Sir, – It is with sadness that we learned of the death of Chuck Feeney, an Irish American with immense vision, generosity and humility. In addition to his investments in capital developments in the third-level sector and his funding of the Programme for Research, we remember Chuck’s significant contribution to the modernisation and development of children and family services in Ireland.
Over its 30-year lifespan, Chuck’s philanthropic body, the Atlantic Philanthropies, invested significant funding in both the community and voluntary and the statutory sectors in Ireland. The core focus of this funding was to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for children through the delivery of evidence-based supports, most particularly early in life. This included universal supports for all children and families and services targeted to the needs of particular populations and communities.
A key feature of the final phase of Atlantic’s work was insisting on working in partnership with Government to leverage matching funding and to embed good practice models and programmes, thus guaranteeing their long-term sustainability.
Today, the key legacy of this investment includes the area-based childhood programmes, Tusla’s Prevention, Partnership and Family Support Programme and the HSE’s National Healthy Childhood Programme. Indeed, the Prevention and Early Intervention Network itself was established under Atlantic funding.
Sadly, the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has set back elements of this work, through an increase in mental health difficulties in children, increased waiting lists for vital early intervention supports to children and families and challenges in recruiting and retaining key staff across the sector.
The best way to honour Chuck Feeney’s generous and selfless support would be to redouble our efforts to ensure that children are, as far as possible, prevented from experiencing childhood adversity and trauma and by ensuring that when they do experience challenges, this is identified and effectively responded to at the earliest possible time.
Not only is this clearly in the best interests of children and families, there is a mountain of evidence (much of it also funded by Chuck) this this pays social and economic dividends throughout the lifetime of the child. – Yours, etc,
KATHERINE HARFORD,
Chairperson,
Prevention and
Early Intervention Network,
Limerick.