Counsellors critical of ban on gay couples at Cork centre

Counselling staff at the Cork Marriage Counselling Centre (CMCC) have moved to distance themselves from a controversy which has seen Tusla pull funding to the long-running agency.

At the weekend, the Irish Examiner reported that talks over a new service-level agreement between Tusla, as funder, and the CMCC had ended, with the understanding that the centre felt it could not comply with specifications in the proposed agreement which would mean dealing with same-sex couples.

The CMCC said it wished to wait until it had discussed the situation with staff before commenting.

However, in a statement on behalf of the staff issued yesterday, counsellors said they “would like to totally disassociate themselves from the alleged policy of CRSS [Cork and Ross Social Services] in relation to seeing same-sex couples at the centre”.

The centre is a service of the CRSS and one possible obstacle to the signing of the service-level agreement is understood to be the founding constitution of the body.

Counselling staff said they “have always worked with LGBTQ+ couples or individuals who have presented to the centre” and “had never discriminated against anyone”.

It has always been the policy of the centre to welcome everyone regardless of means or status,” they said. “We believe the loss of this low-cost service to the people of Cork who can’t afford to pay for private counselling is shameful.

The centre employs 11 people and has a steady flow of clients. It is understood it receives between €250,000 and €300,000 from Tusla annually.

The statement said staff were not consulted on the decision by CRSS to not sign the service- level agreement and asked how another Catholic agency, Accord, had been able to do so while CMCC did not.

It added that it accepted Tusla had to withdraw funding due to the agreement not being signed.

CRSS did not provide a comment yesterday.