Publication
Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT) is an independent body established to oversee a staged approach to the recovery of human remains from the site of the former Mother and Baby Institution in Tuam, Co. Galway.
The Institutional Burials Act 2022, which came into effect on 15 July 2022, provides the legislative basis for this intervention. In October 2022, the government established ODAIT under the Institutional Burials Act 2022, to restore dignity in death and where possible, identify those buried at the site of the former Mother and Baby Institution at Tuam. Remains of those who died in residential institutions, in which a public body was or is involved, and who were buried in an inappropriate manner, may be re-interred in a respectful and appropriate way on consultation with families.
Following the establishment of ODAIT, the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam was appointed to oversee the work of the body. Subsequently an Advisory Board was selected which includes family representatives, technical experts, advocates and Galway County Council members, to guide proceedings.
The work of ODAIT is conducted with transparency, sensitivity and respect, with survivors, families and advocates at its centre. A forensic standard, in line with international best practice, is upheld in the work of the Office at all times.