Investment in Youth Work: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-15
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Pauline Tully (SF), Cultural and Educational Panel

I move:
That Seanad Éireann:
recognises:
- youth work is defined in the Youth Work Act, 2001 as ‘a planned programme of education designed for the purpose of aiding and enhancing the personal and social development of young persons through their voluntary participation, and which is (a) complementary to their formal, academic or vocational education and training; and (b) provided primarily by voluntary youth work organisations’;
- Ireland’s national policy objectives for all children and young people aged under 25 years are set out in Young Ireland: National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2023-2028 (Young Ireland);
- the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 provides for the European Youth Goals, which were designed and agreed by young people across Europe and represent young people’s vision for youth policy in Europe;
- the publication of Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy on Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028 in September 2024 which sets out a strategic direction for the delivery of youth services during the lifetime of Young Ireland;
acknowledges:
- the critical role that youth work plays in the personal, social, and educational development of young people in Ireland;
- that youth work in Ireland offers essential education, connection, belonging and support to young people;
- that young people in Ireland today face unique challenges and require dedicated policy, legislative and resourcing support from the Government;
- the need for meaningful engagement with the youth work sector, including youth workers, volunteers, and young people themselves, in the development and implementation of policies that affect them;
- that the transformative power of youth work is beneficial for young people, their families and wider communities;
- that youth work is a vital profession and youth workers must be adequately remunerated for their work;
- that places and spaces are required for the delivery of youth work;
- that volunteers make an invaluable contribution to the youth work sector in Ireland;
notes that:
- investment in the youth work sector has not kept pace with rising costs and increased demand; and that the youth work sector is largely operating from a deficit and financial uncertainty;
- the lack of multi-annual funding for the sector poses a severe administrative burden, planning difficulties and staff recruitment and retention challenges;
- out of the total National Development Plan budget for the Department of Education and Youth, just 0.265 per cent is designated for youth affairs;
calls on the Government to:
- significantly increase current investment in the youth work sector to address current funding deficits;
- establish a €75 million Young People’s Spaces, Facilities and Services Fund, and collaborate with other Departments, Government agencies and local authorities to ensure that young people have places and spaces to engage with youth work;
- commit to moving core youth work funding to multi-annual funding within the next three years;
- publish an implementation plan for Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy on Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028, delivered in partnership with the youth work sector;
- consult with the sector to identify opportunities for expanded services to meet increased demand in a way that is deliverable and sustainable for the sector.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-15