The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley T.D., has announced €329,625 in Dormant Accounts funding awarded to 13 community and voluntary organisations across Ireland under the 2025 What Works Enhancing Quality Fund. The funding aims to strengthen prevention and early intervention services for children, young people, and families, supporting initiatives that focus on mental health, parenting, bereavement services, social inclusion, domestic violence prevention, early childhood development, and trauma-informed practice. The 13 projects were selected from 119 eligible applications through an independent assessment process.
Minister Foley emphasized that this investment represents a direct commitment to Ireland’s children and young people, ensuring that organisations delivering high-quality, evidence-informed supports have the resources needed to make a lasting impact. She highlighted that the What Works initiative targets funding toward services capable of generating the greatest positive outcomes for children, youth, and families nationwide.
Minister of State Jerry Buttimer T.D., from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, which oversees the Dormant Accounts Fund, noted that the fund has consistently supported vulnerable populations. He expressed particular satisfaction that this round of funding will benefit young people across Ireland.
The funded projects include national initiatives such as Barnardos’ Children’s Bereavement Service Evaluation, Childhood Matters’ professional development in infant mental health, Children in Hospital Ireland’s quality framework for hospitalised children and families, and Early Learning Initiative’s enhancement of home visiting services. Other projects address at-risk children, foster care support, immigrant children, high-risk infants, emotion-focused skills training in schools, Roma cultural mediation, domestic violence prevention, Circle of Security training, and staff training in bereavement support. These projects collectively aim to enhance the quality and reach of prevention and early intervention services for children and young people across the country.
