department of social and family affairs annual report 2006 - Welfare.ie

2006 in review
2006 - year in review
> The context
The Department’s work in 2006 was against a
strong economic background. The Irish economy
continued to perform well, with GNP growing
by 4.2%. Population and employment continued
to grow; the labour force rose to 2.108 million
in 2006 (an increase of some 360,000 or 20% in
the five years since 2001). As well as increased
participation rates, this increase is attributable to
increased numbers of immigrants, in particular
people from the new EU member states.
The Department’s policies continued to be shaped
in 2006 by the Social Partnership Agreement
- Sustaining Progress - along with its successor
agreement - Towards 2016 - which was published
during the year.
Key policy developments:
> Towards 2016
The new Social Partnership agreement - Towards
2016 - which was produced in 2006 outlines a
new framework within which the policies and
programmes of the Department will be developed
around the key challenges which the individual
person faces and the supports which are available
to them at each stage in the life cycle.
A life cycle approach adopts the perspective of
the person, at whatever stage of the life cycle,
as the centrepiece of social policy development
and is intended to ensure that policy evolves in
a manner which encompasses actions across
relevant departments and agencies in relation to
the key life cycle stages represented by children,
people of working age, older people and people
with disabilities.
The lifecycle approach also offers the potential of
a more streamlined, outcomes-focused approach
to monitoring and reporting on progress within
social partnership across key national strategies
and for improved availability and use of data.
> Lone Parents
A Government Discussion Paper, Proposals
for Supporting Lone Parents, was published in
February 2006 following a Report prepared by
the Senior Officials Group on Social Inclusion. One
of the main planks of policy aimed at reducing
child poverty is to improve quality employment
opportunities for lone parents. Among the
recommendations made were;
- Reform of income supports
- Expanded availability and range of
education and training opportunities for
lone parents
- Extension of the National Employment
Action Plan to also include lone parents
- Focused provision of childcare
- A targeted Teen Parent Support initiative
- Improved information and advice services
for lone parents.
The development of a new social assistance
payment and relevant legislation to replace the
One Parent Family Payment is underway with
the long term aim of assisting people to achieve
financial independence through supporting them
to enter education, training and employment.
> Early Childcare Supplement
The Early Childcare Supplement was introduced in
2006. This is a quarterly payment of €250 paid in
respect of children under 6 who qualify for Child
Benefit. The scheme is under the direction of the
Office of the Minister for Children and paid by
the DSFA Child Benefit Office. The first payments
issued in August for the quarter April-June, with
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