Sinn Féin Councillor Conor D. McGuinness has launched a discussion document on a Family Resource Centre in Dungarvan and reiterated his call for the Department of Children and TUSLA to make urgent provision for a centre the town and wider West Waterford Area. The launch was attended by Sinn Féin spokesperson on Children and candidate for the European elections Kathleen Funchion TD.
McGuinness said:
“I put this document together to underline the strong rationale for a family resource centre to be developed in Dungarvan, and to set out the steps necessary for this to take place. I am asking the Department of Children and TUSLA to play their part in making this a reality.
“Over recent months I have been engaging with professionals and groups active in the areas of family support, community development, social care, education, integration, diversion, rehabilitation, and health promotion in the course of preparing this document. I have also visited a number of Family Resource Centre in the area to better understand the services they provide, their governance and operational systems, their funding structure, and the benefits that accrue from the wholistic, ‘all under the one roof’ approach.
“There is an urgent need for a Family Resource Centre in West Waterford. Its well known that Dungarvan has a shortage of community facilities, and is underserved when compared to towns of a similar size. The map of family resource centre locations shows a glaring gap corresponding with most of Co. Waterford. There is a triangle, stretching between Waterford City, Cashel and Midleton, in which there is no family resources centre available to the community, in stark contrast to the rest of the state.
“These centres provide a community-based model of family support while building up capacity, skills and leadership in the community. This is done through providing information, support and advice; delivering education and training; developing and hosting community groups and clubs; and providing counselling services and group supports.
“Its inexplicable that Dungarvan and West Waterford has been left without a family resource centre, and I believe this imbalance needs to be remedied as soon as possible. It’s all the worse when the lack of a community centre in the town is also taken into account. We need to see urgent movement on community facilities for Dungarvan.”
The discussion document can be viewed
Conor D. McGuinness TD 