Children First promotes the protection and welfare of children and outlines how to help to protect them from harm or abuse.
It details what you must do if you have a concern that a child has been, is being, or is at risk of being abused or neglected.
Children First applies to everyone, including staff working in adult services, HSE funded services and HSE-contracted services.
Below is a Children First Glossary of Terms and links to further information, which will assist to increase your knowledge, awareness and understanding of Children First.
| Children First Guidance and Legislation |
| Children First refers to Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 and the Children First Act 2015. It is a generic term used to encompass the guidance, the legislation and the implementation of both. |
| The Children First Act 2015 places elements of the Children First Guidance on a statutory footing. In particular, it addresses the Government's commitment to introduce mandated reporting of child abuse. |
| Children First National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017) |
| First published in 1999, revised in 2011 and most recently in 2017. It is national guidance issued by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs for individuals, professionals and organisations to help keep children safe and protected from harm. An Addendum to the Children First National Guidance in January 2019 amended the guidance to ensure that online safety is specifically accounted for in child safeguarding statements. |
| The Children First Act 2015 requires organisations that are providers of relevant services to carry out a Risk Assessment in relation to the potential risks of harm (as defined in the Act) to a child or young person while attending or receiving a service. Services are then required to develop a Child Safeguarding Statement that outlines the policies and procedures, which are in place to manage the risks that have been identified. |
| Schedule 1 of the Children First Act 2015 identifies ‘Relevant Services’ that have specific legal obligations under the Act – definitions and a full list of Relevant Services are available in Schedule 1. |
| A person who is appointed by a provider of a relevant service, as part of the requirements of the Children First Act 2015, to be the first point of contact in respect of the provider’s Child Safeguarding Statement |
| Schedule 2 of the Children First Act 2015 details the full list of people who are classified as mandated persons under the Children First Act 2015. Mandated persons have two main legal obligations under the Act. These are to report the harm of children at or above a defined threshold to Tusla, and to assist Tusla, if requested, in assessing a concern, which has been the subject of a mandated report. |
| Children First National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017) recommends that organisations that are providing services to children should consider appointing a Designated Liaison Person. This role has not been applied in the HSE. Where senior management consider that delegating functions to a person(s) would assist the implementation of Children First guidance and legislation in a particular HSE service, due to its needs or circumstances, it may appoint/delegate such a resource. If such resource is put in place, line manager responsibility in relation to ensuring staff follow the reporting procedures and record appropriately etc. must be preserved. |
| Specific staff grades within the HSE, Tusla and all members of An Garda Síochána are assigned as Designated Officers to receive reports of alleged child abuse under the Protections for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998. |
| The HSE Child Protection and Welfare Policy sets out the roles, responsibilities and procedures assigned to ensure the effective management of child protection and welfare concerns in the HSE. All HSE staff must read the policy and sign Appendix 3 to confirm that they have read, understand and agree to adhere to the HSE Child Protection and Welfare Policy. |
Line managers, please share this information with any staff who may be on leave or do not have access to the staff app.