Kathleen Funchion: Calls for more refuges, safe houses and counselling

So, Minister, this question is also in relation to domestic violence, refuge spaces, how many are allocated for 2022, the cost of each space and the amount of funding provided for refuge spaces, and also, I suppose, more importantly, how much of the additional £41 million allocated to TUSLA is going to be spent on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence? Thanks. Thanks. Thanks very much, Deputy. So, under the Child and Family Agency Act of 2013, TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency, has currently, anyway, statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, and TUSLA is funded from my Department vote, 40. At the end of 2021, TUSLA funded 155 DSGB-related accommodation units. So, these consisted of 137 refuge units, 18 safe houses, and six other available accommodation units. So, TUSLA has previously advised this Department that the cost of maintaining a single refuge space is in the region of €100,000 annually, and this estimated annual operating cost is based on typical all year, around the clock, and the clock refuge with support services and facilities on-site. In 2021, TUSLA allocated 28 core funding for DSGBV services, plus $2 million in contingency funding to address COVID challenges. For 2022, I expect TUSLA to increase its core funding to $30 million to support DSGBV services, and also, then, a further $1 million will be allocated to address recommendations arising from TUSLA's accommodation review. I issue my performance statement to TUSLA, in which I outline the overall parameters of TUSLA's funding financial resources after Budget 2022, and my priorities for the coming year. TUSLA has now prepared its annual business plan for 2022, in accordance with section 46 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013. The plan is undergoing the final edits for publication. It will outline the proposed activities for the year, and the proposed allocation of financial resources. I am informed TUSLA is currently finalising service level agreement with operators in the DSGBV sector for the coming year, and addressing requests for extra funding. And the next step in the provision of DSGBV accommodation will be guided by TUSLA's accommodation review. And as I outlined in a response to an earlier question, I expect that to be published by TUSLA in the next two weeks. TUSLA has had one question. It is very welcome, Minister. Thanks very much. You had all the facts and figures that I was looking for. It's very welcome. In relation to the area – it is rare that this is said in here, so in fairness, I think it should be acknowledged. In relation to domestic violence and gender-based violence, we have had a lot of discussions and in our first number of days back here, this term is a very much dominated debate. We can see there are 100,000 per one space and there are only 18 safe houses. I am wondering, even from an economic point of view, apart from the fact that a safe house would be a much better option, I know we still have counties, including one of my own constituency and Carlow that do not have refuge, Deputy Tully was talking about Kevin Monaghan, but should we be looking at that kind of a housing model instead? I believe it is Waterford to possibly have a situation like that. It is not going to be possible everywhere, but should we be looking at that type of a situation for people coming out of domestic violence rather than just a refuge? I will briefly finish on this and come in again. Part of the problem I know for people now in the last number of years is that there is a time limit of maybe three months and the refuge has to put that in place because they have to try and manage their service, but it is very, very difficult for people and then they end up drifting back into that very negative, very violent relationship happening. I fully agree with you Deputy, and I think in terms of our discussion, and as you know, this is moving out of my department now and it will be fully a matter for the Minister for Justice in the coming months, but I think in terms of the ongoing focus on this, obviously we do need to increase the number of refuge places, there is no doubt the refuge is vital in terms of that emergency need when a woman, when a family is fleeing a life or death situation, but I think we also need to include in our discussion safe houses as a slightly kind of medium-term solution for many families, maybe not requiring that high degree, and you kind of outlined the cost, 100,000 per space, and look, it is a cost we absolutely must pay, but in terms of having just a step-down facility to allow families maybe move back into a slightly more community-based setting, we need to include that in our understanding of the accommodation needs that we need to provide as we continue to address these issues. Thanks Minister, thanks Chair. I think as well, the debate, we do need a wider debate, and I know that was had over the last number of weeks here, and I hope now that we kind of continue that, and the actual action will come of that, because one of the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly on gender equality was around relationship and sexuality, you know, education and the role of consent, and gender power dynamics and relationships, and we do need to look at that wider debate as well as obviously looking at the very important resources. I want to briefly mention counselling and play therapy as well. I just know from dealing with Amber, Women's Refuge in Kilkenny, that cover both Carlo and Kilkenny, that you know, counselling sometimes and the play therapy budget is the one that there is no absolute guaranteed funding for, and for me I think it is one of the most crucial services, because you are not just going to get up and leave a very violent situation and everything is fine then the next day. and you go about your life. There is a huge amount of counselling, both for the main, I know there is men that suffer from domestic violence, but we do know that it is mainly women, and then for children as well. That service is invaluable, and I think we just need to put that into the wider debate. Lastly, to finish on this, I do welcome that it is going in under one department. I think that is a really good positive move. Thanks, Chair. I suppose in terms of the services for this year, the additional 2 million going from 28 million to 30 million, that will be distributed across the services, and that provides for greater resources for them to invest, and a lot of flexibility is given to services in determining what they need in their area, and hopefully that will provide additional resources for therapies like play therapy, which I absolutely agree with you are really vital. I was in Barnardo's in Milhuderd there just before Christmas, and I saw the huge benefits, and spoke to some parents and children who benefited from it. It is also important to say, though, that even though provision of accommodation will be moving out of my department, Tusla still will have a role in its child protection role in encountering children and families where domestic violence has been a key issue in bringing the children before them. So one of the key investments Tusla are doing is that they are putting DSGBV specialists into each of their regions who can deal with those children, those families who have had a specific DSGBV experience, and that will remain within Tusla even after the changes that we have discussed have taken place, because Tusla will continue to have to have the ability to engage and support families who have suffered DSGBV. Thank you. Thank you.