Oh for Fas sake!

The staff of the Community Welfare Service of the HSE and both staff and responsibility for the policy direction and funding of the employment services and community employment services programmes of FÁS were transferred to the Department of Social Protection on 1 January. The relevant staff and resources, such as buildings, will be fully integrated with the staff and structure of the Department over the coming months. The aim is to provide a more complete service to people on the Live Register. When the integration programme is complete, FÁS will cease to have any role in the provision of employment and community employment programmes and will focus on the provision of training services. This means that, as well as income support, the Department of Social Protection will now focus on assisting people to find employment and to prepare themselves for entry into the labour market by accessing training, career advice, work experience and job placement.