Stemming from the research, the following recommendations are made
in respect of Aoibhneas's future development.

Women's Needs

• Women require the integrated 24-hour counselling service in the refuge.
• Women need a far more effective professional response from the Gardai
  when they first contact them.
• Women urgently require a far more effective co-ordinated response and
  presence when dealing with - interim court orders - barring orders - and
  confronting broken barring orders.
• Women need accompaniment to court.
• There is an urgent need for a rapid statutory response, possibly through
  the multi-agency initiative, to the acute problem of accommodation for
  women after they leave the refuge.
• There should be thrice-yearly bloc of 'taster courses' being run in the refuge
  to - help women relax and have a better quality of social time - to help them
  build back their self-confidence.
• Family support workers, co-ordinated through local community care areas,
  should be made use of, where appropriate, to help women re-establish
  themselves and their families in their new accommodation.
• The Aoibhneas second-stage housing unit is an important adjunct to the
  work of the refuge and for some women, it prepares them to have the
  confidenceto live on their own, without turning to inappropriate relationships because they still feel vulnerable.
• Women may need ongoing support and counseling when they leave the refuge.
  For this purpose, a venue where they can access counselling off-site should be established.
• Women may also need up-skilling for employment when they leave the Refuge.
  This is a co-ordinating task that needs to be developed through a development
  officer, based at off-site premises.
• Statistically, by far the greater number of women who experience Domestic
  Violence never approach a refuge. To begin to serve their needs, the
  development of a drop in 'listening ear' service and over time, a neighbourhood
  work team, providing outreach support by women in the community should
  be one of the principal objectives in establishing an off-site premises.

Children's Needs

• More assistant childcare staff are needed to release the
  highly trained childcare workers in the refuge to do more
  in-depth therapy work with needy children.
• More activities needed for children on site in the Refuge.
• Over the summer period, children should be linked in with
  summer projects/playbus ventures.
• Some children may also need on-going therapy work for
  a period after they leave the refuge. There is an urgent need for a rapid link-in with statutory social workers in the
  relevant community care areas to take up support work for children as soon as they leave the refuge.
• There is also a need to develop better co-ordination
  structures with schools and teachers to support children
  
• Some children may also need on-going therapy work for a period
  after they leave the refuge. There is an urgent need for a rapid link-in
  with statutory social workers in the relevant community care areas to
  take up support work for children as soon as they leave the refuge.


• There is also a need to develop better coordination structures with schools
  and teachers to support children who are attending school from the refuge.