The Fingal Children and Young People's Services Committee (FCYPSC) was established in December 2009 following a six month consultation process with relevant stakeholders. Fingal is unique in Ireland in terms of levels of growth and diversity. It s a young and dynamic county in many ways, however it has been affected by the current economic recession and many of our young people and families have experienced social disadvantage. Our catchment area corresponds with Fingal County Council which covers an area of 450sq kilometres and stretches from the River Liffey and the Dublin City boundary to the Meath boundary north of Balbriggan, and from the coast in the east to the Meath and Kildare boundaries in the west.
A brief history of development
There was a pre-existing ethos and culture of interagency work in Fingal and this has extended to the FCYPSC. We are 22 members representing statutory, voluntary and community sector organisations involved in the management and delivery of services to children and young people across the county of Fingal. The pace of growth in Fingal has resulted in key challenges for all agencies and service providers across the county.
Examples of achievements to date
Since 2011 the FCYPSC has secured more than €500,000 independent funds in order to support the work and initiatives arising within each of our objective areas.
- A core action has been the establishment of the Fingal Parenting Initiative which is led by a sub-group of the FCYPSC. This group secured €330,000 from the National Early Years Access Initiative (NEYAI)
- Funding for a Youth Mental Health Co-ordinator for North Fingal
- Supported the establishment of two Jigsaw/Headstrong site in Fingal
- Received funding from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to complete a strategic audit and mapping of services in Fingal
- Completed a comprehensive Directory of Services for all agencies working to support children, young people and families
- FCYPSC has produced a Fingal Youth Information booklet to support young people experiencing mental health difficulties. This booklet has been distributed to every school and youth centre in Fingal.
Issues for the future
To establish a productive relationship between the work of Prevention,Partnership and Family Support (PPFS) and the Fingal Local Community Development Committee (LCDC)
Click here to see FCYPSC's current priorities.