Written answers

Tuesday, 28 November 2017

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Counselling Services Provision

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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616. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which she remains satisfied regarding the adequacy of the counselling services available through her Department to children and families at risk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50568/17]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency is required to support and promote the development, welfare and protection of children. Tusla provides funding to voluntary organisations offering a range of counselling and support services to children and families including:

- Marriage and relationship counselling,

- Child counselling,

- Rainbows Peer Support Programme for children,

- Bereavement counselling and support on the death of a family member.

In addition to direct service provision, Tusla provides grant aid to community and voluntary agencies for the provision of a wide range of family support services.

Tusla provides funding to the Barnardos Children’s Bereavement Service, which works to support children and families coping with death. This includes a bereavement telephone helpline and a skilled therapeutic service that supports children, especially in relation to complicated grief and traumatic loss.

Tusla also supports Rainbows Ireland, which provides group based support to children dealing with loss following parental separation /divorce or a death. The Rainbows programme is currently delivered in schools and community-based centres around the country.

Childhood bereavement is an area of special focus for Tusla. Together with the Irish Hospice Foundation, Tusla co-funds the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network, which works to improve awareness of and support for bereaved children.

Tusla is currently developing an integrated service model for the provision of therapy services relating to the psychological welfare of children and their families which supports and informs front line practitioners in their day to day work with children and families as well as providing multidisciplinary therapeutic services which can address more complex needs.

Community Therapy Services will include therapeutic services to children and families in the community and in care placements; assessment, consultation and/or intervention services in for children at significant risk of placement in secure settings; therapeutic support for professionals including residential care staff and foster carers in their ongoing work with young people and their families; and expert court reports.

Mental health policy is under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Health, and Tusla works closely with other care providers including the Health Service Executive (HSE), in respect of access to child and adolescent mental health services.

The protection and welfare of children and young people is of great concern to me, and I will continue to support Tusla in assisting children and young people at risk.

In this context, I announced a significant increase in the funding allocation to Tusla for next year. Tusla will have available to it some €753 million in funding, representing an increase of over €40 million over 2017. The precise level of funding to be provided to counselling, therapy and support services will be considered by Tusla in developing its Business Plan for 2018.

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