Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 117: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his Department offers parenting courses; if not, his views on the introduction of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37641/06]

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

Although not offering parenting courses directly, my Department does provide support, via the Family Services Project and the Family Support Agency, to a range of groups and organisations that are involved in the provision of supports and information to parents.

Specifically, the Employment Supports Service in my Department has developed the Family Services Project since its establishment in 1998 with a view to providing a high quality information service on the range of supports available to families. Examples of activities funded under the Family Services Project include parenting projects for very young lone parents, supports programmes for families of disabled persons and family support for Travellers. To date in 2006, over €1.36 million has been expended on some 80 programmes to assist disadvantaged families, 37 of which were parenting programmes.

In addition, the Family Support Agency has statutory responsibility to promote and disseminate information about issues such as parenting and family responsibilities. In 2006, the Agency has responsibility for €28 million of Government funding to support families and has a mission "to promote family and community well being through the provision of appropriate supports and services to families".

A crucial element of that investment is the almost €13 million allocated to the Family Resource Centre programme that seeks to help combat disadvantage by improving the functioning of the family unit. The emphasis in the projects is on the involvement of local communities in developing approaches to tackle the problems they face and on creating successful partnerships between the voluntary and statutory agencies in the area concerned.

The services provided and activities supported by the resource centres are designed to meet the needs of the local community. They include the provision of parenting courses, education and training opportunities for parents and active dissemination of information on a range of issues affecting families and local communities.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 120: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to improve supports for new fathers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37637/06]

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

The social welfare system is designed to provide a replacement income in the event of a particular contingency arising. The contingencies include lone parenthood, child support, maternity and adoption. The payments involved, while not targeted specifically at fathers of recently born children, could be claimed by them in certain circumstances. In addition, where a man is in receipt of a social welfare payment, he may claim an increase on the payment in respect of a child dependant.

Other measures within the social insurance framework which may support new fathers include the award of credits for periods of statutory leave in the event of adoption, maternity and carers leave, if they are entitled to the leave. There is no provision for the payment of an income support during any period of parental leave, but the period of statutory leave attracts credited contributions to maintain a full PRSI insurance record.

The parameters set out in law under which a father may establish entitlement to a period of statutory maternity, adoptive, carers or parental leave is the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

In relation to supports for families generally, the Family Support Agency has a key role in promoting family and community well being through the provision of appropriate supports and services to families. Specifically, the Agency, through the Family and Community Services Resource Centre Programme, supports the involvement of local communities in developing approaches to tackle the problems affecting families on creating successful partnerships between the voluntary and statutory agencies in this regard.

Initiatives supported by Family Resource Centres include parenting courses, information sessions and other measures aimed at enhancing the role of young fathers in the lives of their children.

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 124: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the intentions he has of commissioning research on the key issues involved in family breakdown in view of the increasing numbers of marriages that are ending in separation and divorce. [37661/06]

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

The provision of quality research into key family issues is one of the main priorities for the Family Support Agency and indeed the Agency is committed to continuing the innovative work contained in the first phase of the Families Research Programme, which ran from 1999 to 2004.

In June this year, as a precursor to a call for research into selected family themes, I launched a thematic review of the findings of the 14 projects commissioned under the first phase of the Programme. Research has been published into such themes as family formation, issues affecting the first year of marriage, family well-being, marital and relationship counselling and children's experiences of parental separation. The resultant reports are all freely available from the Family Affairs Unit of my Department and can be downloaded from the internet.

One of the key issues identified in the thematic review as needing of further research was the whole area of marriage and relationship stability and family breakdown. Indeed, I have gone on record as suggesting that this should be a priority area for future research.

The Board of the Agency has a sub-group charged with identifying the issues for research under the next phase of the Families Research Programme and a call for original research under a number of themes will be published by the Agency early in the new year. While I do not want to pre-empt the decision of the Board, I have no doubt that the issue mentioned by the Deputy will be to the forefront of any such exercise.