Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
1929. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if adequate funding is in place to ensure that the 24-hour helpline of an organisation (details supplied) will stay open; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25448/16]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency intends to introduce the commissioning approach for the domestic violence helpline from 2017 to support the availability of a co-ordinated, accessible national helpline service that can provide both initial contact points and facilitate integrated responses to victims of domestic violence. Tusla will be engaging formally with providers around this process in the coming months. The issue of costs as well as service specifications are being considered as part of the helpline commissioning process.
Tusla has allocated funding of €20.6m in 2016, to support frontline Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based violence services. This includes additional funding of €200,000, requested by Tusla, to implement the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention). There is an obligation under the Istanbul Convention to have a dedicated free 24-hour national helpline in place for contact regarding domestic violence.
I recognise the valuable work undertaken by the organisation in question in the provision of national helpline services for domestic violence, and the work of other specialist domestic violence service provider organisations that operate helpline contact.
