Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 112: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on the success of the Family Mediation Service and the services provided by this service; if there are plans to extend these services in view of the large number of people it is currently working with; if new offices are to be opened in the short to medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22983/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Family Mediation Service is a free, professional, confidential service that enables couples who have decided to separate to reach agreement on all issues related to their separation. It assists couples to address the issues on which they need to make decisions including post-separation living arrangements, finances and parenting arrangements to enable children to have an on-going relationship with each parent. The benefits of family mediation as a non-adversarial approach to resolving the issues that arise on separation are increasingly being recognised worldwide.

Over the past number of years the Family Mediation Service has radically expanded to meet a growing need for its service. Over the last few years, the Family Mediation Service has increased from 2 centres in Dublin and Limerick to 16 centres throughout the country. In the past month, two new FMS centres have opened, in Letterkenny to ensure effective access to the service in the North West and in Portlaoise to similarly expand the service in the Midlands.

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of couples seeking mediation, as the benefits of mediation become more widely known. Last year the Service helped approximately 1500 couples — which compares with the figure of 250 a year who used the Service from 1986 up to the end of 1997 before its nation-wide expansion. I would like to pay tribute to the professionalism and hard work of the family mediators who have made a significant contribution to the promotion of the service over the years.

In May of 2003 my predecessor took the development of the service one step further by establishing the Family Support Agency, which will provide a solid and secure base from which this important family service can grow and develop in the future. The Family Support Agency brings together the programmes and family support services formerly under the aegis of my Department. These include services to support families in times of difficulties including the Family Mediation Service, support for voluntary organisations providing counselling and other family supports and a Family Resource Centre programme, which supports and develops local communities. The Family Support Agency is responsible this year for a budget of over EUR20 million for the provision and development of its services.