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Family Support Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 July 2022

Thursday, 14 July 2022

Ceisteanna (603)

Ruairí Ó Murchú

Ceist:

603. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are plans to increase the availability of early intervention for families in distress and for family supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39150/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Tusla provides a range of family support services both directly and through its commissioned partners. Prevention and early intervention is cost effective. High quality, evidence informed prevention and early intervention services can help to address difficulties such as early school leaving and behavioural problems.

Integrated, high-quality services to children and families must be provided at the earliest opportunity across all levels of need. Tusla family support services are delivered on the basis of low, medium, or high prevention. Tusla is working to embed and develop a consistent national approach to practice across all its response pathways. This aims to ensure families receive consistent service levels across all Tusla areas, at all levels of need.

The Tusla-led Early Intervention National Practice Model, Metiheal, is a case co-ordination process for families with additional needs who require multi-agency intervention but who do not meet the threshold for referral to the Social Work Department under Children First.

When a child and their family need additional supports from several agencies, experience shows they benefit from the agencies taking a collaborative approach. Tusla has established 121 Child and Family Support Networks (CFSN) to support this collaborative approach. CFSNs work in partnership with families to ensure there is ‘no wrong door ‘for families to access support and all families in their locality receive easily accessible, appropriate support to meet their identified needs.

Tusla also provides specific and targeted interventions for families delivered by Tusla and Tusla funded services. Examples can include parenting supports, counselling, and educational supports. Universal services funded by Tusla take a universal preventative approach when working with children and families, to ensure that parents and caregivers build the knowledge and skills for understanding and providing babies and children with what they need to grow, develop, and stay safe. Examples can include parenting programmes, infant mental health programmes, toddler groups, and youth groups.

My Department has provided Dormant Accounts Funding of €619,008 under the What Works initiative this year to roll out effective family support programmes. A spending review of Tusla-funded family support services is currently underway and will inform future priorities for investment in these services.

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