Cathal Barry
Further State funding for bodies with a religious ethos appears in doubt after the Diocese of Elphin confirmed it was forced to pull out of a local family life centre to guarantee future funding.
It was first reported in The Irish Catholic last week that Tusla – the State’s child and family agency – was pressurising the Boyle-based centre to abandon its Catholic ethos to receive further funding.
Now, the diocese has confirmed that it is reluctantly stepping back from the centre so that it will continue to receive vital taxpayer-funded support.
In a statement, the diocese said that Tusla informed it that it would not fund programmes if a statement of denominational ethos is written into its governance document.
“This in effect means that Tusla is only willing to partner with Boyle Family Life Centre, if we were willing to operate without reference to our ethos,” the diocese added.
The statement goes on to add: “While wishing to protect our freedom to act in accordance with our ethos, it is a primary concern of the Diocese of Elphin to ensure that:
- the very valuable work being done by Boyle Family Life Centre, under the Family Resource Centre Programme can continue and
- that the employment of staff is secured.”
The statement adds that Bishop Kevin Doran “has reluctantly accepted that the services funded by Tusla are unlikely to receive funding unless they are gathered together under the management of a new limited company, which will not have any formal connection to the Diocese of Elphin”.
Stakeholders
It said the diocese is currently working with staff and local stakeholders towards the establishment of that new company which, subject to agreement with the diocese, may continue to operate out of the existing Family Life Centre premises.
“It is hoped that the two agencies, having grown out of the one root and having much in common may be able, while each retaining its own unique ethos, to cooperate on many levels, in a spirit of true partnership and mutual respect,” the statement added.
