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Vital services for Kilkenny victims of domestic abuse at risk of closure

By Kilkenny Now 14th December 2019 0

Essential services for Kilkenny people directly affected by domestic abuse could be closed for good without the necessary Government funding, a local TD has said. Deputy Kathleen Funchion raised the issue of the critical need for funding for the Amber Kilkenny Women’s Refuge in the Dáil this week. She told Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone that […]

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Foster care services in Kilkenny understaffed and ‘chaotic’ – report

By Kilkenny Now 3rd October 2019 0

By COLIN BARTLEY THE social care services in Kilkenny are “chaotic” and lacked “professional oversight” for the children in its foster  programme. And one in five of all children in Kilkenny in foster care services throughout Kilkenny have not being allocated a social worker to oversee their placement and ensure their needs are met. The […]

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Huge cost of childcare ‘financially crippling’ many Kilkenny parents, says local TD

By Kilkenny Now 1st October 2019 Post a comment

By COLIN BARTLEY CHILDCARE in Ireland is a “broken” system that is “financially crippling” many parents in Kilkenny, a local TD said today. Deputy Kathleen Funchion, who is also Sinn Fein spokesperson for children, has called for “a complete restructuring of the childcare and early years system”. Figures released by the Department for Children and […]

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Kilkenny parents forced to fork out staggering €9,000 on childcare costs

By Kilkenny Now 27th September 2019 Post a comment

By COLIN BARTLEY THE cost of full-time childcare for one child in Kilkenny now stands at just under €9,000 per annum. The average weekly cost of full-time childcare is €168.25, which equates to €8,750 per year. The costs were revealed this morning by the Department for Children and Youth Affairs, which shows the cost of […]

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‘Wholly inadequate and shocking’ – Kilkenny TD’s response to Minister’s reaction over creche scandal

By Kilkenny Now 1st August 2019 0

By COLIN BARTLEY A KILKENNY TD and parent has criticised Tusla’s appearance at an Oireachtas Committee discussing the safety of Children in the early years sector. Sinn Féin spokesperson for Children and Youth Affairs Kathleen Funchion TD said the child protection agency’s response to revelations uncovered in an RTÉ Investigates programme is “wholly inadequate and […]

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New regulations could see Tusla given the power to immediately shut childcare facilities

By Kilkenny Now 30th July 2019 0

By COLIN BARTLEY CHILDCARE and early learning care services in Kilkenny may be shut down immediately if found to be in breach of license or critical concerns are raised about the centre. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone is looking to implement necessary changes in childcare services, in response to the shocking […]

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‘Our education system is broken’ – Kilkenny TD appointed Sinn Féin spokesperson for children

By Kilkenny Now 6th July 2019 0

By COLIN BARTLEY A KILKENNY TD has vowed to be “a voice for those who have been ignored” after she was appointed her party’s spokesperson for children and youth affairs. Local Sinn Féin Deputy Kathleen Funchion said children and the young people of Ireland have been “consistently failed” by the Fine Gael-led minority government. She […]

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New Government rules will shut down school homework clubs: Kilkenny TD

By Kilkenny Now 6th June 2019 0

By COLIN BARTLEY HOMEWORK and breakfast clubs in Kilkenny schools could be at risk due to new rules the Government is seeking to impose. New regulations on compliance reports and audits on community-managed and operated childcare providers could result in these costs doubling. Kilkenny TD Bobby Aylward believes an increase of this scale would be […]

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Local youth clubs to benefit from €61,386 in new Government funding

By Kilkenny Now 2nd March 2019 0

YOUTH clubs in Kilkenny and neighbouring Carlow will benefit from €61,386 in Government funding. The funding represents a 12% increase in funding for the Local Youth Club Grand Scheme for 2019. Welcoming the announcement, Cllr Patrick O’Neill said the increased funding will provide small volunteer-led youth clubs with greater capacity to reach more local young […]