The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley T.D., has announced €329,625 in Dormant Accounts funding for 13 community and voluntary organisations across Ireland. The funding, allocated under the 2025 What Works Enhancing Quality Fund, will support organisations to strengthen prevention and early intervention services for children, young people and families.
The investment supports initiatives in areas such as mental health, parenting support, bereavement services, social inclusion, domestic violence prevention, early childhood development and trauma-informed practice. The 13 successful projects were selected from 119 eligible applications following an independent assessment process.
Announcing the allocations, Minister Foley said:
“This funding is a direct investment in Ireland’s children and young people. Through the What Works initiative, we are targeting Dormant Account funding towards the services that can have the greatest impact, ensuring organisations delivering high-quality, evidence-informed supports have what they need to make a real and lasting difference for children, young people and families across the country.”
The Minister of State, Jerry Buttimer T.D, for the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, the department that oversees the Dormant Accounts Fund, noted:
“The Dormant Accounts Fund has continually aided the most vulnerable in society. I am particularly pleased to see funding for this measure that will benefit young people across the country”
The 13 successful projects are:
- Barnardos – Children’s Bereavement Service Evaluation (Nationwide)
- Childhood Matters – Advancing Professional Development in Infant Mental Health (Nationwide)
- Children in Hospital Ireland – Quality Framework for Supporting Children in Hospital and their Families (Nationwide)
- Early Learning Initiative, National College of Ireland – Enhancing Quality in Home Visiting Services (Nationwide)
- Foróige – Evaluation of Creative Community Alternatives on Children and Young People at risk of entering care or those in foster care (Nationwide)
- Irish Foster Care Association – Meeting the Sensorimotor Supports for At-Risk Babies and Toddlers (Nationwide)
- South Presentation Centre CLG – Disrupting Immigrant Children’s Trajectory to Child Protection (Cork)
- Rotunda Hospital – Developmental Follow-Up Programme for High-Risk Infants (Dublin)
- Emotion Skills Ireland – Emotion Focused Skills Training Pilot in Schools (Dublin)
- School Completion Programme – Roma Cultural Mediation Project (Dublin)
- Saoirse Domestic Violence Services – Enhancing Healthy Relationships (Dublin)
- Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service – Circle of Security Training (Dublin)
- Children’s Grief Centre – Staff Training in Bereavement Support (Limerick)
More information can be found here.