Social welfare offices in North Kildare set to close this month slammed as 'disgraceful'

An 'unprecedented' move by the Department of Social Protection to close the North Kildare community welfare offices is set for later this month,  a TD claimed.

Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy has said it is' disgraceful' that North Kildare is to lose access to direct Community Welfare facilities on April 18th,  following a recent decision by the Department of Social Protection.

Deputy Murphy said: “The Community Welfare Officers have built up a great deal of local knowledge about families in the area and serve an important function in the County overall. In many cases the CWOs have become a vital protection for citizens suffering due to lack of adequate service provision in the County. Without these vital supports many families and individuals will find themselves in vulnerable positions.”

In a statement the Department of Social Protection said it is examining the operation of all services across its remit, including the Community Welfare Service.

A spokeswoman added: "The Department is doing this in the context of the Pathways to Work commitments and the development of Intreo services nationally.

"This has resulted in some re-balancing of resources across the Department’s range of activities.

"The Pathways to Work Programme includes the provision of opportunities, support and assistance to unemployed people by intensifying the Department’s level of engagement with them, in particular, those who are, or become, long-term unemployed.

"The new Intreo service offers practical, tailored employment services and supports for jobseekers and this new service model is being rolled out across the country.

"The Department of Social Protection is fully conscious of the need to provide efficient and effective customer services at a local level for all its customers, having regard to the resources that are available.

"People claiming supports under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme generally interact with the Department on an occasional basis, for example, when seeking an Exceptional Needs Payment or when claiming additional supports such as Rent Supplement, which are usually reviewed once to twice yearly."