Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his Department has carried out or commissioned any research specifically on the needs of separated fathers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11815/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Under my Department's families research programme to date, 14 reports have been published on a range of issues such as parenting, family formation, family well-being, marriage and relationships counselling and children's experiences of parental separation.

Two of the 14 research projects dealt specifically with men's issues. A report entitled Young Men on the Margins, published in April 2004, looked at the risks of marginalisation faced by some men by way of a number of qualitative interviews with homeless young men, almost half of whom were fathers. Issues raised by the report include the need for gender-specific education and preparation for life type courses, as part of the formal education process and also the need for more support for parents who are having difficulty coping with the challenge of parenting.

A second report entitled Strengthening Families Through Fathers relates to fathers and was published in November 2004. Again using qualitative interviews with vulnerable fathers, it examined the factors which led to the exclusion of some fathers from child and family services. The project also interviewed some mothers, children and professionals with a view to identifying best practice for the development of a framework for professional intervention with fathers and their families. The children interviewed were very clear as to their desire to have a relationship with their fathers.

Parenting alone and non-custodial parents, including the needs of separated fathers, are key issues currently being addressed by an interdepartmental committee, established last year, which is preparing a strategy on supports for families in a changing society. The aim is to begin a strategic process under which issues affecting families will be addressed in an integrated way across the range of Departments and agencies currently involved in providing supports and services impacting on families. Full account will be taken in this regard of the research undertaken to date on family issues, including that relating to fathers.