Relevant Matter
Public policy or programme
Public Policy Area
Children and Youth Affairs
Period
1 May. 2026 to 31 Aug. 2026
Specific Details
IASW position paper from our Social Workers in Disability (SWID) Special Interest Group
Intended results
1. Undertake a comprehensive national review of residential care for children with disabilities, involving all relevant agencies, professionals, children, and families, ensuring that their voices and lived experiences inform future service design
2. Introduce legislative reform to ensure that all children in State-funded residential care—regardless of the responsible agency—have equal statutory protections, independent oversight, and access to a statutory appointed allocated Social Worker with all decisions grounded in the child’s best interests and rights.
3. Establish a national governance and oversight framework that clearly defines roles, responsibilities, standards, and escalation pathways, and ensures that children’s voices are heard and families are meaningfully involved in decisions about their care.
4. Provide ring-fenced, multi-annual funding and implement standardised national procedures to reduce reliance on crisis-led placements, with a strong focus on forward planning, prevention, early intervention, and supporting children to remain within their families and local communities wherever possible.
5. Invest in the development of local, community-based disability services to significantly reduce reliance on for-profit providers. The care of vulnerable children should not be driven by profit, but grounded in their rights, needs, and best interests. Strengthening public and not-for-profit provision will help ensure children can remain close to home and maintain meaningful connections with their families, schools, and communities.
6. A full census of all residential centres for children, capturing the geographical spread, age profile and location of family home, as well as the pathway into residential care (planned or emergency admission)# in order to fully inform future planning and capacity challenges.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Caroline Strong
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Norma Foley
Minister (Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth)
Pádraig Rice
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Colm Burke
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Michael Cahill
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Sorca Clarke
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
David Cullinane
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Martin Daly
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Pádraig O'Sullivan
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Peter Roche
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Marie Sherlock
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)