education into at risk communities in wider society to contribute to recidivism and prison prevention.

Developing the Traveller prisoner to community initiative.

Developing cross border collaboration with the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the British Red Cross (Northern Ireland).

Funding of €200,000 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017 to support this measure.

5. Victims of Trafficking and Persons/Groups at Risk of Human Trafficking

In accordance with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit’s strategy to prevent and combat the trafficking of human beings in Ireland and to protect victims, funding was sought from the Dormant Accounts Fund for measures to address the needs of victims or persons vulnerable to human trafficking. In total, €78,061 of Dormant Accounts funding was used to support measures taken by the unit to help address these needs, most notably through support for:

Ruhama – Ruhama is a Dublin-based NGO which works on a national level with women affected by prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. Ruhama is implementing a Development Programme which supported participants to explore career options, to develop practical skills, to provide assistance with reducing stress and anxiety, motivation and confidence building and computer skills. This novel initiative aims to raise awareness of the supports available to Romanian women experiencing, or vulnerable to, sex trafficking in Ireland. Ruhama is engaging in awareness raising activities with the expatriate Romanian community in Ireland and through targeted online ads to try to reach out to vulnerable Romanian women and make them aware of the services that are available to them on a free and confidential basis. Specific awareness raising material will be developed and circulated through different channels (including the Romanian Embassy) for display and issuing to persons who may be affected by prostitution and trafficked or at risk of trafficking. Targeted online ads in Romanian will also be developed.

Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) - Funding enabled MRCI to support migrant fishermen in accessing their rights, through the provision of information, advocacy, legal, immigration and employment supports. MRCI is the lead organisation in Ireland dealing with migrants trafficked for labour exploitation (TLE). This project aims to develop an innovative model of engagement and training with eight to ten migrant leaders enabling them to mobilise 250 - 300 migrant workers across the country to combat TLE and encourage their involvement in MRCI’s action groups. This will be achieved through supporting the leaders to deliver strategic outreach supports to migrant workers in precarious sectors of the labour market such as domestic, care, fisheries, restaurants, car washes and farm work; sectors where there is a high risk of TLE. The project will document and share key learnings with 60 stakeholders that will expand knowledge and methodologies on how to reach increasing numbers of migrant workers at risk of TLE.

6. Support Services for Victims of Crime

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€120,000 in funding was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund to support this measure.

This comprised funding to support two separate initiatives:

€45,000 was provided for the Victim Support at Court organisation; and

€75,000 was provided for the National Crime Victims Helpline.

Victim Support at Court

Specialist services to provide court accompaniment for victims of crime and/or their families or witnesses are currently provided by the Victim Support at Court (VSAC) organisation with core funding provided by the Victims of Crime Office at the Department of Justice and Equality.

The service provided by VSAC includes the provision of information on the court setting and can include an opportunity for victims to visit the court before hearings in pre-trial visits and to learn more about court procedures. Victims and their families are also assisted during their time at court by trained volunteers who support them during the court process. VSAC also look to facilitate victims’ attendance at court by making available to them a private area away from the general public areas during the court process.

To date, VSAC have been providing the court accompaniment service predominantly in the Central Criminal Court, Circuit Criminal and District Metropolitan Courts in Dublin and at a number of District Courts across the country.

In addition to the ongoing core funding being provided to the service, Dormant Accounts funding of €45,000 was provided in order to enable the further expansion of the Victim Support at Court service across the courts service nationwide. This is in response to an increasing demand for this type of service which is expected to grow further upon the enactment of the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act, 2017 in November 2017. This measure is establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime on a legislative basis in Ireland.

The expansion of the Victim Support at Court service to date has involved the recruitment and training of additional volunteers by the organisation with victims cases now being supported by VSAC outside of the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin including in the following areas, Blanchardstown, Bray, Dundalk, Balbriggan, Kilkenny, Letterkenny and Waterford,

National Crime Victims Helpline (CVH)

A confidential national helpline service (Crime Victims Helpline at 116 006) is in place which provides information and support to victims of crime and people impacted by crime. See http://crimevictimshelpline.ie/. The Helpline, which was established in 2005, provides services by phone, e-mail and text support and the organisation plays a strategic role in the State’s overall response in supporting victims of crime.

The funding of €75,000 which was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017 to support this measure was used to deliver a major promotional campaign, which included a targeted cinema campaign, a social media campaign, other media advertising and the distribution of brochures across the post office network.

CVH reported that on foot of this campaign the Helpline has continued to experience a significant increase (over 25% in 2016/2017) in the number of contacts from people seeking information and support. The increased volume of calls has also led the Helpline to expand its

http://crimevictimshelpline.ie/

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number of phone lines and it expects to have a further increased level of service provision in 2018.

7. Awareness Raising of Domestic and Sexual Violence

€130,000 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund to support this measure.

This funding was used in 2017 to further support the localisation strand of the Government’s ongoing high profile national awareness “What would you do?” campaign on domestic and sexual violence. In practice, the funding has been made available to augment and enhance the reach of the national campaign at local and grassroots levels. The overall aim of the campaign is to increase the awareness of society of domestic and sexual violence, to bring about a change in long established societal behaviours and attitudes and to activate bystanders with the aim of decreasing and preventing this violence.

In particular, Dormant Accounts funding of €130,000 was utilised in 2017 in ensuring the delivery of our national message at a local level, embedding the campaign message in towns and communities throughout Ireland. In order to achieve this objective Cosc, facilitated by PHD, developed an ‘always on’ partnership with Media Central, a hub of 7 regional radio stations, and IRS+, a grouping of 15 local stations, which delivered a combined reach of 2.4 million adults each week or 64% of the adult population of Ireland throughout 2017.

The stations worked closely with people in the domestic violence sector by giving them time on air to discuss their work. The stations ran radio ads and social media posts highlighting an agreed monthly issue and had a dedicated section on their website offering information. Radio stations covered a different theme each month on the various forms of domestic violence with briefing provided by Cosc. This activity elicited over 2 million engagements (views of social content, likes, comments, calls into the stations). The initiative elicited huge reaction from the public, sharing their own experiences with abuse. The media partnership meant that the stations were equipped to help put local victims of in touch with their relevant services.

PHD (the campaign media agency) along with Media Central and IRS+ won a bronze media award on 5 April at the Media Awards 2018 in the category of 'Best collaboration between Agency and Media Owner - Radio' for the "What would you do?" domestic violence awareness raising campaign's radio localisation initiative.

8. Midlands Traveller Conflict Mediation Initiative

The Midlands Traveller Conflict Mediation Initiative (MTCMI) seeks to reduce feuding within the Traveller community and to provide conflict resolution support, working in partnership with agencies, Travellers and other relevant stakeholders, to establish a peace-building infrastructure, develop and consolidate respectful and peaceful engagements / relationships, and to prevent and transform destructive conflicts with and between Travellers, other stakeholders, and wider society.

It aims to train groups of adults from the Traveller Community to an accredited level and to equip participants with conflict intervention qualifications and competencies, with the resulting outcome of the elimination of feuding in their communities.

The aim of MTCMI is to continue to support significant numbers of participants through the programme and to continue to offer support in their subsequent efforts to bring the skills and experience they have gained from the programme back into their families, communities, and workplaces, thereby contributing to a peace-building culture.

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€126,497 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund to support this measure in 2017. This support helped deliver training and development and capacity-building work, peer mediation prison programmes and a traveller mediator panel.

9. Pre-Activation Supports for Female Refugees and the Female Family Members of Refugees

This measure provides inclusion and employability supports to vulnerable migrant women with a particular focus on International Protection/Refugees being resettled in communities across Ireland under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme.

Supports include inter-cultural and English language classes delivered locally and in Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres in which the majority of these women, who are seeking to be granted Refugee Status or International Protection, are temporarily accommodated following their arrival in Ireland. Other elements of the programme include labour market orientation and linking with local employers for selected participants, providing inclusion and employability supports not currently available to a hard-to-reach groups of vulnerable migrants.

The projects supported were:

- NASC – Irish Immigrant Support Centre - €54,906; - Irish Refugee Council - €76,560; - Cultúr Celebrating Diversity - €99,319; - Roscommon Integrated Development Company - €73,800; - SEDCo Social Enterprise Development Company - €53,110; - Westmeath Community Development - €74,491; and - Robert Emmet Community Development Project - €53,040.

In total, €485,226 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017 to support the delivery of projects in 2018.

10. Garda Youth Diversion Projects

Garda Youth Diversion Projects are local community based activities which aim to help children move away from behaviour that may lead into trouble with the law and help develop their sense of community and social skills.

The projects offer opportunities for education, employment training, sport, art, music and other activities. Most projects operate outside of school hours, however, in areas with a high proportion of early school-leavers, activities may also be planned during the daytime.

These projects seek to encourage a better quality of life for everyone in the community and to support good relations between the Gardaí and the community. Funding from DAF supports projects and provide additional supports to projects in the areas of need that they service.

€1,182,505 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund to support this measure in 2017.

11. Additional Youth Justice Workers

17 additional Youth Justice Workers (YJWs) where recruited to expand the reach of existing services across 15 existing projects including Lucan, Balbriggan, Carrigaline, Kilmainham, Nenagh, Rathkeale, Donnycarney, Naas, Athy and Raheny. The additional Youth Justice Workers allowed an additional 550 young people to engage with the projects.

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Funding of €793,975 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund to support this measure.

12. Mentoring Programme

A significant number of young people are without a stable and supportive adult in the home. In some cases the only positive relationship the young person has with an adult is with the Youth Justice Workers. Youth Crime Policy and Programme Division has continued to support the roll out of a mentoring programme to all projects nationally whereby suitable adults can be matched with project participants. There are a number of successful evidence based programmes operated by community organisations which provide significant one to one supports for young people. The mentoring service is available to participants in Garda Youth Diversion Projects and to young people coming to the attention of Juvenile Liaison Officers who may not be in or have access to a Garda Youth Diversion Project.

In 2017 the projects recruited a number of full time staff to run the mentoring projects. The projects also began recruiting volunteers to mentor the young people. A huge level of interest has been shown by adults wishing to participate in the programmes with over 915 enquires made about the programmes and over 130 of these formally applying to be mentors. In 2017 the programmes accepted over 81 young people, with this number expected to rise to 150 in 2018.


13. Additional Intervention Training for Youth Justice

Each participant in a Garda Youth Diversion Project is risk assessed through a licensed risk assessment tool currently in use across the projects. The tool, entitled the Youth Level Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI), is designed to identify each young person’s individual risks and to enable the project to design interventions that provide the best possible outcome for the participant. The YLS/CMI identifies a number of issues which research has shown to be directly linked with increased risk of offending or reoffending. These include a young person’s history of antisocial or criminal behaviour, negative peers, substance use, behaviour problems, family issues (such as poor parental supervision) and problems with school engagement.

In 2017 our best practice team continued to support and train new and existing Youth Justice Workers in the use of YLS/CMI and help them keep up to date with current best practices and standards.


14. Expansion of the Youth Work Initiative in the HSE Mid-West Area (Janus Justice Limerick)

Dormant Accounts funding allowed the expansion of the Limerick City youth work team to work towards engaging hard to reach young people referred from the National Education Welfare Board, the Young Persons Probation Service and the HSE. This cross-agency initiative has enabled Extern (the service provider) to expand the service within the existing infrastructure and to enable them to reach over 25 new young people in 2017.


15. FETAC QQI Co-Ordinator for Midlands Regional Youth Service

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The Midlands Regional Youth Service improved and enhanced their existing youth work provision in the Midlands and continued to develop its innovative and needs based model of youth work practice that is youth centred, integrated and professionally delivered in line with National Quality Standards Framework and the Five National Outcomes for Children & Young People.

The Midlands Regional Youth Service also continued to deliver a FETAC QQI quality assured bespoke programme that is offered to the ‘most at risk’ young people within their four catchment areas of Athlone, Mullingar, Tullamore, and Edenderry. Training provision continued to be offered to young people in areas that ensured their acquisition of a broad education that will increase their employability through the provision of certified courses in areas where the labour market has vacancies. It also provided participants with the necessary confidence, social skills and inter-personal abilities to demonstrate their merit to their community and future employers. In 2017, 50 young people where engaged in the Fetac QQI programme.


16. Capital Funding for Garda Youth Diversion Projects

Support was provided for:

- Moyross Redevelopment Project - €456,879

Moyross Development Company (MDC), on behalf of the Department, manages a property located at Units 3-7, Moyross Enterprise Centre, and Moyross. MDC operates two Youth Justice Projects on this site – Céim ar Chéim, a Young Persons Probation Community Project and CCYDG, a Garda Youth Diversion Project. The property was purchased by the Department in 2008 to provide a long term base for the projects. The projects deliver community-based youth diversion and probation programmes to a substantial number of young people in the Moyross area who have been involved with or are at risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system.

A 2014 health and safety audit report of the building identified serious and urgent concerns for the current occupiers/users of the building. The report highlighted the need for an urgent internal fire safety upgrade and a roof upgrade/refurbishment to make the property safe and fit for purpose for users.

Dormant Accounts Funding of €456,879 supported the refurbishment of the building to ensure that it is safe for its users and allows services to continue serving the community in an area of relatively high youth crime.

- Cabra GYDP Community Garden - €13,356

Community Garden Project, developed by Cabra for Youth Ltd., was established to promote social inclusion and integration through the development of the skills in this area.

- Swan GYDP Minibus - €43,000

A community minibus was provided for the use by the SWAN Garda Youth Diversion Project, which is located in North inner-city Dublin.

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Total funding of €513,235 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund to support this measure.

17. Expansion of the Garda Youth Diversion Project (GYDP) service by Cloyne Diocesan Youth Service (CDYS)

Cloyne Mobile GYDP pilot project was launched by Minister of State David Stanton, T.D. in September 2017. The CDYS and Garda Síochána mobile Garda Youth Diversion service will allow Gardaí to refer at risk young people into to appropriately focused support.

This project is able to respond to a high level of need across a large geographical and often socially isolated area. It aims to expand the existing CDYS services to large parts of North and East County Cork. About 20 young people benefitted from this expansion in 2017.

A review of the operation of the mobile Garda Youth Diversion Project service in County Cork will be carried out and consideration will be given to whether this model of service delivery could be expanded to other areas.

€70,000 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund to support this measure in 2017.

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport 18. Sports Measures

In 2017, Dormant Accounts funding totalling €4,550,810 was disbursed to support the various sports measures detailed below:

- Community Sport and Physical Activity Hubs

A Community Sport and Physical Activity Hub (CSPAH) is a collective of progressive sports clubs and other local organisations working together to improve the sports and physical activities in their local community. Each hub has unique characteristics but all work in accordance with certain principles, namely, the need to grow participation, to engage with local communities, to promote community leadership, to offer a range of sporting opportunities and to bring all appropriate (key) partners / groups / people together. The hubs provide information, support and advice on a wide range of sports and physical activities, making it easier for people in disadvantaged areas to engage and get involved in a more active and healthier lifestyle. It responds to Action 41 of the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) which commits to ‘continue to support the Community Sport and Physical Activity Hubs in disadvantaged areas’. The beneficiaries approved in 2017 were within disadvantaged communities. 26 projects were supported targeting the personal and social development of persons who are economically or socially disadvantaged. These are led by the following LSPs: Rural Community Sports Hub - Cork, Cavan, Donegal, Longford, Mayo, Sligo; Urban Community Sports Hub - Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, Fingal, Galway, Meath; Rural School Sports Hub – Kerry; Urban Community – Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Mayo, Sligo, South Dublin; Rural Community - Laois, Offaly, Clare, Limerick; Urban School - South Dublin, Waterford ; Rural Outdoor - Cork, Donegal; Urban Outdoor – Tipperary.

- National Sport Education and Training Hub

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In line with the Government’s ‘Pathways to Work’ Policy, Sport Ireland seeks to empower individuals at local and national level by providing a clear education pathway for those interested in working in sports development. Its plan involves the delivery of a range of innovative programmes and projects under this measure. Activities in this area include training and capacity-building for job seekers in the sports sector (including job placements), youth leadership training with a focus on early school dropout in disadvantaged areas and dropout rates from sport, as well as implementing a 'train the trainers' programme aimed at engagement methods with young people in sport. Under the banners of Community Coaching Training and Education Programme for Jobseekers and Youth Leadership Award aimed at Transition Year Students/Youth Groups, a variety of projects across the country were supported in 2017. Projects are being coordinated by: Cavan LSP, Cork LSP, Donegal LSP, Kerry LSP, Kildare LSP, Laois LSP, Limerick LSP, Longford LSP, Mayo LSP, Meath LSP, Offaly LSP, Roscommon LSP, South Dublin LSP, Wexford LSP and Wicklow LSP. The Youth Leadership Award, which is aimed at Transition Year Students/Youth Groups, also took place under the guidance of Carlow LSP, Cavan LSP, Cork LSP, Donegal LSP, DLR LSP, Dublin City LSP, Fingal LSP, Galway LSP, Kildare LSP, Laois LSP, Leitrim LSP, Limerick LSP, Longford LSP, Louth LSP, Mayo LSP, Meath LSP, Monaghan LSP, Offaly LSP, Roscommon LSP, South Dublin LSP, Tipperary LSP, Waterford LSP, Wexford LSP. Other activities supported in 2017 included coaching children, Physical Literacy Initiatives and a support employment programme for qualified sports physical activity graduates who are jobseekers.

- Sports measures for disadvantaged communities to support the National Physical

Activity Plan (NPAP)

The NPAP was launched in January 2016 and includes actions across a range of sectors, including sport, to promote increased levels of physical activity. The overarching target of the NPAP is to increase the proportion of the population, across each life stage, undertaking regular physical activity by 1% per annum in the period up to 2020 and thereby generating health, economic and social benefits.

In 2017, a wide range of projects were approved throughout the country under various NPAP Actions. The main areas supported are summarised in the Table below:

Action 2017 Activity

NPAP Action Number 48: Develop Programmes to address transitions and drop out from physical activity and sport

24 projects were approved and are being led by the following NGBs: Mountaineering Ireland / Get Ireland Walking; Athletics Ireland; Cycling Ireland; Swim Ireland; Irish Rugby Football Union; Rowing Ireland; Special Olympics; Orienteering Ireland; Tennis Ireland; Triathlon Ireland; Vision Sports Ireland; Gymnastics Ireland; Hockey

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Ireland; Horse Sport Ireland; Badminton Ireland; Basketball Ireland; Football Association of Ireland; Gaelic Athletic Association; Irish Martial Arts Commission; Mountaineering Ireland; Ból Chumann na hEireann; Irish Athletic Boxing Association; Ladies Gaelic Football Association; Table Tennis Ireland

NPAP Action Number 50, Establish a

systematic, regular and long-term

national surveillance system to monitor

physical activity levels in each of the

target groups, including key

performance indicators aligned with

Healthy Ireland

Phase 3 of CARA Centre, Tralee, which aims to extend existing and developing programmes for physical activity for people with a disability and their families to enhance and deliver a comprehensive health and wellbeing programme.

NPAP Action Number 44: Implement and support participation programmes with a focus on disadvantaged communities

‘Get Garryowen Active’ programme coordinated by Limerick LSP.

NPAP Action Number 37: Explore

opportunities to maximise physical

activity and recreation amenities in the

natural environment

11 programmes run by Local Sports Partnerships (Tipperary LSP, Carlow LSP, Meath LSP, Laois LSP, Donegal LSP, Sligo LSP, Kilkenny LSP, Wexford LSP, Waterford LSP, Longford LSP, Leitrim LSP).

NPAP Action Number 44: Implement

and support participation programmes

with a focus on disadvantaged

communities

The North East Inner City Programme led by Dublin City Local Sports Partnership.

NPAP Action Number 49: Extend

existing and developing programmes

for physical activity for those with

special needs and their families to

enhance and deliver a comprehensive

health and wellbeing programme

Support was also provided to Special Olympics Ireland to maintain its programmes.

NPAP Action Number 48: Develop

programmes to address transitions and

drop out from physical activity and

sport

Sport Ireland’s ‘Empowering Women In Sport’ programme

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Department of Education and Skills

19. Arts in Education Initiative

The aim of the Arts in Education Initiative is to develop targeted literacy and numeracy strategies through the integration of the arts in education. This measure combines three initiatives to support oral, visual and numerical literacy.

• The Delivery of Teacher Artist Partnership CPD; • Mapping of Arts-in-Education integration activities; and • A Research Register for arts in education in Ireland. The Teacher Artist partnership CPD model, involving the delivery and evaluation of the Teacher-Artist Partnership CPD across 21 Teacher Education Centres, was implemented in full, providing 20 summer courses and 91 residencies attended by 329 teachers and delivering training to 87 artists across five art forms. Overall some 196 schools, including 23 DEIS schools, participated in the training. An evaluation of this initiative indicated significant learning outcomes in literacy and numeracy strategies through Arts education as well as improved teaching and leadership skills.

Work also commenced on the other two elements of the initiative with a technical enhancement to the Digital Mapping on the Arts in Education portal and some population of the Digital Map being completed in 2017. A steering group, representative of third level Institutions in Ireland involved in Arts in Education, was also formed in 2017 to progress work on the research register.

In 2017, funding of €162,262 was used to support this measure.

20. Young Social Innovators

The Young Social Innovators project aims to empower and engage young people (13-15 year olds) from areas of concentrated socio-economic disadvantage in civic and social innovation in their schools and communities by creating opportunities for them to develop their understanding, thinking and actions for a fairer, more equal and just society.

It will provide additional supports, training and resources to engage some 400 students at junior level across 20 DEIS post-primary schools, in a new social innovation junior action programme.

The process of planning for design and delivery, promotion and recruitment and the development of on line modules and materials for the new programme was completed in 2017 with the implementation of the programme by schools commencing in January 2018.

Dormant Accounts funding of €25,000 was disbursed to support this measure in 2017.

21. The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Programme

This project aims to engage young people (15-18 year olds) who are experiencing adversity and disadvantage to develop core skills in business and enterprise by providing them with opportunities to develop and apply entrepreneurial skills in both a school and non-school environment. The programme is also available to schools that wish to engage young people from the age of 10 and those attending further education and training centres.

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In expanding the programme, the focus of the project is on engaging new DEIS and other schools, youth reach centres and youth projects recognised as serving disadvantaged communities. In 2017, the programme was recommenced in all existing sites and expanded into 50 additional sites in a number of regions. It also facilitated the training of 33 certified entrepreneurial trainers and allowed for the participation of an additional 1220 students across 21 schools and 29 youth projects and Youthreach Centres. In addition to providing access to curriculum materials and consultancy to trainers and young people, the project also developed a number of national and international competition opportunities for participants, advanced a business volunteer programme to facilitate the recruitment of new volunteers and organised and supported a number of NFTE related events and awards. In 2017, Dormant Accounts funding of €221,771 was disbursed to support this measure.

22. Integration of newcomer students through integration of services

This project promotes and supports the integration of post-primary newcomer migrant students through a range of educational and intercultural measures. Interventions such as in-school supports including a pre-immersion access programme, out of school supports, after-school activities, in-school measures and summer programmes aim to enable newcomer students to engage, integrate and remain in post-primary education with a view to identifying pathways for further/higher education.

In 2017, the project provided 30 contact hours per week to 124 students under the Migrant Access Programme and 31 weekly support classes including six mid-term revision sessions to 89 students across 14 schools. A one week summer programme was also provided to 19 students from a variety of migrant backgrounds.

Dormant Accounts funding of €100,000 was used to support this measure in 2017.

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Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

23. Life after Caring Transitional Supports and Training and Support Services for Carers

The provision of structured training programmes on relevant subjects for family carers continues to support the strategic priorities identified in the National Carers Strategy 2007. In addition, the development of support networks contributes to a reduction in social isolation experienced by family carers.

Funding was provided for national and locally based training programmes on relevant subjects for family carers, as well as the provision of information and support services. Training programmes and supporting activities are a priority under this measure and mandatory training of a specialised nature is recognised and accredited. The purpose of the programmes are to assist carers in providing the best possible care to the care recipient, to reduce risk of injury to the carer and care recipient and also to help family carers cope with the emotional and psychological aspects of their role. Respite supports, to allow carers to attend training, are also eligible for funding. The types of training programmes include patient movement and handling, equipment handling, health and safety, healthy lifestyle, first aid, stress management, bereavement transition planning and training for trainers.

Funding was also made available to provide for the dissemination of resource information for carers and the development of support group networks to assist with transition at the end of the caring role as well as measures that assist in promoting carer self-identification.

A total of €526,625 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund to support these measures in 2017.

Department of Health

24. Mobile Health Screening Unit The objective of this measure was to provide an accessible targeted screening and primary care service to a wide range of marginalised service users in settings such as hostels, prisons, Direct Provision Centres, Refugee Reception and Orientation Centres.

This benefitted a diverse range of marginalised groups, such as those affected by homelessness, migrants, asylum seekers, Roma, Travellers and those who suffer from addiction. These groups are at higher risk than the general population of serious medical conditions.


25. Supports for People with Dementia People with dementia and their carers are often both socially and economically disadvantaged. The 2016 and 2017 Dormant Accounts Action Plans have enabled for the provision of continued funding for a range of national and local projects to help address this issue. In 2017, Dormant Accounts funding of €241,833 was disbursed to support the Living Well with Dementia programme in Stillorgan and Blackrock, Co. Dublin. This proposal undertakes to further develop the Living Well with Dementia pilot programme, initiated with the support of Genio over a three year period. The funding has allowed for the continuation of a wide range of community based activities for people with dementia. Activities include choirs, physical

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exercise clubs, a bridge club, a movement through music dance class, art classes, tea dances, carer events and a befriending service using volunteers who provide some respite for family carers. Other projects which were approved for Dormant Accounts funding and operated during 2017, but received no funding during the calendar year, include an extension of the network of assistive technology libraries to all Community Healthcare Organisations, the creation of a Dementia Care Co-ordinator role within the Kinsale Community Response to Dementia project, dementia post-diagnostic supports, and the development of a national dementia registry. The intention of these measures is to allow people with dementia to continue to live well in their own homes and communities, to inform the public about dementia, reduce the stigma associated with the disease, help carers to sustain their caring role and promote and facilitate the use of assistive technologies to support people with dementia and their carers.

26. Intercultural Health Project for Refugees

The Intercultural Health Project for Refugees supports the delivery of a range of health services to meet the emerging needs of the new residents of the Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres. The funding was used to appoint Health Liaison Workers/Community Development Workers, Interpreting and Translating supports and Intercultural health training.

Dormant Accounts funding of €197,000 was disbursed to support this measure.

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

27. Youth Programmes

Dormant Accounts funding was used to support programmes with the key strategic objective of countering economic and social disadvantage. Projects supported in 2017 included a mentoring programme targeting young people in need of one-to-one support e.g. those experiencing economic difficulty and/or poor social skills, underachieving in schools etc. The programme concentrated on the Youth Mentoring Programme, Big Brothers Big Sisters, operated by Foróige which is an internationally recognised youth mentoring programme that forms supportive friendships for young people inspiring them to brighter futures.

Foróige targeted 500 community based matches and 2,430 school based matches under the programme for 2017. Up to 30 September 2017, 447 community based matches were recorded, and by 30 June 2017, 1,282 school based matches had been recorded under the programme.


28. Localise Service Skills for Life Programme

The Localise Youth Employment Initiative “Service Skills for Life” is a 10 week youth employment pathway programme targeted at socio-economically disadvantaged youth, engaging them in worthwhile community work while equipping them with skills, experience and resources in order to further enhance their future employability.

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The creation of the National Youth Volunteer School Card will have the capacity to develop a national database, documenting all youth informal education and learning, allowing for the recognition of skills and competencies being developed and enabling further education and employment.

In the first six months of 2017, 227 volunteers successfully completed the Skills for Life Programme. This programme delivered thirteen volunteering projects directly benefitting over 600 service users.

€100,000 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017 to support this measure.

29. Quality and Capacity Building Initiative

The Quality and Capacity Building Initiative focuses on maximising the impact of prevention and early intervention, while integrating and enhancing a quality system for children and young people to address poor outcomes. Drawing on learning from the Area-Based Childhood Programme and other prevention and early intervention initiatives, the Quality and Capacity Building Initiative aims to lift capacity of providers and practitioners and improve the quality of services that assist children experiencing poverty and poor outcomes. The initiative has four strands: 1) Enhancing access and use of data relating to children, young people and their families

by supporting the consolidation of existing initiatives and the development of a central hub for national and local level data.

2) Supporting the collection, collation and assessment of evidence required to ground and inform interventions and to create a live dynamic two-way learning platform for policy makers, providers and practitioners.

3) Enhancing the capacity and skills development of policy makers, providers and practitioners in the appraisal and application of evidence informed approaches through collaborative programmes of coaching, training and development opportunities

4) Aligning and enhancing quality systems and standards in prevention and early intervention to mainstream developments and establish benchmarks.

In 2017, important preparatory work for this initiative included engaging experts to support the scoping out and refinement of the QCBI project plan and to advise on the establishment of the structures which would guide the implementation and evaluation of the QCBI. Advice was also sought on the optimum approach for sectoral engagement and associated communications requirements.

Further, a landscape analysis of activity across the four key components was undertaken. The focus of the landscape analysis was on initiatives that were strongly evidence-informed; well-developed and had a strong infrastructure to support their development and address weaknesses and the problem areas that were identified.

As part of the QCBI’s aim to enhance the information base, there is ongoing development of a live and actively resourced data hub and indicators dashboard that includes data relating to children and young people, which is relevant for policy-makers, providers and practitioners and, where relevant, the public. It is envisaged this data hub will be launched in 2018.

€190,070 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017 to support this measure.

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30. Youth Employability Initiative

The Youth Employability Initiative aimed to increase young people’s employability, enhance their acquisition of employability skills and aid their preparedness and progression to employment, education or training through engagement with youth work programmes provided by the voluntary youth work sector. The initiative specifically targeted those young people who were most at risk of unemployment and who were not in education, employment or training and provided programmes for them to enhance their skills.

€33,290 was disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2017 in respect of the 2016 initiative, representing the final payments under this strand. Overall, 28 community-based youth services were awarded funding under the initiative since its commencement in 2016.

disbursement of moneys from the investment and

Documents