Increase in number of childcare providers investigated for possible overcharging
Department of Children review team undertakes audits to ensure core funding requirements are honoured
Norma Foley
Changes to income thresholds for National Childcare Scheme to benefit thousands of families
Minister for Children Norma Foley says moves are important step ‘in making early learning and childcare more affordable’
Inside the crisis at Oberstown: ‘We are in an emergency situation’
Agreement has been reached to increase staffing levels, although concerns remain about lack of capacity and an increase in detainees ‘acting out’
Talks to prevent 48-hour work stoppage at State’s only child detention centre to begin
Oberstown has recently seen an increase the number of boys it is certified to accommodate, from 40 to 42
Oberstown staff ‘fearful of consequences’ of industrial action
Staff held work stoppage on Tuesday as tensions with management over staff levels and working conditions worsen
Balancing act continues as Leaving Cert grades drop back by an average of just over 1%
Timelines for fully removing pandemic-related post-marking adjustment will continue to be informed by the 2026 experience
Deaths of children in domestic incidents to be subject to new national reviews
Currently no way of tracking or reviewing violent and tragic child deaths in Ireland
Childcare shortage: State raises concerns over planned closure of Limerick creche
Owner has applied for planning permission to convert facility in Mungret into apartments
Dublin facility for highly vulnerable teens ‘not adequately resourced’, Hiqa inspection finds
Hiqa found ‘significant non-compliances’ with regulations related to minimum staffing levels at Crannóg Nua
Calls to examine additional parent’s leave for births of twins and triplets
Cork North West Deputy John Paul O’Shea said current arrangements do not adequately reflect additional demands placed on families
The Irish Times view on the manosphere and tradwives: Government intervention is ill-advised
Some ground is contested, as the family and care referendums demonstrate
Special care services for emotionally disturbed children ‘approaching crisis point’
Staff wrote to Minister for Children asking her to intervene, citing low morale, high stress and concern for safety of youths
Dublin creche raising fees after being ordered to refund more than €100,000 to parents
Charlie’s Childcare had signed up to State funding scheme, agreeing to keep fees at 2021 levels in return
Tusla treads fine line as it stresses need for resources without antagonising main funder
As budget negotiations begin, Foley must convince the Department of Public Expenditure that these children’s welfare is worth protecting
Tusla reports ‘unprecedented demand’ as referrals pass 100,000 for first time
Emotional abuse was most common concern, accounting for 45% of all reports made to agency
Minister gets Supreme Court appeal over finding she erred in redress scheme
High Court found error in decision to exclude two institutions from mother and baby home compensation programme
Toxic masculinity creating ‘testing time’ for staff at Oberstown child detention centre
Staff left unsettled by ‘sensationalist’ media coverage of violent incidents at north Co Dublin campus
Records of children ‘boarded out’ from religious institutions to be withheld
Personal data to be kept out of public archive set up to remember institutional abuse victims
An underfunded Tusla will not be able to meet surging demand, ombudsman warns
EU council presidency offers Ireland opportunity to demonstrate leadership on children’s rights, Niall Muldoon says
Miriam Lord’s Week: Let he who is without Sim cast the first phone
Taoiseach’s cranky inner teacher comes out as he sees TDs not paying attention in class
Oberstown child detention campus refused further admissions due to being at capacity
Documents show Minister for Children Norma Foley pushed through an instruction to the facility to take more boys
Budget 2027: Tax changes for workers and more affordable childcare set to be priorities
National Economic Dialogue event will hear childcare and tax moves central to next budget
Youth refused special chairs for classroom due to attendance at fee-paying school, High Court hears
Teenager’s mother brings judicial review proceedings against Minister and State
Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care
Childcare providers will be required later this year to share more data with the Government about fees
Special needs assistant workforce development plan to be brought to Cabinet
Role of SNAs to be professionalised after Government backed down on plans to reduce number of educational assistants in schools
Psychiatrists’ body ‘cannot endorse’ new State autism protocol
Approach will ‘streamline’ access to autism diagnoses, HSE says
‘Really disappointing’: Institutional abuse survivor advocate ‘hugely frustrated’ by redress scheme
Patricia Carey says €15,000 is ‘the price for forcible removal of a child from their family’
Long-delayed Occupied Territories Bill to be brought to Cabinet but will exclude services
Legislation proposes to ban the import and sale of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine
Ministers bringing it all back home with EU meetings
A number of Ministers are seeking to host European presidency gatherings in their local constituencies
Dublin drainage scheme will be completed a year early, says Chambers
Jack Chambers says action plan to speed infrastructure projects already yielding results
Local authorities to set social housing targets for people with disabilities
Norma Foley says plan provides reassurance to disabled people and their families about ‘housing at right time in their lives’
Fianna Fáil at 100 is a white man’s party with a woman problem
No party can claim to have ‘something for everyone’ when it has a woman problem like Fianna Fáil’s
Planned short-term letting register delayed by six months
Plans have been the subject of much internal Government debate
Surrogacy leave should match that for maternity and adoption, conference hears
John Hickey knew what his managers would say when he asked for additional leave
Minister gets more authority to object to developers who try to turn creches into housing
Minister for Children will now be designated as a prescribed body under planning laws
Tuam burial site investigators to travel to US to collect DNA samples
More than 175 people in Ireland and abroad have come forward to inquire about providing samples to help identify babies
First cousins of children buried in Tuam mother and baby home set to be included in identification programme
Such relatives to be included in identification programme if necessary legislation passed by Oireachtas, Minister Foley says
School patronage: Can Hildegarde Naughton succeed where six other education ministers have failed?
Much of the opposition to divestment has been at local level, strongly felt and expressed, even by non-practising parents happy with the status quo
Robert Watt set to be paid €280,000 a year to lead Dublin city regeneration body
Former Department of Health head expected to be approved by Cabinet on Tuesday
Healy-Rae resignation: Foley expresses surprise, says no one in Government knew in advance
Healy-Rae put out video 24 hours earlier endorsing Government’s supports package, says Minister for Children
Government departments are using AI, but one clear red line has been laid down
Ministers maintain human oversight remains a non-negotiable component in carrying out certain tasks
Plans to strip convicted killers of parental rights to proceed despite Tusla’s concerns
Department of Justice ‘satisfied’ that Valerie’s Law ‘is constitutional in all respects’
Employers won’t be ‘penalised’ as Ireland to miss deadline to introduce pay transparency law
The June 7th deadline for EU directive will be missed with new law to be implemented on a ‘phased basis’
‘Boarded out’ children could be included in mother and baby home scheme because ‘so poorly subscribed’
Special advocate for survivors of institutional abuse says ‘logical’ to include them with less than 10 per cent of redress funds spent
Ministers from North and UK may be invited to some events during Ireland’s EU presidency
Hosting of EU presidency among several items to be brought to Cabinet on Tuesday by Government Ministers
Dozens of applications for eight places on State childcare capital investment scheme
Criteria target undersupplied areas and other factors including location, capacity and cost
The new short-term letting rules: has the tourism sector won at the expense of housing?
Ban on planning for new short-term lets in places with more than 20,000 people is seen as a victory for tourism over housing
Minister ‘erred in law’ excluding two institutions from mother and baby homes scheme
Norma Foley failed to properly consider whether St Joseph’s and Temple Hill should be included, court finds
Martin rejects call for State apology for its conduct during the Troubles
Government ‘fought tooth and nail against the Provisional IRA’, Taoiseach says
Unclear how many short-term lets could be returned to residential use under crackdown
Department of Housing says ‘significant number’ of properties will be brought into long-term market
Key reports from child protection rapporteur delayed
Senior officials had sought updates, saying reports were ‘key output associated with the position’
Short-term let restrictions will only apply to towns with populations over 20,000 after Government rowback
Minister for Tourism says opposition from Norma Foley and Michael Healy-Rae not the reason for change of approach
Director of child rights advocacy ‘unconcerned’ about litigation threat
New guardian ad litem service to mean better outcomes for children, says Pat Bergin
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