Publication
Children First Guidance
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
Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children was first published in 1999 and was fully revised and updated in 2017.
The key messages of the guidance have remained unchanged. The guidance seeks to assist people to recognise where a child is being abused or neglected, and to report reasonable concerns about abuse or neglect to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The guidance also assists organisations working with children with information about best practice in child safeguarding.
The most recent version of the Children First Guidance in 2017 also incorporates information on the Children First Act 2015 and in particular, sets out the specific child protection statutory obligations imposed on certain categories of persons and organisations under that Act.
In January 2019 the Guidance was amended by way of an addendum to ensure that online safety is specifically accounted for in child safeguarding statements.
For more information on specific aspects of the Guidance and of the Children First Act 2015 please refer to this information on Children First.