28th May 2025
The Department of Education and Youth (DEY) has today published Circular 0041/2025 along with the Updated Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2025.
The updated procedures were reviewed following the High-Level Independent Review of the Department of Education and Youth’s current child protection policies and practices completed by Noelle Buick, which can be found here.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) has been engaging with the DEY over the last two years to ensure that the updated procedures published today will be backed up by in-person child protection training and that schools and teachers will have time to familiarise themselves with the updated procedures before they are fully implemented.
As a result, every school will have a full day closure, so that all school staff can receive mandatory training in the updated procedures between September 2025 and December 2026. There will also be additional, separate training for the Designated Liaison Person (DLP) and the Deputy Designated Liaison Person (DDLP). Schools can continue to operate under the 2023 procedures. Schools have until 31 December 2026 to adopt and implement the updated procedures.
The INTO has been engaging with the DEY on guidance documents and templates to accompany the updated procedures for schools and we have been advised these will be published in the coming days on the Department’s website.