Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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36. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the immediate actions being taken by her Department to protect the many children affected by the serious capacity issues nationally at domestic violence centres and refuges that provide supports to victims of domestic violence, including women with their children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31225/17]

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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What immediate actions are being taken by the Department to protect the many children affected by the serious capacity issues nationally at domestic violence centres and refuges that provide support to victims of domestic violence, including women with their children? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic violence. This year, Tusla will allocate €22.1 million for the provision of services tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. This represents an increase of €1.5 million over 2016. It will assist in increasing capacity and improving access to emergency accommodation and other support services for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

Tusla facilitates a range of services to victims of domestic violence and their families, including 155 family units, comprising 147 emergency refuge family units and eight emergency non-refuge family units. The remit of these services is to provide safe emergency accommodation on a short-term basis.

I highly value the work of service providers who work with victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. It is important to break the cycle of violence, as children who grow up in an atmosphere of violence can be affected for many years to come. Refuges provide a place of safety for families in this situation, but a refuge is not a home. We know that the well-being of children is best supported by enabling children to live safely in their own homes.

My Government colleague, the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, has responsibility for Rebuilding Ireland, which contains a commitment to provide additional emergency refuge accommodation spaces for victims of domestic violence. This is in addition to those emergency refuge spaces already supported by Tusla. I worked very closely with the Minister, Deputy Coveney, when he held this brief, and I look forward to working with the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, on it now.

While there is no verified data, anecdotal evidence from service providers indicates the current homelessness crisis is impacting on the length of stay of families in refuges. Tusla is very concerned about this situation. My officials are in regular contact with Tusla, and we share the same motivation, which is to do everything we can to alleviate the concerns of families in refuges, and those families who are seeking refuge spaces.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister has attended a number of Women's Aid events so I know she has an interest in the area. What prompted me to ask the question is in my constituency we have a women's refuge that covers counties Carlow and Kilkenny, but because it is being used as emergency accommodation, last year it had to refuse 321 referrals. The housing crisis means women fleeing domestic violence are not able to access accommodation. They might be able to access secondary services but accommodation is what is crucial. Unfortunately, many of the women will end up going back into the situation, which will have a detrimental effect on them and their children. Will the Minister ask Tusla to do an audit to ensure where there are domestic violence refuges that they are being used for that, and that alone, and that they are allowed to get on with that very important work and are not are not being used as an overflow for the housing crisis? It is a crisis, but it is a different situation and should not impact on domestic violence services for women and children.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I am aware of the issue the Deputy is raising. She knows that the challenges involved in providing longer-term housing for those who find themselves homeless can impact, as I have said, on the length of time a family stays in emergency refuge accommodation. Of course this can have a knock-on effect on spaces for those with acute safety needs seeking access to a refuge. I am concerned that the level of demand for services in the Deputy's region is greater than the current available capacity, and I appreciate her raising the matter. Tusla will allocate funding of €493,000 to the refuge this year, and it is committed to ensuring there is more equitable access to the services, but it will also work in partnership with local organisations, such as Amber Kilkenny Women's Refuge, to obtain the best possible supports for families experiencing domestic violence in Ireland. As part of its approach it is assessing the level of need throughout the country and is working closely with key stakeholders to develop an appropriate service response.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome that. It is important that we have an audit of the services to ensure they are being used for their purpose. I invite the Minister to visit Amber in Kilkenny. It would definitely appreciate that. Because it covers the two counties there are huge difficulties for women leaving a domestic violence situation in County Carlow because, realistically, if they want to leave the situation they must uproot with their children and move 30 minutes away. Many women will not do this. It is not realistic to move children going to school to a different county. I invite the Minister to come down and see the service and see the work it is doing on domestic violence. It is important a nationwide audit is carried out. One refuge for two counties is not adequate and I am sure it is happening in other parts of the country. It is important that we carry out an audit so domestic violence services can deal solely with domestic violence and not have to take up the burden of emergency accommodation for housing.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I will accept the Deputy's invitation. As I have already indicated, Tusla is conducting a needs analysis. I appreciate what the Deputy has said about her particular region. I want to put on record we will have further specific plans in place by the end of the year. I confirm that five additional family accommodation units will be available in the Dublin area in early 2018. This is with regard to providing more refuge places for women and children fleeing violence in their homes. We also plan to have an additional five units in Galway, which should be ready by September next year, and additional accommodation comprising five units will come onstream in Clare by the end of next year. Deputy Ó Laoghaire will be happy to hear the midlands and Cork are the priority areas we are examining.