Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 Nov 2001

Vol. 543 No. 3

Written Answers. - Family Support Services.

Michael Bell

Question:

42 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the way in which he reconciles the commitments in the Commission on the Family report with his decision to transfer the family resource centres out of the community development programme. [26842/01]

Jan O'Sullivan

Question:

50 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the way in which he will ensure that family resource centre projects working primarily in the areas of social inclusion and combating deprivation will be sustained and developed under the proposed new Family Support Agency. [26841/01]

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

57 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if, prior to his decision to transfer the projects of the family resource centres to the proposed Family Support Agency, he carried out any widespread consultation with the projects and their support agencies. [26839/01]

Emmet Stagg

Question:

69 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many family resource centre projects have principled reasons for remaining within the community development programme. [26840/01]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 42, 50, 57 and 69 together.

The Family Support Agency Bill was published on 13 July 2001 and is at present before Dáil Éireann. The new agency will bring together the main programmes and pro-family services introduced in recent years in line with the Government's Families First approach and for which some £12 million or 15.24 million has been allocated to my Department this year for the development of family services, up from £1.5 million or 1.9 million in 1997.

The Family Support Agency will provide a family mediation service; support, promote and develop the provision of marriage and relationship counselling and other family support services; support, promote and develop the family and community services resource centre programme; provide information on these services and on parenting issues; and undertake research and advise me as Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs about family matters. All of these separate activities are currently taking place in my Department but it is my own view and that of the Government that a State agency which will report to me affords the opportunity to bring coherence into this complex area. Thus the Family Support Agency will provide a comprehensive and coherent response for families in need of these services and for families generally.

The family resource centres are an essential component of the Families First approach in building neighbourhood solidarity and responding to families locally. This is why they have been singled out by Government in recent years for radical improvement and expansion, a course recommended by the Commission on the Family. In 1997, there were ten centres. In An Action Programme for the Millennium the Government is committed to the establishment of 100 centres. To date there are 75 centres either operational or approved for inclusion in the programme. The Family Support Agency legislation provides an enabling framework within which the Government have decided that the Family Resource Centre programme can be further developed in line with these commitments. Furthermore, the Family Support Agency will be an important resource for the work of the centres, enhancing the role and capacity of these local community initiatives in responding to families at neighbourhood level.

The legislation provides specifically that in carrying out its responsibilities the agency will have regard to Government social inclusion priorities and that it will work with other public bodies with a shared interest in family matters. This is designed to ensure a strong social inclusion focus to its work and a prioritisation of the needs of the most vulnerable families, important objectives which will continue to inform the work of the Family Resource Centre programme under the Family Support Agency.

All of these matters are the focus of ongoing discussions between officials of my Department and the Family Resource Centre forum. Officials from my Department met representatives of the family resource centres on 6 July 2001. A meeting with the Family Resource Centre forum took place on 26 September and a further meeting at official level is planned for 13 November. I officially launched the Family Resource Centre forum two weeks ago and spoke to representatives from centres throughout the country about the new agency and how it will support their work in the future. I heard at first hand their hopes for the agency and their desire to play a key role in all aspects of its operation. I will consider carefully the points that were made and also those raised in discussions with officials of my Department. The Government plans for the Family Support Agency were first announced on 15 May 2001, which was the UN international day of families. Representatives from over 300 voluntary and community groups providing family support services, the social partners and public representatives were invited to the launch.