From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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Re-appointment of Professor Ursula Kilkelly as Chairperson of Oberstown Board of Management confirmed.
Remaining Board positions filled in accordance with Children Act 2001 and Guidelines for Appointment of State Boards.
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr. Katherine Zappone TD, has announced the appointment of a new Board of Management for the Oberstown Children Detention School.
The Minister confirms the re-appointment of Professor Ursula Kilkelly of the School of Law, University College Cork to the position of Chairperson of the Oberstown Board for a period of four years. Professor Kilkelly is a leading expert in Ireland and internationally on issues relating to the detention of children.
Making the announcement Minister Zappone said:
“I would like to thank the members of the previous Board and the Chairperson Professor Ursula Kilkelly for all the work they did in overseeing a considerable time of change in Oberstown since June 2016. This period saw the ending of the practice of detaining juveniles in adult prison facilities and the transfer of 17-year-old males, committed to a period of detention, to the Oberstown Campus. I would also like to thank them for their commitment to good governance and striving to achieve a safe and secure facility for this particularly vulnerable cohort of children."
The Minister has also appointed twelve other members to the Board as follows:
| Name | Appointment | Term |
| Mr. Tadgh Delaney | DCYA (Re-appointment) | 4 years |
| Mr. Eamon Clavin | DES (Re-appointment) | 4 years |
| Mr. Pat Rooney | Local resident (Re-appointment) | 3 years |
| Ms. Elizabeth Howard | Local resident (Re-appointment) | 3 years |
| Mr. Laoise Manners | Staff (Re-appointment) | 2 years |
| Mr. Craig Mulligan | Staff | 2 years |
| Ms. Linda Creamer | Tusla (Re-appointment) | 4 years |
| Mr. Don O’Leary | PAS (Re-appointment) | 3 years |
| Ms. Emer Woodful | PAS (Re-appointment) | 3 years |
| Ms. Jennifer Gargan | PAS | 4 years |
| Ms. Bernadette Costello | PAS | 4 years |
| Mr. John McDaid | PAS | 4 years |
Minister Zappone continued:
“I am very grateful to all of the members of the new Board for their commitment to assist with the governance of the Oberstown children detention campus for the next term of office. The new Oberstown Board will have an important role in ensuring the campus continues to provide safe and secure custody for children in detention and in addition, the safest possible working environment for staff. A programme of investment in the Oberstown campus, combined with necessary legal and operational reforms, has been underway in recent years and I want to thank the Oberstown workforce for their continued efforts in meeting the needs of children in custody."
ENDS
Oberstown Children Detention Campus provides accommodation for all children remanded for a period of pre-trial detention, or committed to a period of detention, by a court of law, under the age of 18 in Ireland. A comprehensive care model of Care, Education, Health and Wellbeing, Offending Behaviour and Preparation for returning to families and community (CEHOP) is in operation at Oberstown with the aim of achieving the best outcomes for young people in detention. CEHOP was developed by Oberstown and is a bespoke model for the delivery of care programmes in line with section 158 of the Children Act 2001 which sets out the principal objectives of children detention schools. The principal objective is to provide appropriate educational, training and other programmes and facilities for children referred to them by a court.
The provision of education in Oberstown is the responsibility of the Department of Education and Skills and this is provided through the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education Training Board. The curriculum includes both primary and secondary level courses, remedial literacy and numeracy based on an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) as well as a wide range of vocational and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) accredited awards through the Oberstown Education Facility.
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