Number of women turned away by domestic violence refuge doubles due to lack of space

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said that the Government's new Family Justice Strategy 'will develop a system which puts the family and children at the centre of its work'. Picture: Brian Lawless

A domestic violence refuge has revealed that the number of women it could not accommodate last year due to lack of beds doubled, and the number of children it could not take in rose by almost 60%.

Manager of Meath Women’s Refuge & Support Services, Sinead Smith, said it was unable to accommodate 195 children and 242 women last year, adding that those levels have continued throughout 2022.

Ms Smith was speaking after a seminar, addressed by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, which focused on the need for more supports for children impacted by domestic violence, the reporting of which has increased since the start of the pandemic. 

"We need to up our game," said Ms Smith, adding that there needs to be more specialist domestic violence supports for children, "not just in refuges, but in the community as well".

She said that families typically cannot be accommodated due to a lack of space, which then means an ongoing referral to another refuge or service, which may be some distance away.

"There is a shortage of emergency accommodation, so families may not have somewhere to move on to," she said, adding that it is the same situation regarding stepdown and 'move-on' facilities.

Zero Tolerance

Ms Smith welcomed this week's announcement of reform of family law courts, while Ms McEntee said there will be an increased focus on the impact of domestic violence on children.

"Through ‘Zero Tolerance’, my plan to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, I am determined that our polices in this area will support children, as well as providing training and resources for the services assisting children who have lived with domestic abuse," said Ms McEntee.

Zero Tolerance seeks to clearly identify children and young people as witnesses, victims, and survivors.

"Among other measures, we will provide support services for children as victims or survivors of domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence; trauma-informed therapeutic counselling services for adults and children; and trauma-informed parenting supports. 

"This week, I also published our new Family Justice Strategy, which will develop a system which puts the family and children at the centre of its work."

Last year, Meath Women’s Refuge & Support Services provided refuge accommodation for 46 women and 72 children, supported 454 women in the community, and received over 2,000 helpline calls.