Strengthening the family key objective, says Coughlan

SUPPORTING and strengthening the family in the face of mounting pressures, such as divorce, is one of the Government's key objectives, Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Coughlan said yesterday.

“Our objective is to protect the family, to support the stability of family life and to address the effects of divorce on families,” Ms Coughlan told the first meeting of the Family Support Agency (FSA).

Until recently, she said, very little research had been carried out to establish the issues families are facing. One of the key objectives for the new agency is the development of a research programme in this area. Chaired by former minister and EU commissioner Michael O’Kennedy, the nine-member agency will deliver services to families and advise on family policy.

Ms Coughlan said building an inclusive society was a priority of the Programme for Government: “There have been radical and, in most cases, very welcome changes in Irish society in recent years. We want to continue this progress and to ensure that everybody shares in the benefits of economic growth, but, at this time of change, families are coming under increasing pressures.”

Earlier this year, the ESRI reported 32% of births in 2000 were outside marriage. Some 12% of children under 15 were in lone-parent families - double the level in the 1980s. Research has shown marital breakdown and non-marital births are the most common routes to lone parenthood. Ms Coughlan said counselling services could aid couples with difficulties and help them build better relationships.