Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 December 2004
27 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the actions he is proposing to take following his comments at the launch of the report, Strengthening Families through Fathers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33733/04]
View answerThis report in question was commissioned under my Department's families research programme and funded by my Department with the support of the Family Support Agency. Last month at the launch of this valuable report, I stated the findings from this research project were a valuable contribution to broadening our understanding of the role of fathers in an ever changing and challenging society. The findings make it clear that we should re-examine our attitudes to some fathers and their role in the family.
The report's findings and recommendations will be considered by all relevant Departments and will be taken into account in the development of the strategy on families, the preparation of which is co-ordinated by my Department. However, the changes affecting families are such that an adequate and effective response in Government policy is difficult to achieve through separate responses in individual policy areas. A strategic process is required that will facilitate the integrated development of policies to support and strengthen families in meeting the challenges they face.
One significant issue that has arisen is the position of fathers in situations of separation and family breakdown and their role, generally, in a changing society. Until recently, the predominant family formation consisted of the father as the breadwinner, with the mother full-time in the caring role. This is changing and, in the view of many commentators, is unlikely to be the norm in the future. More mothers are opting to participate, or continuing to participate, in paid employment, with the opportunities to develop their own careers and achieve financial independence this affords.
The perceived need for fathers to be more directly involved in the rearing of children is also an issue which needs to be considered. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states:
State parties shall use their best efforts to ensure recognition of the principle that both parents have common responsibilities for the upbringing and development of the child.
Until recently, shared parental responsibility for children usually meant the father having the role of sole breadwinner and the mother of sole care giver. One profound social change is the increasing female participation in the workforce, resulting in both parents becoming joint breadwinners. However, the necessary adjustments in attitudes and in practical arrangements have been slower in bringing about more joint care giving. Research and consultation has shown particular difficulties exist in the case of families where the parents are separated.
There is no single solution to this. It raises issues relevant to many policy areas including, employment, income support, child care and related services. The purpose in developing the family strategy is to identify all key issues and to develop an appropriate response to the changes affecting families and family life generally. I intend to bring forward the strategy in the first half of 2005.
I intended to ask the Minister when the strategy would be brought forward but he has given a date in his answer.
Is the Minister aware that the 2001 Government research document, Fathers and Families: Research and Reflection on Key Issues, contains the same recommendations as this report? I am concerned that nothing is done on these reports' recommendations. Will the Minister give two practical initiatives he wants to see occurring in this area shortly? What type of interdepartmental co-operation exists in this area? Several key Departments such as the Departments of Health and Children, Social and Family Affairs and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government have a bearing on this matter. Will the Minister agree that fathers are being excluded in many cases from the rearing of their children? Will he agree that more shared parental responsibility is needed and that the State and Departments have a role in this? Instead of allowing these reports sit on departmental shelves, gathering dust, what practical steps does he intend to take in the near future on their recommendations?
I am still getting my head around some of these issues as they are emotional, personal and complex. I suspect the Deputy is doing the same.
Yesterday, when I spent several hours meeting fathers' groups, I put the same questions to them. What can the State do in this area? Where is the law not satisfactory that I can amend in legislation? What instructions can I give officials in my Department that will make it better for fathers? What changes, by way of regulation and legislation, can I ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to introduce to make it easier for fathers? The groups undertook to examine these issues and to inform me in more precise terms what I can do for them.
This is a major cultural issue with no single solution. In the short term, I want the joined up Government approach to this issue rather the welfare one. This involves many issues, including employment, income support, child care, justice, guardianship, access and custody and maintenance. From what fathers' groups have told me, in the case of separated families, access to children is a critical issue and should not be linked to whether support payments have been made. Access is not a financial issue but a parenting one. If one is jointly parenting, one must have proper access to the children. I want to examine what can be done in the legal area to improve access for fathers to their children.
Many court hearings involving this issue are held in camera, as Deputy Penrose knows from his legal background. It may be possible, without breaking the in camera rule or intruding on individual privacy, to get statistical information on access. Rightly or wrongly, the courts are perceived by fathers’ groups to automatically favour the mother in these cases. Statistical information would prove if the perception is true or not. If it is true, then the need for the Legislature to bring about changes to social policies would be highlighted. I am examining whether court clerks could provide this information in an anonymous way.
This area is fraught but I am glad it has emerged from the shadows and is now being openly discussed. Shared parenting must become the order of the day and mothers and fathers must be equally respected with equal access to their children. Shared parenting must be supported by the State. I do not have all the answers in this area but look forward to working with the groups involved to improve their lot.
The Minister wants joined up Government. Will he establish an interdepartmental working group with a deadline to respond on this issue? It is one thing to say he would like to see something happening but another to say what he will do. Does he agree that the role of fathers is crucial in providing male role models to young boys when growing up? He has called for support services to be more sensitive to the rights of fathers. Has the Minister issued an instruction in that regard to his Department or other officials working in this area?
The Family Support Agency and the division in my Department which deals with family policy are extremely sensitive to these issues. In so far as I can encourage them to be even more sensitive, I will do so. I will ask them to take note of what was said at the various fathers' conferences held recently. I would like to be informed of lack of sensitivity.
The Minister called for it.
I will address any insensitivity that exists. However, it has not been brought to my attention that insensitivity exists, but I take the point the Deputy is making.
I will consider what the Deputy said about joined up Government. I do not know whether it is the most urgent way forward. There are many interdepartmental groups within the Department, including working groups on issues such as maintenance and so on. I do not want to set up another working group just for the sake of it. I need to review the working groups that exist so that we can bring about a Government response to this issue. I share the Deputy's view that the role of fathers must be more respected and that access must be improved. I take the Deputy's point on the role model for boys, even though I am sure the position is not much different in the case of daughters and fathers. However, we will not get into that argument or we will never finish it.
I agree.
