Vol. 546 No. 3
40 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when the report, Parenting in Ireland, A Study of Parenting Support Needs, will be published; the main findings of the study; the action he intends to take on the basis of the findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31597/01]
The report, "Supporting Parenting: a Study of Parents' Support Needs" was published and officially launched on 27 November. The report was undertaken by the Centre for Social and Educational Research, CSER, in the Dublin Institute of Technology, Rathmines under the families research programme, which I introduced in 1999 to support innovative, original research in the field of family policy and family services.
"Supporting Parenting" is a comprehensive and in-depth study of parents' perspectives on their parenting role and the supports available to them. The study involved 1000 parents, 800 mothers and 200 fathers with diverse economic, social and family backgrounds.
It contains analyses of the interest shown by parents in parenting education and classes, the factors which influence them in their parenting styles, their concerns about the physical and parental care of their children and both parents' and children's views about the enjoyable aspects of parenting relationships.
The parents surveyed identified a wide range of supports for themselves and their children. These include play, leisure and recreation facilities, financial support with child care expenses and for stay-at-home parents and additional support with day-to-day expenses for parents on lower incomes to assist with school costs and to facilitate parents' involvement in education and training.
The report contains a series of recommendations to strengthen the family services infrastructure in Ireland. The establishment of the Family Support Agency is highlighted as providing a key mechanism to respond to the challenges of providing co-ordinated responses to the varied nature of families' support needs.
The Family Support Agency Bill completed all stages in the Dáil two weeks ago and is at present before Seanad Éireann. It is my intention to establish the new agency as soon as the legislative process is complete.
Many of the issues raised by parents surveyed in the study have been singled out for attention as part of the Government's "Families First" approach designed to make the promotion of family well-being central to policy. Major improvements have been introduced in child care provision, in the one parent family payment scheme and in opportunities for lone parents to access education, training and employment opportunities.
