merrion street

Taoiseach Enda Kenny today joined with Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald to officially launch the new Child and Family Agency. Today’s launch was also attended by Ms. Norah Gibbons, Chairperson of the Agency and Mr. Gordon Jeyes, Chief Executive Officer.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister Frances Fitzgerald speak with Chairperson of the Child and Family Agency Norah Gibbons at the launch today

The establishment of the Agency represents one of the largest and most important public sector reforms being undertaken by this Government bringing together over 4,000 staff and a budget of some 609 million to provide a dedicated focus on services for children & families.

Minister Fitzgerald stated:

I’ve always thought it was indicative of our flawed approach to child and family services in this country that for so long they were treated like an adjunct of another agency, as an afterthought. But not anymore.

The new Agency will:

- take child protection services out from where they were lost in an overloaded health service;

- bring education welfare and family support together with child protection and welfare;

- break down barriers between agencies and services; between professional disciplines;

- deliver much more seamless integration of policy and service delivery, not fragmentation.

Watch an introductory video on

, courtesy of

, below:

The Minister added:

We are going to move from a position where child and family welfare was barely a priority, to a position where it will be the sole focus of a single dedicated state agency, with a ring-fenced budget and streamlined management, overseen by a single dedicated government Department.

Read the full press release

.