Family Support Agency

Information

The Family Support Agency is a statutory organisation, set up in May 2003 under the Family Support Agency Act 2001. It brought together pro-family programmes and services which had been introduced by the Government in recent years and which were designed to:

• Promote local support for families
• Help prevent marital breakdown
• Promote continuity and stability in family life
• Support ongoing parenting relationships for children

The programmes and services for which the agency is responsible are outlined in this document.

Family Resource Centres

The Family Support Agency supports over 70 Family Resource Centres around the county. These centres provide a variety of supports to people within the community through activities such as:

• Information, advice and support to families
• Education courses and training opportunities
• Childcare facilities and after school clubs
• Lone parents and women’s groups
• Practical assistance to community groups

To avail of a programme or service provided by a centre you should contact the centre directly.

Counselling Grants for Voluntary Organisations

The Family Support Agency operates a grant scheme for voluntary organisations that provide the following services:

• Marriage and relationship counselling
• Marriage preparation courses
• Child counselling in relation to parental separation
• Bereavement counselling and support on the death of a family member

The grant scheme is advertised at the end of January each year, with a closing date for applications at the end of February.

To find counselling services in your area download Support for Families - A directory of voluntary organisations providing marriage, child and bereavement counselling which is published by the Family Support Agency.

Family Mediation Service

Mediation is a service that helps couples, married and un-married, who have decided to separate or divorce, or who have already separated, to negotiate their own terms of agreement. Mediation can also help in disputes within families. The Family Mediation Service has a number of full-time and part-time centres. From November 2011, the Family Mediation Service has been transferred to the Legal Aid Board. You can read about the Family Mediation Service here.

Research and Information Service

The Family Support Agency carries out research into areas related to its functions which are outlined above. It also provides information about marriage and relationships, parenting and family responsibilities, family mediation and other related matters. A list of the agency’s publications is available here.