partners and funding

From small beginnings and limited funds ACCORD has developed and grown to become the largest and only nationwide marriage care service in Ireland. The organisation has always endeavoured to meet the challenges presented to ensure it is focused and able to meet the needs of clients.

This is made possible with the support of our funders –
   The Family Support Agency
   Health Service Executive
   Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs
   DHSSPS Northern Ireland
   The Episcopal Conference.

With the debate and subsequent introduction of divorce some years ago, Government took a very positive approach by substantially increasing the funding to ACCORD and other counselling agencies to demonstrate their support and care for marriage and family. This much needed boost enabled ACCORD to bring about many innovations to improve the service available to our clients.

The advent of the Family Support Agency further enhanced Government's commitment to organisations such as ourselves and has proved to be a great resource for us. Minister Mary Hanafin champions this Agency and is very committed to its ongoing success, and the very necessary work that it does. ACCORD Central Office and most ACCORD Centres received increases on the 2007 grant levels. The total funding granted was in excess of €3m.

In early 2004 the Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs grant aided ACCORD to develop a dynamic, interactive, state-of-the-art website over a three-year period. This provided a unique opportunity for ACCORD to present its services and supports for marriage, relationships & family to an increasingly computer literate population.

The Health Service Executive continue to support our Fertility Programme and are very keen to maintain this service which offers women choices around fertility, infertility and menopausal issues, as well as presenting 'green' options for those clients who have a preference for non-invasive, non-medical solutions.

In Northern Ireland the DHSSPS (Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety) continue to provide core funding for the Northern Ireland Regional Office in Belfast.   This funding enables the NI Office to support the work of the nine centres in the region.

The Episcopal Conference also continue their substantial support for ACCORD. They do this by the provision of premises, services and financial backing to our Centres throughout the country.

ACCORD, in conjunction with our Quality Assurance System, has a strong policy, efficient guidelines and commitment to continuous improvement to ensure good practice around the management of its funds. The standard in this regard is:

“The organisation systematically attracts and generates money to support its work, and manages its funds effectively and prudently. It exercises financial control, and accounts for all its money within a framework of law and good practice”.