Government Launches Public Consultation on Future of Children's Care in Ireland

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley has launched a public consultation on how the state provides for the approximately 6,000 children and young people currently in Ireland's care system, with responses invited until late March 2026.

The consultation will inform Ireland's first National Policy Framework for Alternative Care, which aims to set out a whole-of-government vision for how the state supports children who cannot live with their birth parents. Most of these children are in foster care, the preferred option as it most closely replicates a family home environment, while others are in kinship care with relatives, residential facilities, special care, or care for separated children seeking asylum.

Minister Foley said:

"I encourage everyone with an interest in the development of a new national policy for children and young people in the care system to take part in this online consultation. It is an opportunity to articulate the ambition and duty that I know we all share in relation to young people in care.

The children known to our care system are some of the most vulnerable young people in Ireland. It is simply not enough to leave no child behind. We need to help and support every child to reach their full potential."

The consultation is open to anyone, but the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is particularly keen to hear from those with personal experience of Ireland's alternative care system. Input is being sought across four broad areas: the period before a child enters care, including family support and early intervention; the time spent in alternative care itself; the period after care, including aftercare and longer-term outcomes; and any other relevant matters.

Responses can be submitted through an online survey, by email, or by post. The public consultation forms part of a wider engagement process involving children, young people, families, stakeholders, and sectoral experts.

The National Policy Framework on Alternative Care is expected to be delivered in summer 2026 and will also fulfil a Programme for Government commitment.