John Perry
Question:689 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason she has not established a family mediation service in County Sligo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13805/02]
Written Answers. - Family Mediation Service.
The Family Mediation Service is a free, professional and confidential service which assists couples who have decided to separate or who have already separated, to reach agreement on all issues related to their separation. It assists couples to address the issues on which they need to make decisions, including post-separation living arrangements, finances and parenting arrangements to enable children to have an ongoing relationship with each parent. The benefits of family mediation as a non-adversarial approach to resolving the issues which arise on marital separation are well known.
In line with Government policy, the Family Mediation Service has been radically expanded over the last five years and is now available in Dublin, Limerick, Athlone, Castlebar, Cork, Dundalk, Galway, Tralee and Wexford. The Dublin service has been expanded and relocated to larger premises to deal with more clients and new services have been established in Tallaght, Marino – serving Coolock and the northside of Dublin – and most recently in Blanchardstown.
Efforts are continuing to recruit a suitably qualified family mediator to work in the north west of the country or indeed, to identify a person from the region who is suitably qualified to undergo training in the profession so that the people of Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal can have ready access to this important service.
The Family Support Agency Act, 2001, which I plan to bring into effect from the beginning of September provides a statutory underpinning for the future development of the Family Mediation Service. The overall objective of the agency is to give more families throughout the country access to this and other valuable support services. The expansion of the Family Mediation Service to the north west, will continue to be a priority for my Department and for the new agency.