Written Answers. - Family Support Services.
Seán Ryan
Question:
41
Mr. S. Ryan
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
the work carried out to date by the family affairs unit in his Department; the work being undertaken by this unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6458/99]
In line with its pro-family approach to the development of policy and services as set out in the Action Programme for the Millennium, the Government established the family affairs unit in my Department. The functions of the unit are: to co-ordinate family policy; to pursue the findings in the report of the Commission on the Family, published in July 1998 following its consideration by the Government; to undertake research, and to promote awareness about family issues.
The unit has responsibility for support for the marriage counselling services and the family mediation service as well as a number of other family services including a pilot programme to provide improved service to families from local offices of the Department through the one-stop-shop model, and the introduction of an information programme on parenting issues. The family affairs unit comprises eight staff. It is headed by a principal officer. The unit has been fully operational since September 1998.
The immediate priorities on the establishment of the unit in 1998 were: the extension of the family mediation service; the implementation of a radically improved programme of support for marriage counselling services in line with the Government's "families first" approach to the development of policies and services; publication of the report of the Commission on the Family, and follow up action to promote awareness of family issues.
The nationwide expansion of the family mediation service is a key priority in the programme for Government. In addition to services in Dublin and Limerick, six new services commenced in 1998. The service is now available from regional centres in the south – Cork – south-west – Tralee – south-east – Wexford – midlands – Athlone – north-east – Dundalk – and the west – Galway. New services are planned for west Dublin and the north-west of the country by the end of the year.
This year the Government provided £2.1 million for voluntary organisations providing marriage counselling services, child counselling in relation to parental separation and bereavement counselling and support services. In 1998, over 150 groups providing marriage and child counselling services received grants totalling £1.27 million. I extended the scheme to include the provision of marriage preparation courses and bereavement counselling and support services on the death of a family member. Some £230,000 was made available to organisations providing these services.
The report of the Commission on the Family was published in July 1998 and widely circulated. At my instigation a series of family services information fora throughout the country has been organised by the family affairs unit. To date, fora have been held in four regions to coincide with the opening of the family mediation services. The fora provide voluntary and community groups who work with families at a local level with an opportunity to explore the findings of the Commission on the Family, to hear about the new family services in the Department and to discuss the issues they encounter in their work to support families. Further fora are planned over the next few months in Galway, Cork and Dublin.
The family affairs unit undertook arrangements for the hosting by the Government of an important United Nations workshop on families and technology. Some 40 expert participants from around the world and from Ireland participated in the workshop. The report of the workshop will contribute to the preparations for the UN World Summit on Social Development to be held in 2000.
Policy objectives in relation to a greater focus on family issues are also being promoted through the family affairs unit's participation at official level in EU and Council of Europe fora. Other family programmes and services at an advanced stage of development for introduction in 1999 include: a pilot programme building on the one-stop-shop concept with the aim of providing improved services to families locally through the local offices of my Department; a programme to promote awareness about parenting issues. This is being developed in consultation with the Department of Health and Children, and a programme to initiate and support research to inform the future development of family policy and services.
The family affairs unit in pursuing its function to co-ordinate family policy and to pursue the findings in the report of the Commission on the Family is working closely with other Departments and agencies which share responsibility for the Government's programme in relation to policy development for families and children.
