David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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340. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to expand the counselling services and supports available for victims of sexual abuse following court proceedings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29931/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV). In 2020, I am providing core funding of €25.3m to Tusla to support the DSGBV sector, including support services for those who have experienced sexual violence.

Tusla provides annual funding to 16 rape crisis centres nationwide. Services provided by these centres include specialist counselling for individuals seeking assistance in coming to terms with their experiences.

Barnahus is a child-friendly, interdisciplinary and multiagency model of service that brings child protection, policing, medical, therapeutic and forensic services together to provide services for children who experience sexual abuse and their families. Gardaí, social workers, doctors, psychologists and other professionals can work together under one roof, minimising the number of times a child has to recount their experiences.

In the Barnahus model, health services, including mental health services and treatment for victims of sexual abuse, are provided by professionals with specialised training and expertise. These professionals work with the child in the Barnahus service during the initial crisis phase, and have a role in the identification of therapeutic pathways. If required, a referral is made to existing community-based services for the provision of additional interventions.

It should be noted that overall responsibility for mental health services lies with the Department of Health. The Health Service Executive (HSE) operates the National Counselling Service (NCS), a professional and confidential counselling and psychotherapy service which is available free of charge to service users.

The O'Malley Report, which was recently published by the Department of Justice, reviewed protections for vulnerable witnesses in the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences. The Department of Justice is also developing an implementation plan with regard to future actions arising from the O'Malley Report. Any future actions regarding the potential expansion of services will be informed by this implementation plan and by the Second National Strategy for DSGBV (2016-2021).