Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 February 2018
595. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of women's refuge centres; the number of women these centres can cater for; the number of women in these centres at present; the centre which supports women in counties Cavan and Monaghan; her plans to introduce more; the supports in place for women in counties Cavan and Monaghan who have no centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7391/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra596. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to introduce a women's refuge to counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7392/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra597. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the services available to women from counties Cavan and Monaghan seeking refuge from abusive relationships; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7393/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 595 to 597, inclusive, together.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the provision of care and protection to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV).
Since becoming Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I have attached a high priority to the development of DSGBV services. In 2017, additional funding of €1.5m was allocated to Tusla to support the development of services. I was pleased to secure a further increase of €1.7m for 2018, bringing the total level of funding for DSGBV services to €23.8m. This includes funding for some 60 services throughout the country, including emergency refuge and support services.
The development of services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence nationally is guided by the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention), as well as the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (2016-2021). Additional funding in 2018 will support the development of enhanced DSGBV services.
Tusla does not have access to live data on refuge use. Information provided by funded domestic violence services indicates that refuges consistently operate at full or near full-capacity. Any vacancies are generally attributed to the turnover between the discharge and admission of clients.
Services for victims of domestic abuse in the North East region, namely counties Louth, Meath, Cavan, and Monaghan, received approximately €1.4m in funding from Tusla in 2017. Services to victims of domestic violence in counties Cavan and Monaghan are provided by Tearmann Domestic Violence Services, which received funding of approximately €192,000 from Tusla in 2017 for the provision of support and advocacy services to victims. Individuals based in West Cavan can also avail of the services of the Domestic Violence Advocacy Service for Sligo, Leitrim and West Cavan, which also provides support and advocacy services. This service received approximately €317,000 in funding in 2017.
Tusla has no immediate plans to provide a refuge in the Cavan/Monaghan area. There are three refuges situated in Drogheda, Co. Louth; Dundalk, Co. Louth; and Navan, Co. Meath, which provide emergency domestic violence accommodation to women based in the North East region. This includes 21 family units of emergency refuge accommodation.
As part of its commissioning approach to developing services, Tusla carried out a number of needs analyses projects in 2017 to identify gaps in service provision and to prioritise service developments. All future service developments, whether based in the North East region or elsewhere, will be informed by Tusla’s commissioning approach. In 2017, Tearmann Domestic Violence Services completed a Strategic Plan as a means of improving and developing services in counties Cavan and Monaghan. Tusla will meet Tearmann Domestic Violence Services and other partners shortly with a view to supporting these developments.
The following table provides information from Tusla on the geographical spread of 147 emergency refuge family units.
|
County |
Number of Emergency Refuge Family Units |
|
|
1 |
Clare |
6 |
|
2 |
Cork |
6 |
|
3 |
Donegal |
4 |
|
4 |
Dublin |
37 |
|
5 |
Galway |
6 |
|
6 |
Kerry |
6 |
|
7 |
Kilkenny |
7 |
|
8 |
Kildare |
4 |
|
9 |
Limerick |
14 |
|
10 |
Louth |
13 |
|
11 |
Mayo |
5 |
|
12 |
Meath |
5 |
|
13 |
Tipperary |
4 |
|
14 |
Waterford |
16 |
|
15 |
Westmeath |
4 |
|
16 |
Wexford |
4 |
|
17 |
Wicklow |
6 |
|
Total |
147 |
At all times, Tusla’s key priority is to ensure that the needs of victims and survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence are met in the best way possible, with due attention to the quality, accessibility, and outcome of services.
