Call for Tusla-Funded Family Resource Centre in Carrigaline Gains Momentum

By Chris O’Brien

Carrigaline is one of Cork’s fastest-growing towns that is in urgent need of a designated Family Resource Centre (FRC), and community voices are getting louder in their calls for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to step in and provide one.

With a population now exceeding 18,000 and a continued influx of young families, Carrigaline has outgrown many of its community supports.  While neighbouring towns benefit from Tusla-funded FRCs offering affordable counselling, parenting courses, youth supports, and social inclusion programmes (designated FRCs are located in Carrigtwohill, Midleton and Bandon), Carrigaline’s community are being left short changed by the lack of a designated FRC, some must travel outside the town to access equivalent services, a barrier that can deter those most in need.

Family Resource Centres play a vital role in providing early intervention and community-based support, addressing issues before they escalate into crises.  They offer safe, welcoming spaces where families can get help with parenting challenges, mental health concerns, domestic violence, financial stress, and social isolation.  In a town the size of Carrigaline, the absence of such an adequately funded hub is becoming increasingly stark.

Carrigaline Family Support Centre

Local community groups report rising demand for family and youth support services, particularly in the wake of the pandemic and amid the current cost-of-living crisis.  “Carrigaline has incredible community spirit,” one local volunteer notes, “but we’re asking volunteers to carry a load that really needs a permanent, professional support structure.”

A Tusla-funded centre would not only deliver essential services but also coordinate and strengthen the work of existing voluntary organisations in the area.  It would ensure that all residents, from new parents to older citizens, can access the help they need without facing long travel times or waiting lists.

Advocates say the case for Carrigaline is clear: the town meets every criterion for such investment; rapid population growth, significant numbers of young families, and documented demand for services.  Establishing an FRC here would be an investment in prevention, wellbeing, and the future resilience of the community.

It is now up to Tusla and relevant decision makers to listen to the voices of Carrigaline and deliver a resource that residents believe is long overdue.

Luckily for them, Carrigaline Family Support Centre has submit a robust application to Tusla for designation as an FRC in the area.  The Family Centre, which already delivers many of the services of an FRC for our community and have since 2008, has been seeking FRC designation since 2017 and are hopeful that with the backing of the community, and our local politicians, that now is the time.

We would ask you when next you meet your local politician, be sure to remind them that their continued support of an FRC for the Carrigaline area is essential to the success of our community and our future generations!