Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 December 2025
163. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth given the rise in demand in mental-health needs, social isolation and cost-of-living pressures, if her Department plans to expand youth services, in terms of staff, geographical coverage, types of services such as mental-health support or community-based mentoring over the next year; the proposed additional allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70784/25]
View answerI am pleased to announce that, arising from Budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding has been allocated to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment strengthens the foundation for inclusive, high-quality provision — ensuring continuity, expanding reach, and enabling services to respond to the evolving needs of Ireland’s diverse youth population.
The department remains committed to supporting youth work at both national and local levels, and recognises the importance of inclusive, community-based engagement in supporting the mental-health and wellbeing needs of young people across the country. The increased funding will enable both universal and targeted youth services to continue delivering tailored supports and safe, welcoming spaces for young people across the country.
While the policy responsibility for youth mental health rests with the Minister for Health, the youth sector plays a significant role in fostering wellbeing and resilience. In this context, the department’s largest targeted youth funding scheme, UBU Your Place Your Space - which received an allocation of over €51 million in 2025 - supports young people in a preventative and developmental way. UBU provides safe spaces, builds trusted relationships, and funds services that help disadvantaged and marginalised young people address challenges such as social isolation, while strengthening their overall wellbeing.
In Budget 2025, an additional €1.2 million was allocated for the establishment of ten new UBU services which will provide targeted youth worker-led support for up to 1,000 young people where they are most needed. Each ETB was invited to make a submission for one new UBU service in their area and following a competitive assessment process, the ten locations that secured funding for a new UBU service were as follows:
• Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath
• Laois Rural – UBU Laois Connect (including Mountmellick/Dangans/ Mountrath and Rathdowney), Co. Laois
• East Donegal/South Central Donegal (including Lifford, Stranorlar, Raphoe, Ballindrait, Castlefinn, Killygordon), Co. Donegal
• Carrick on Súir, Co Tipperary
• Johnstown and Urlingford (North Kilkenny), Co. Kilkenny
• Monaghan Town, Co Monaghan
• Deeside Region, Co. Louth/Co. Meath
• Castlebar and Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo
• Greater Kenmare, Co. Kerry
• Newbridge, Co. Kildare
Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services is the strategic framework for the youth work sector and was published in September 2024. The purpose of the strategy is to provide a platform for an effective, data-driven, and joined-up approach to the delivery of youth work and related services. In relation to supports being prioritised for mental health, Action 4 of the strategy commits to ensuring that schemes and services include a focus on a number of key policy themes for the next two years, one of which is promoting mental and social well-being among young people.
As part of Opportunities for Youth, Action 9 commits to mapping the availability and distribution of youth work and wider youth services across Ireland, charted against key demographic data. The department is undertaking a comprehensive exercise to capture the provision of youth spaces nationwide, encompassing both youth worker-led and volunteer-led services. Significant progress has already been made through the development of a mapping tool, with the first phase producing an internal dashboard that provides a structured overview of services by location and type. Work is now beginning on the external map, which will be accessible to young people, parents, guardians, and teachers. This initiative will inform future investment decisions, guide service expansion, and enhance accessibility by identifying geographic and thematic gaps in provision.
The department also supports 21 youth information centres (YICs) nationally. These centres provide young people with a trusted source of information on rights, opportunities, health, wellbeing, welfare and other matters, and are a means by which they can find their way to more specialised help when they need it. In 2025, the department allocated over €1.5 million in funding for YICs. One of the organisations in receipt of this funding is Spunout, Ireland’s national youth information website, which provides youth information online including on such matters as mental and sexual health, employment and training. Spunout also hosts an online youth information chat service. Spunout also receives additional grant funding from the department under the Youth Services Grant Scheme.
Funding is provided to Foróige to support the Big Brother Big Sister Programme which is an internationally renowned youth mentoring programme that forms friendships between an adult volunteer and a young person who would benefit from extra support. They also aim to involve vulnerable young people in mentoring programmes to support their active and conscious development. Foróige’s allocation for Big Brother Big Sister in 2025 was €1,213,000.
Furthermore, the department provides funding to the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) to support its national youth health programme. This programme seeks to build capacity within the youth work sector to support young people's health and wellbeing. €86,952 has been allocated to this programme by the department in 2025.
The Budget documentation published sets out funding for key measures and actions?agreed for the coming year. As the Deputy may be aware, in line with standard practice,?the final allocation of funding for the department for 2026 will be set out in the 2026 Revised Estimates Volume (REV) which is?due to be published later this year. Further details on the 2026 allocations for the department will be available after the 2026 REV process is complete.
