Youth Services
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-28
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Nessa Cosgrove (LAB), Labour Panel

The Home Youth Liaison Service, HYLS, has been helping young people and families in Sligo and Leitrim since 1989. The difficulties young people face often become identifiable in school through behaviour or academic performance but the root cause of the difficulty is rarely seen in school alone. It can originate at home and affect a young person's life there and within the wider society.
The HYLS takes an holistic approach to a young person's difficulties. It is a one-stop shop for services. Support does not begin and end at the school gate or at the beginning and end of the school day. The service is a genuinely wraparound service offering an immediate and integrated response with the objective of improving and enhancing the life and future outcomes of the young person who uses the service. I know this because I worked in the service for 17 years.
I can attest to the wonderful work it provides on the ground and the need for it.
The autism support worker role came about as part of a needs-based response in conjunction with the work of the Sligo Leitrim Children and Young People’s Services Committee, CYPSC, and the HYLS. It was specifically developed because there was a need to support young people with autism.
Since 2024, the autism support worker has been offering social, academic, behavioural and communication supports, as well as practical supports, to young people with autism at the times of their lives when they need them most. I refer to times of transition, such as moving into exam years and leaving school. Young people themselves identify these times as when they require support the most.
This service is valuable, worthwhile and sought after. The numbers prove this. In its first year of operation, the service supported 36 young people with autism in Sligo. By March of this year, in a period of just three months, a total of 68 referrals had been received by the service, along with a further 40 initial inquiries. The fact that the majority of these referrals were made by the schools themselves or by Tusla demonstrates the value of what the service offers. It is appreciated by those who work with young people, the young people themselves, their parents, the schools and other organisations that work for and support young people.
On the matter of professional engagement, both the children’s disability network team and the HSE, including the child and adolescent mental health service, CAMHS, are making referrals to the service, as are Foróige and young people themselves. It is a clear indication of the work the HYLS does on the ground. Given the success of the service, Sligo and Leitrim sought funding to have the post extended. It has been extended until the end of 2026. Also sought was the creation of a new post, for six months, in Leitrim. That has happened, so the service is really grateful. Performance indicators show the measurable impact of the work straight away. The impact can be seen in attendance patterns and engagement with all personnel working in schools. Providing the support to young people in school has a very tangible, measurable impact.
It has been proven that the engagement of the autism support worker by the HYLS has been effective. It has been effective, particularly for a vulnerable group of young people, as the Minister of State will know from her role. I ask that the required commitment be made. I know from working in the voluntary and community sector – we spoke about this during the youth work debate – that it is very hard for youth workers, social care workers or anyone working with annual funding to plan for future needs. Therefore, they are looking for a commitment for an additional year. They are not looking for long-term multi-annual funding yet. The service is looking for a full commitment to the effect that both of the posts will be funded and supported for 2026. This would mean a total annual cost of €125,000, which, for the service the staff provide, is a drop in the ocean.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:52+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-28