Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2026
323. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the mechanisms in place for reporting of historical physical and mental abuse at schools in Ireland; the mechanisms used to address these cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53228/26]
View answerThe Department of Education and Youth takes child protection very seriously and considers that the protection and welfare of children is a fundamental responsibility of all involved in the care and education of children.
Tusla is the agency of the State with the statutory responsibility to assess all reports of child welfare and protection concerns and as such the department of education does not have powers to investigate child protection concerns. Any concern or allegation of a child protection nature, including reports of historical abuse, received by staff in the Department of Education and Youth is immediately passed on to the relevant authorities, that is Tusla-the Child and Family Agency or An Garda Síochána, as appropriate. The school authority is also informed of the alleged concern received. Tusla decides whether an allegation of abuse is founded or unfounded and liaises with An Garda Síochána for investigation of the criminal aspects of a case. An Garda Síochána has overall responsibility for the direction of any criminal investigation.
The Children First Act 2015 and Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 set out what individuals and organisations need to do to keep children safe and how to deal with concerns about a child’s safety or welfare.
Following the publication of the Children First Guidance in 2017, new Child Protection procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools were published. The procedures provide detailed direction to school management and staff on the identification of and response to child protection concerns and were last updated in May 2025. The procedures outline when schools are required to report retrospective abuse allegations to Tusla-the Child and Family Agency and/or An Garda Síochána. The procedures also contain advice for the school on how to respond to an adult who may disclose abuse that took place in their childhood.
The obligations and responsibilities which arise from the procedures have been taken very seriously by schools since their implementation and there is a very strong culture of child protection across the school sector. Resources to support child protection procedures are available at: www.gov.ie/childprotectionschools
