Today, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Dr. Katherine Zappone opened the Children and Young people Services Committees (CYPSC) Conference “CYPSC: Enhancing Child and Youth Well Being“ at the City West Hotel, Saggart, Co. Dublin.
The Conference is being co hosted with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and demonstrates how CYPSC are successfully responding to the needs of children and young people in relation to their Health and Well Being.
This event also aims to demonstrate how engagement with CYPSC can enhance service delivery across the broad spectrum of services: community, health, education, justice, etc and facilitates knowledge exchange and learning across all CYPSC.
The Conference is promoting multi-sectoral, collaborative working across services for children and young people, and is helping to communicate the strengths of the CYPSC initiative. The Conference also serves to highlight the benefits of engagement between CYPSC, service providers and policy makers alike.
Minister Zappone added:
I am delighted that this Conference on “Enhancing Child and Youth Well Being” is taking place today.
Children and Young People’ Services Committees (CYPSC) bring together a diverse group of agencies in their local areas to engage in joint planning of services for children and young people. I see them as a key inter agency vehicle for the roll out Child and Well Being initiatives in collaboration with other partners.
Today I met with the CYPSC local Co Ordinators and was struck by the collaborative and really positive initiatives being undertaken in their local areas. These efforts are ensuring that our services and supports are planned and coordinated in a way that is responsive and relevant to the need of our children and young people.
I am confident that both now and in years to come, the impact of these initiatives will be significant, as it will support children and young people, their families, their communities and vulnerable groups who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.
Pat Smyth, Interim Chief Executive of Tusla-Child and Family Agency joins Minister Zappone in acknowledging CYPSC work stating:
Organisations and agencies from across Ireland are gathering today under the umbrella of Children and Young People’s Services Committees to share their learning about what is working in response to the needs of Ireland’s children and young people.
Tusla is proud to be a leading organisation for this national event and for what it represents in terms of good inter-agency working. Tusla provides the backbone support team that assists in the realisation of the innovative, specialised and targeted work of every CYPSC in the country.
We are committed to strategic partnership working at local level through CYPSC and nationally with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the National CYPSC Steering Group, other Government Departments and national agencies.
Note for the editors:
1) Overview of Children and Young People’s Services Committees (CYPSC)Conference
· The Conference is entitled CYPSC: ‘Enhancing Child and Youth Well Being’ and is taking place at the City West Hotel, Saggart, Co. Dublin.
· The event is being hosted by Department of Children and Youth Affairs in conjunction with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.
· The Conference aims to:
- demonstrate how CYPSC is successfully responding to the needs of children and young people in relation to their Health and Well Being;
- communicate how engagement with CYPSC can enhance service delivery across the broad spectrum of services: community, health, education, justice, etc.;
- facilitate knowledge exchange and learning across all CYPSC;
- promote multi-sectoral, collaborative working across services for children and young people communicate the strengths of the CYPSC initiative;
- highlight the benefits of engagement in CYPSC to service providers and policy makers alike;
2) Overview of Children and Young People’s Services Committees (CYPSC)
· Children and Young People’s Services Committees (CYPSC) are a key structure identified by Government to plan and co-ordinate services for children and young people in every county in Ireland. The overall purpose is to improve outcomes for children and young people by enhancing interagency co-operation at a local and national level.
· Through their work in local areas, the CYPSC aim to realise the five national outcomes set out in Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (2014 – 2020). The Blueprint for the development of CYPSC (2015 – 2017) forms the basis of a work programme for CYPSC based on policy and strategic direction from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The Blueprint is currently being revised. There are 27 CYPSC nationwide.
· The national website for Children and Young People’s Services Committees www.cypsc.ie has been developed as a focal point for information on CYPSC and a gateway to information on individual county-level committees.