Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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470. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to professionalise the early childhood home visiting sector; his plans to ensure ring-fenced budgetary supports for the same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46176/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The First 5 Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families includes an action to agree a national approach to home visiting services, across a continuum of need, building on the current public health nurse home visitation programme and having regard to Irish evidence on the implementation of prevention and early intervention initiatives.

Currently, a national review of Home Visiting is underway conducted by the UNITE team at Maynooth University, in partnership with the Parenting Support Policy Unit within my department. This review is examining the resources, activity levels, geographical coverage and outcomes associated with home visiting programmes in Ireland. The review will consider evidence of the effectiveness and implementation of home visiting programmes in Ireland and across the world. Consultations are underway with parents and home visiting service practitioners to explore the demand and preferences for different types of home visiting services. Further consultations have also been undertaken with key stakeholders to identify, assess and agree options for a standardised national approach to home visiting service provision.

This research will be further underpinned by the Home Visiting Alliance Feasibility Study, also funded through my department through What Works, which has been recently published and sets out a profile of home visiting services within Ireland in 2023.