Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 October 2020
28. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration his plans to improve the services for victims of domestic violence; his views on increasing the roll-out of these services in view of the increase in instances of this crime during the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22889/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhat plans does the Minister have to improve services for victims of domestic violence? What are his views on rolling out these services in view of the increased incidence of this kind during the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown and will he make a statement on the matter?
I thank the Deputy for his question. Everyone is aware of the great importance of the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services at any time but now, in light of the current circumstances, they are particularly important. I welcome the focus by a number of Deputies on this particular issue.
Improving services for victims of domestic violence is a key priority for the Government. The Deputy will have seen a very detailed section in the programme for Government on this particular area. This is reflected in my commitment and that of my colleague, the Minster for Justice and Equality, in undertaking an audit of responsibility for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence across Departments. I have engaged with service providers over the past few weeks on these issues. I am committed to ensuring that the audit identifies the required infrastructure for a better policy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and that services be dealt with in as effective a manner as possible.
Tusla is undertaking a strategic review of emergency accommodation for victims of domestic violence. This will provide insight into the current distribution of services but will also highlight unmet needs across the country.
Spending on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services has increased by €4.7 million since 2016. This has resulted in positive developments, including new refuges, which I referred to in response to an earlier question, in south Dublin and Galway city, the recruitment of additional outreach workers and the roll-out of support programmes for children affected by domestic violence.
My Department provided €25.3 million to Tusla for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services last year. This year, we will provide at least an additional €1.2 million for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services specifically relating to Covid-19. I prioritised funding for Tusla in the budget. In my engagement with Tusla I stated I wanted the agency to view domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services as a priority in the business plan it will submit to me for 2021. We will continue to work closely with Tusla on the provision of these important services to ensure people who are affected by domestic, sexual and gender-based violence are properly and fully supported.
I appreciate and welcome the increase in funding announced in the budget for child-focused supports. To put my question and the Minister's answer in context, I refer to the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy McEntee, whom I contacted on the issue of domestic violence recently. She informed me that An Garda Síochána had told her of a 24% increase in the number of domestic abuse related cases so far this year. She also pointed out there had been a 10% increase in breaches of domestic violence orders and an 18% increase in notifications to Tusla in the same period. The Minister also informed me that Tusla had put in place a range of practical supports and was identifying additional accommodation capacity. Has the Department progressed matters in this area? Have additional accommodation units for children been acquired or funded at this stage? Has the Department studied where domestic violence emerges during a period of restrictions and how to deal with this additional complication?
The Deputy raised a number of big questions. When the Cabinet discussed the move to level 5, the Minister for Justice and Equality and I spent a significant part of the meeting discussing the specific issue of domestic violence and reactivating the various Garda and Tusla programmes that were in place to support the victims across this period.
During the original Covid-19 lockdown, it became clear that a significant number of existing refuges did not adequately provide for social distancing. As a result, a number of spaces in refuges were lost in the immediate term. Tusla, working with hotels and various non-governmental organisations, sourced an adequate number of additional new spaces to replace the places that had to be closed due to social distancing requirements. That is particularly important in the context of the strategic review that I spoke about earlier. We have to ensure that all new domestic violence services are Covid-proofed as we go forward.
We are facing into a long winter and, after yesterday, another round of restrictions is on the way.
Households will find them even more confining now that the evenings are getting longer. Our children are not used to what we faced in the past seven months. They often cannot tell what is abuse, even when it is happening in their homes. Will the Minister commit to bringing forward a stepped-up publicity campaign aimed at children this winter, especially in schools? It could outline the telltale signs of abuse they may see happening at home or, if something is not right, where they can get help. Also, does his Department have any plans to examine the impact the worry brought on by Covid-19 is having on our children, and the mental health consequences they may experience for some time? Is the Minister putting together a plan to roll out additional counselling services that will be catered for those children who may need them into the future?
My Department has undertaken research on the impact of the lockdown on young children. We carried out detailed research with SpunOut, How's Your Head, which was both qualitative and quantitative in nature and by means of which we engaged with thousands of young people. The outcome of that influenced the Framework for Reopening and Operating Schools that was launched some months ago, obviously in a different context to the one we are in today. Research has been done and it is influencing what Government is doing. It influenced both the decision to reopen schools in September and our determination to keep schools open because we believe in the mental health benefits for children of meeting their friends.
The Deputy also spoke about the degree of observance. Children sit in front of a teacher and a teacher is often the first port of call as regards spotting telltale signs of potential domestic violence. That observance was not there during the three and a half months children were out of school. That is one of the reasons we are insisting on keeping schools open as much as possible. As regards information, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, will be working on a renewal of information campaigns about services available for victims of domestic violence.
