The Child and Family Agency is the dedicated State agency responsible for improving wellbeing and outcomes for children. It represents the most comprehensive reform of child protection, early intervention and family support services ever undertaken in Ireland.

Under the Child and Family Act 2013 the Child and Family Agency is charged with:

Supporting and promoting the development, welfare and protection of children, and the effective functioning of families;

• Offering care and protection for children in circumstances where their parents have not been able to, or are unlikely to, provide the care that a child needs. In order to discharge these responsibilities, the Agency is required to maintain and develop the services needed in order to deliver these supports to children and families and provide certain services for the psychological welfare of children and their families;
• Responsibility for ensuring that every child in the State attends school or otherwise receives an education, and for providing educational welfare services to support and monitor children’s attendance, participation and retention in education;
• Ensuring that the best interests of the child guide all decisions affecting individual children;
• Consulting children and families so that they help to shape the agency’s policies and services;
• Strengthening interagency co-operation to ensure seamless services responsive to needs;
• Undertaking research relating to its functions and providing information and advice to the Minister regarding those functions; and
• Commissioning services relating to the provision of child and family services

P.167 The Agency continues to identify increasing number of children and young people who demonstrate evidence of greater complexity of need including exposure to domestic violence, challenging behaviour, complex profiles, early life trauma, alcohol/drug misuse, physical, emotional and sexual abuse, engagement in violence/aggression, mental health issues, high levels of self-harm and suicidal ideation and antisocial behaviour.