Mr. Seán Cooke:

I want to come in behind what Ms McDermott is saying on the regional provision and structures. On the development of those regional structures, a previous regional plan used to be in place and it does not exist any more. It is a very strong mechanism to roll out, certainly around the perpetrator programmes that have been happening in Ireland. We are part of the Choices programme called MEND. Along with our colleagues in MOVE Ireland, Men Overcoming Violence, and in the north east domestic violence intervention programme, we roll out the national Choices programme, which is a 32-week programme of engaging men around this particular issue of their own behaviour and of changed behaviour. We come to this and our strength is based on a positive perspective in that regard. A review is happening in respect of the roll-out of that particular programme. In some ways, many of these reviews are interwoven with the national strategy, with other particular programmes and with the accommodation review. This review is still ongoing in respect of effectiveness, delivery, project management and the delivery of that particular programme. This would clearly suggest that regional structures are probably the most appropriate way in which to start to look around the issue of delivery and engagement in order to address the issue of domestic violence.

It would also be remiss of me today as a representative of a men’s development organisation, although it is not because of that that I say this, not to state there is also a recognition that we are talking about domestic violence being an inclusive issue that addresses a whole range of people, genders and sexes, which we need to acknowledge. We certainly feel the need for a gender-sensitive approach in how we go about this work. Ms McDermott and I have worked on various issues and have been in discussions over many years, in the brief moments when we get to take our heads out of the sand to do so, when we talk about the most appropriate ways and the language that we need to use when we talk and address the issues of domestic violence, regardless of the gender or sex of the person who is the victim.

As I said earlier we work very much with both perpetrators and victims, which is somewhat unusual in that sense but whatever way we come to this work, this is done from a collaborative and partnership perspective, working in a non-adversarial way, on the basis and with the optimism that people can change, and that we can engage with their behaviours and change them in that regard.

The other piece I will speak quickly on is the question of accommodation. As it stands at the moment in Ireland, there is not any provision of refuge for men. In saying that, there is capacity in which we can and have used the various different systems and hotel rooms in gaining access to crisis accommodation for men at various different times. The Men’s Development Network will be doing a review of its own work with the Male Advice Line, which we run. This is a national freefone service. We have identified from what we see happening and in how men present themselves that refuge is not necessarily the cornerstone, and as Ms McDermott was saying, is not the endgame in addressing the issue of domestic violence. It is not necessarily what is required at this point in time.

We have made a proposal to Tusla and are rolling out a pilot programme at present, which is a wrap-around remote service being offered to men. This is so that when they engage with our services, we can then refer them to our client support worker. We are finding that men are not looking to get out because the original question that is usually asked when they contact our services is whether they being abused as they are unsure what the situation is. When we talk to them then it is more about developing a plan and what is the most coherent one for them as to whether they are going to exit the relationship or the home. This is done in a way, however, that does not undermine them culturally, socially or even economically. That is the sort of network there.