Unprecedented investment in disability and children as Ministers Foley and Naughton announce total package of over €7 billion in Budget 2026
- Foilsithe:
- An t-eolas is déanaí:
- €3.8 billion secured for the delivery of disability services in partnership with the HSE, an unprecedented 20% increase
- €1.48 billion investment in Early Learning and Childcare will reduce costs for families and increase supports for staff and providers
- Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, receives an increased budget of €165m to continue providing vital child welfare and family support services bringing its funding to over €1.3 billion.
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, and Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Hildegarde Naughton, have announced a Budget 2026 package that supports the delivery of services to make life better and fairer for children, disabled people, and others who face inequality or discrimination.
This year’s budget sees over €3.8 billion allocated to Disability, just over half of all funding allocated to the Department.
Another €1.48bn has been allocated to Early Learning and Childcare funding in Budget 2026.
The allocation for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, stands at €1.336bn. This brings the overall figure allocated to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality in Budget 2026 to €7.04bn, which is a 15% increase on Budget 2025.
Minister Foley said:
"A key focus for me in Budget 2026 was to make progress on delivering the step change for disabled people promised in the new National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People. Our job is to improve their lives, working towards a society where everyone has equal voices, equal actions and equal futures.
This Budget also makes important progress on reducing the cost of early learning and care for families while also supporting early years educators and providers to deliver high quality services for children.
There is additional funding to support the important child welfare and child protection work carried out by Tusla.
This increased funding in Budget 2026 will deliver vital services that make a meaningful difference to the lives of children, disabled people, and vulnerable groups who need support.”
Minister Naughton said:
“When this Government took office last January, we promised a step change in the delivery of supports and services for people with disability and their families. Budget 2026 is the first step in delivering on this ambition. Some €3.83 billion will be provided to specialist disability services next year, an unprecedented increase of €618 million, or almost 20%. The blueprint for our spending decisions will be the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People which was published just over a month ago. As a Government we believe that disabled people should be able to access the right services, at the right time, and within their communities. Budget 2026 is the first step in making that a reality.”
The largest portion of funding in this year’s budget will be allocated to the delivery of disability services, where Government has committed to a step change.
€2.21bn of the funding secured will enable the Department to deliver residential services for over 9,000 disabled people, enabling them to live as independently as possible in their local communities.
Funding for day and night respite available to support disabled people and their families has been increased in this Budget to provide over 10,000 extra nights and 15,000 further day sessions. In addition, funding will be provided to expand home sharing services as a viable respite alternative.
€10m in funding has been secured to support the transition of people under the age of 65 currently residing in nursing homes and an additional €3m for the development and continued expansion of community neurorehabilitation teams.
Day services for over 22,000 disabled people will be expanded in Budget 2026 with an additional €24.5m providing approximately 1,400 new places for disabled students leaving school. Budget 2026 will, for the first time, also enable a cohort of in the region of 50 older adults to avail of Day Services. Day Services are ordinarily offered to school leavers or those leaving rehabilitation training and so this new departure is important as it gives people options later in life and as their circumstances and wishes change. This includes people who may acquire a disability.
Furthermore, this year’s budget will ensure that 10,000 people can avail of 5.5 million Personal Assistance or Home Support hours.
Upwards of 40,000 staff in both the HSE and community and voluntary organisations will be supported to deliver their vital roles. Funding has been secured for the increased pay for staff in Section 39 agencies and other voluntary organisations covered by the recent pay agreement reached at the Workplace Relations Commission.
Investment in children’s disability services will provide therapy services and other specialised supports, for approximately 45,000 children through local Children’s Disability Network Teams thanks to over 2,000 dedicated staff. Budget funding has been secured to recruit 150 additional staff for Children’s Disability Network Teams.
Funding of €20m is also being provided for the continued support of the Assessment of Need Targeted Waitlist Initiative through the provision of up to 6,500 clinical assessments.
The Government is committed to ensuring access to affordable, quality early learning and childcare, with an investment of €1.48bn in this budget to build on the progress made in recent years.
The National Childcare Scheme, which has over 250,000 children currently enrolled, will be funded to support an additional 35,000 children next year, representing a 14% increase in children benefitting.
Out of pocket costs for early learning and childcare have reduced by 36% since 2022. The allocation for Core Funding in 2026 will ensure fees remain at 2021 levels for a majority of providers. As well as this, there will be a new maximum fee cap set to reduce costs for families paying the highest fees across the country, building on recent progress in this area. Further details of the maximum fee cap will be announced in the coming months.
The 2026 allocation for Core Funding will also support implementation of the recently announced Employment Regulation Orders (ERO) – that will lead to a 10% increase in the minimum rate of pay for educators from 13 October.
It is intended to support further pay increases for staff in the sector through ring-fenced funding being made available in 2026 to support a new employment regulation order, subject to the deliberations of the independent Joint Labour Committee.
All of this will form part of the new Action Plan on Early Learning and Childcare, due for publication in the coming weeks.
This Budget provides further funding for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, which has responsibility for safeguarding and supporting some of the most vulnerable children in our society.
Following Budget 2026, Tusla’s overall funding now stands at €1.371bn, an increase of 14% over its budget in 2025. This money will ensure that Tusla can continue to manage over 100,000 referrals annually, stepping in when needed to support tens of thousands of children and families around Ireland.
Tusla will also use this allocation to continue investment in providing safe, secure family environments to vulnerable children and this funding will provide enhanced supports such as placement breakdown prevention.
Tusla also plans to invest €286m in expanding residential care, increasing the number of placements for children in need to over 800 next year. €6m in new funding is being provided in Budget 2026 for innovative “earn and learn” social work and social care work apprenticeship courses programmes and sponsorship. This will increase the number of social workers and social care workers in Tusla to over 3,200.
There is €26m in Budget 2026 to ensure that all 26 special care beds can be opened and available for vulnerable children by the end of 2026. This investment will facilitate this by funding new special care staff grades, staff wellbeing initiatives and special care therapeutic supports in 2026.
Funding of has also been secured for the reform of the Guardian ad litem national service. Guardians ad litem play a vital role in gathering the views of children in care proceedings and making recommendations to the court on their best interests.
Approximately 3,500 children are currently appointed a Guardian ad litem in care proceedings. This funding will enable the new Guardian ad litem National Service to appoint over 65 Guardians ad litem, ensuring that the voices and rights of children are upheld at every stage of a responsive and accountable system for care proceedings.
Funding is being allocated to implement national equality strategies and to support programmes aimed at addressing disadvantages for women and girls, Travellers and Roma and LGBTIQ+ people. This includes funding for equality, rights and child and youth participation during Ireland’s EU Presidency in 2026.
Ireland is a world-leader on child and youth participation. The funding secured for 2026 will enable children and young people across Ireland to have their voices heard on key decisions affecting them. Funding will also be available to highlight and support the right of all children to enjoy play and recreation, whether they are small children, primary school age or teenagers.
Minister Foley concluded:
“This Department is responsible for delivering on three unique priority areas of Government - Tusla Child Protection and Family Support Services, Early Learning and Childcare Services, and Disability Services. There are increased numbers of people in need of these services and Budget 2026 will help us to deliver for them.
With over €7bn to be spent in the coming year, we will continue to work hard to make a real meaningful difference to the lives or all the people we serve.”
Notes to the Editor
KEY POINTS FROM THIS YEAR’S BUDGET:
Disability
- €2.21bn of the funding secured will enable the Department to deliver residential services for over 9,000 disabled people, enabling them to live as independently as possible in their local communities.
- Budget to provide over 10,000 extra nights respite and 15,000 further day respite sessions. In addition, funding will be provided to expand home sharing services as a viable respite alternative.
- €10M in funding has been secured to support the transition of people under the age of 65 currently residing in nursing homes
- Day services for over 22,000 disabled people will be expanded in Budget 2026 with an additional €24.5M providing approximately 1,400 new places for disabled students leaving school.
- Investment in children’s disability services will provide therapy services and other specialised supports, including therapy services, for approximately 45,000 children through local Children’s Disability Network Teams thanks to over 2,000 dedicated staff.
- Budget funding has been secured to recruit 150 additional staff for Children’s Disability Network Teams.
- Funding of €20M is also being provided for the continued support of the Assessment of Need Targeted Waitlist Initiative through the provision of up to 6,500 clinical assessments.
Childcare
Early Learning and Childcare will see its allocation increase to €1.48 billion, an increase of €125 million or 9%. In 2026, this will ensure:
- Over 286,000 individual children benefit from the National Childcare Scheme, an increase of approximately 35,000 children or 14% over 2025.
- Over 105,000 children benefit from the universal Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme.
- Approx. 8,400 children with a disability can access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme through the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) and ensure the full expansion of AIM to ECCE-age children beyond time spent in the ECCE programme (both in term and out of term), as well as a 10% increase in the capitation rate for AIM Level 7, which will be introduced from October 2025..
It will also support:
- Continued implementation of year 4 of Core Funding and introduction of enhancements in year 5 of the scheme, including capacity growth of 4.2%, maintenance of fees at 2021 levels for a majority of providers and further reductions on the maximum weekly fee cap. Core Funding will also support improved pay for educators and school-age childcare practitioners with implementation of the 2025 Employment Regulation Orders and further orders in 2026.
- Continued roll-out of Years 2 and 3 of Equal Start measures including staffing supports, supports for participation of Traveller and Roma children in early learning and childcare, and targeted language delay (Early Talk Boost) and literacy measures (Little Library).
- As part of Equal Start, full year support for the Bia Blasta Preschool Nutrition Programme introduced in October 2025, in addition to the development and roll-out of Family Community Partnership Coordinator training, and the development and delivery of updated Diversity, Equality and Inclusion guidelines and training.
Child Protection and Wellbeing
- Total funding for Tusla in Budget 2026 will be €1.336bn in addition to €35m of capital funding.
- Funding of €286m in Budget 2026 will increase the number of residential care placements for children in need to over 800 in 2026. This will increase capacity and reduce the use of expensive Special Emergency Arrangements (SEAs). Tusla funding of €152m will be used to maintain and grow foster care capacity and expanded the foster carer peer support programme and foster care recruitment teams.
- €8.5m in Budget 2026 has been allocated to an expansion of ongoing social work and social care work apprenticeship programmes. This means an additional 50 social work apprentices and 100 social care work apprentices to be recruited in Sept 2026.
- €26m will be invested in new special care staff grades, staff wellbeing initiatives and special care therapeutic supports. This should enable Tusla to make the full complement of 26 special care beds available by the end of 2026.
- Additional funding of €3.2m in Budget 2026 will increase baseline funding for all 126 FRCs up to €180k per year and add an additional ten new centres. This is a €20k (12.5%) increase from the current baseline funding level of €160k.
Guardian ad litem National Service
- Grounded in national and international legal frameworks, the Guardian ad litem National Service was launched in June 2025, following extensive consultation and legislative development under the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022.
- Funding will enable the appointment of over 65 Guardians ad litem (GALs). These GALs will advocate for the approximately 3,500 children who are currently appointed a Guardian ad litem in care proceedings.
- The new Service introduces clear national standards, consistent practice, and timely access to a Guardian ad litem wherever directed by the courts.
Equality / Participation
- Funding of €2m will enhance the lives of LGBTIQ+ people in Ireland by supporting the implementation of actions under the National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028. This includes support for LGBTIQ+ civil society organisations with a 6% increase in funding for the 2026 LGBTIQ+ Community Services Fund.
- €6.8m has also been allocated to implement the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028. This includes funding for new initiatives to support Travellers into education and employment to celebrate Traveller and Roma culture and heritage.
- Funding is being allocated to promote equality for women and girls. This includes funding to implement the successor to the National Strategy for Women and Girls. New initiatives include the opening of the gender pay gap portal into which companies will report their gender pay gap.
- Funding is being provided to operate the national programme of child and youth participation. This will facilitate children and young people to participate in decisions affecting their lives. It will also support the right of all children and young people to enjoy play and recreation through targeted projects that require their direct input when spaces and facilities are being planned.
- €10.5m is being provided to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission to continue its work to maintain Ireland’s national rights infrastructure.