Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, Togher Family Centre is a voluntary, community-based project located in the heart of Deanrock estate, Togher, Cork city. The centre is located in a house which has been extended and modified to meet the highest standards of health and safety. I understand the project developed from a long-established, community-based pre-school facility. Togher Family Centre provides services and supports to families and individuals in the Togher area and beyond. These include: early years education, integrated support and early identification of need; family support services; family access services; adult education; and early intervention youth work.

The Togher Family Centre provides an excellent service in line with the principles of Tusla's partnership, participation and family support programme. It receives funding from my Department for its early years education under the ECCE scheme. Funding is also provided by my Department, through Cork ETB, for its early intervention youth work. I understand it also receives funding under the school meals programme. Tusla has advised me that it provides annual funding to the centre through the grants register mechanism. The core budget funding in 2017 was €144,060 and this amount has been supplemented recently by an additional amount of €26,000. Tusla has increased the centre's core budget for 2018 to €177,000, which is an increase of almost €33,000 over the core funding provided by Tusla to the centre in 2016 and 2017.

As one element of the services provided, the centre has developed an access centre, which provides a suitable access facility while mentoring parents and improving parenting practice. The access centre was set up in these new premises with funding from Tusla in 2016.

It prioritises services to its core group of users, those being, the children in care and their families, who are clients of the local south Lee social work department.

The family access programme provides a safe, neutral and child-focused setting for children to visit their non-custodial parents. All visits and exchanges take place under the supervision of trained staff. The Togher Family Centre can arrange for supervised access through referrals from the Child and Family Agency. Supported or fully supervised access is offered, depending on the needs of the particular family. I understand that the access centre has experienced considerable demand from the family law courts in recent times and has, where possible, provided supervised access for referrals from the courts, a matter to which the Deputy referred. However, it is important to reiterate that the core work of the centre is focused on referrals from Tusla and it is not always possible for the access centre to satisfy the increased demand from private law referrals.

I assure the Deputy that my Department is committed to supporting and promoting the development, welfare and protection of children and the effective functioning of families. We recognise that the dynamics of domestic violence and the safety needs of children and non-abusing parents must be considered in making appropriate and safe arrangements for children's contact with parents in the case of family breakdown.

I take this opportunity to advise the Deputy on the provision of child contact facilities generally, a matter that he referred to in terms of the pilot project developed by Barnardos and One Family, which operated a child contact centre from October 2011 to 2013. The pilot served families in private and public law proceedings and operated in three locations in Dublin. The evaluation of the pilot recommended that such centres be rolled out nationally. As to further action, officials from my Department are shortly due to meet officials from the Department of Justice and Equality to discuss the potential for establishing child contact centres on a national basis.

See this speech in context