Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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218. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the last health and safety review of Oberstown Children Detention Campus took place, when the next health and safety review will take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36492/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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219. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if all recommendations arising out of the last health and safety review of Oberstown Children Detention Campus were implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36493/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together.

Oberstown is certified to ISO standard 45001 for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. This assures that the campus is operating to the highest health and safety standards. Compliance with this standard is reviewed annually and recertified every three years, most recent recertification was in January 2025. Any recommendations are incorporated into policy and practice as required.

Oberstown is also certified to international standards for Psychological Health and Safety at Work (ISO 45003:2021). Oberstown is one of the first organisations in Ireland to be certified to ISO 45003, demonstrating a very clear commitment to the highest standards of health and safety risk management at work.

Oberstown is also inspected annually by HIQA.

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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220. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions being taken to address capacity pressures at Oberstown Children Detention Campus in light of increasing demand for places; the measures being implemented to ensure the safety and well-being of staff at the facility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36494/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Oberstown Children Detention Campus is the State’s sole detention centre for children. The maximum occupancy in Oberstown is set by the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality by way of a certificate made under the Children Act 2001.

This certificate is currently set at 46 (40 boys and 6 girls). Places can be used to accommodate both children on detention orders and children on remand orders.

In order for the principle of detention as a last resort for children to be applied effectively throughout the youth justice system, it is essential that sufficient appropriate community sanctions are available to the courts when dealing with offending by children. Policy in respect of community sanctions for children is the responsibility of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and I have recently engaged with Minister O’Callaghan and emphasised the need to expand these services such as the Bail Supervision Scheme in order to ensure that genuine alternatives to detention are available to the courts.

Notwithstanding the importance of community sanctions, it is also necessary for the effective operation of our youth justice system that detention remain an option where required.

I am aware of the low numbers of boys’ places available in Oberstown to the courts in recent months. Having considered the matter in detail, I believe it will be necessary to provide for a small increase in the near future in the maximum number of boys that may be detained at Oberstown. My officials have already asked the Director to make preparations on the Oberstown Campus for this.

With respect to longer-term planning, my Department is conducting a research based assessment of future demand for Oberstown services, in line with a commitment contained in the Youth Justice Strategy. The outcome of this, which will be available later this year, will inform the direction of policy on the future capacity of the Campus in line with the overall aims of the Youth Justice Strategy.

Regarding the safety and wellbeing of staff in Oberstown, I emphasise that their wellbeing and safety is a priority for my Department and for the management team in Oberstown. We are committed to the health and wellbeing of the staff, recognising the unique demands of working in Oberstown Campus. The range of supports ensures employees have access to the resources they need.

Detailed information on measures being implemented to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff at Oberstown

On-site Chartered Psychologist (Organisational Psychologist)

There is on-site chartered psychologist, specialising in systemic psychotherapy and work and organisational psychology, offers a tailored campus support service. This includes:

• Therapeutic interventions – confidential counselling, group support and therapeutic services to address personal and workplace challenges, fostering resilience and wellbeing.

• After-incident support – assistance following critical incidents, including a safe and confidential space to process events and structured reviews to ensure psychological safety and promote individual, team, and organisational learning.

• Professional coaching and group work – sessions to develop skills, address challenges, and support personal and professional growth.

• Clinical supervision – regularly scheduled one-to-one or Group Supervision sessions. Led by the Organisational Psychologist, the campus rolled out practice supervision to frontline staff in 2024 and conducted 116 group and individual sessions in 2024. Supervision provides a space to discuss and process emotional reactions, dilemmas, and concerns in relation to work. Oberstown uses the Seven-eyed Supervision Model, which explores issues from multiple perspectives and considers the possibility of alternative views.

Access to a multi-level system

The campus support services include a structured, multi-level system including a team of 28 peer support workers (PSWs), trained in critical incident stress management (CISM) and mental health first aid. They provide immediate, frontline assistance to colleagues affected by critical or traumatic incidents. For additional support, employees can also access a confidential employee assistance programme (EAP), providing 24/7 counselling, advice, and resources for personal and professional concerns.

This tiered framework ensures that staff have access to appropriate support at every level – from internal peer-based assistance to professional psychological services and access to external support.

This holistic approach reflects the unwavering commitment of Oberstown to creating a supportive, proactive workplace that places employee wellbeing and personal growth at its core. By providing access to resources, they aim to foster a resilient, healthy, and supportive work environment for all employees.

Additional resources

• On-site Medical Suite staffed by Clinical Nurse Manager and a team of qualified nurses.

• Access to medical screening and assessment, by Medmark, the campus occupational health provider.

• Award-winning "Working Well" framework – specifically designed for the demands of Oberstown, Working Well identifies health and wellbeing priorities and schedules initiatives across the year to support psychological resilience and workplace wellbeing.

Working Well framework is a whole-system approach to addressing psychosocial health and wellbeing. It features supports and resources around four pillars – Work Safe, Work Healthy, Work Well and Work Wise.

• Best practice – Oberstown is certified to national standards for wellbeing and international standards for Occupational Health and Safety Management (ISO 9001:2015) and Psychological Health and Safety at Work (ISO 45003:2021).

• Oberstown is accredited to Ibec’s KeepWell Mark, has been listed among Ireland’s Top 100 Leaders in Wellbeing each year since 2021, won the Wellbeing Initiative of the Year 2020 at the Ibec KeepWell Awards, and was shortlisted in three categories in 2022.

• LifeSpeak online health and wellbeing resources for staff and family members.

• On-site facilities – access to restaurant and catering services with healthy eating options, a gym, free parking, and an electric vehicle charging point (EasyGo network).

• Additional benefits – staff can avail of health insurance discounts, access to learning and development initiatives, and more.