Counselling services at the Raphoe Diocesan Pastoral Services have been given a glimmer of hope after Tusla said they are committed to working with the group.
Senior officials from the Child and Family Agency met with Raphoe Diocesan Pastoral Services yesterday.
Following a productive meeting the Agency has committed to continue to work with the organisation to help them resolve current financial operational issues.
It also it plans to develop a sustainability plan and ensure necessary clinical governance and oversight of operations are in place.
The Agency said it will engage with other key stakeholders to support the service, in order for it to continue to provide vital counselling supports across the county.
Tusla provides funding to Raphoe Diocesan Pastoral Services for counselling services to children, young people and families in Donegal, which includes a core budget and other additional payments which have been provided to help address the growing demand for the service countywide and the current waiting lists.
Speaking about the situation, Gerry Hone, Regional Chief Officer West North West, Tusla said: “I am fully aware of the significance of the counselling services provided by the Raphoe Diocesan Pastoral Services to communities across Donegal.
“We are committed to working with the organisation to help them to develop a sustainability plan so that they can continue to provide these important services in the area.
“We are conscious of how the closure of this service would affect local communities and the concern that this has caused across the county. We will also look at how existing funding can be utilised to continue to provide essential supports.”
On Monday last Raphoe Diocesan Pastoral Services announced the complete cessation of its counselling services across Donegal due to lack of public funding for a full-time director of counselling.
The service offers the only provision for child and adolescent counselling in the county, as well as providing counselling services to adults.
Based out of the Raphoe Pastoral Centre in Letterkenny, the not-for-profit community-based organisation has provided support to many thousands of clients in Donegal since 2010, delivering almost 15,000 counselling sessions in the last six years alone.
A total of 26 part-time counsellors, including 11 student placements, currently deliver the service in seven outreach centres across the county — including Letterkenny, Dunfanaghy, Stranorlar, Creeslough and Buncrana. Counselling is also provided by the Pastoral Centre at Hughie’s Corner in Carndonagh and Gemma’s Legacy of Hope in Dungloe, which are both community funded projects. Clinical governance and management are provided by award-winning Director of Counselling, Liam Cannon, who is employed part time one day per week but is standing down after 14 years at the helm.
