Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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331. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions being taken in response to the serious incident at Oberstown in which nine staff were injured–four requiring hospital treatment, including one with life-changing injuries–marking the third such assault in under two weeks; how he justifies operating the facility with dangerously low staffing levels, given that only 20% of the 2025 intake remains on shift; and the immediate steps that will be taken to implement independent safety reviews, proper restraint protocols, and PPE provision for residential social care workers. [36737/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I am concerned that the question asked repeats assertions made about recent incidents at Oberstown which were put into the public domain without consultation or verification and which contain significant factual inaccuracies. I would like to correct these inaccuracies and provide important context while being mindful of the sensitivities of the individuals involved.

Oberstown operates a system in accordance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) for the reporting of Incidents, Accidents and Assaults (IAA). Oberstown has an ‘A’ rating with the State Claims Agency for reporting incidents on NIMS. A weekly IAA meeting reviews all incidents reported over the past week.

All individuals involved in the incidents referred to continue to be fully supported by Oberstown. Where injuries were sustained, following triage by the campus onsite medical team, four individuals were referred to hospital for further checks, none of which resulted in hospitalisation (stays in hospital). While it would not be appropriate for Oberstown to discuss details of any personal injuries outside the internal review process, I have been assured by the Director that to date the campus has not received any medical information to support the assertion that any staff member involved in the incidents received ‘life-changing injuries’. It is unhelpful to make unsupported assertions on the nature or potential repercussions of any injury sustained in an incident which is under review.

Every incident at Oberstown is subject to a thorough internal reporting and review process which operates on the principles of supporting all the individuals involved and respecting the integrity of the internal review process. Incidents are assessed in line with a ‘hot debrief’ protocol followed by an After Incident Review involving all key parties under the guidance of the campus Organisational Psychologist.

Oberstown is not experiencing ‘dangerously low staffing levels’. It is incorrect to say that ‘only 20% of the 2025 intake remains on shift’. As verified by Oberstown’s personnel and payroll records, in 2025 to date, Oberstown has recruited 18 staff, 16 of these in the roles of Residential Social Care Worker and Night Supervising Officer who work in the residential units and are involved in the day to day care of young people, and two in other areas of the campus. Of this intake, 17 remain (94.4%) – only one staff member left within six months of joining.

Oberstown operates robust health and safety systems and processes to ensure the safety of everyone on the campus – young people, staff in all departments and visitors. These systems, processes and outcomes are the subject of dynamic ongoing and periodic internal and external review and inspection in line with campus operational practices and policy and statutory requirements. The campus carries out monthly Health and Safety Audits and operates a campus-wide Health and Safety Committee.

The campus also holds itself to the highest international standards through voluntary participation in regular external audits and accreditations to international (ISO) standards.

Oberstown is also subject to annual independent inspection by HIQA.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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332. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the urgent measures being taken to address the over-capacity crisis at Oberstown, which has recently resulted in the centre turning away remand children due to lack of space, including two facing serious charges; and the steps he will take to ensure that any increase in capacity is matched by investment in rehabilitative programming, trauma-informed care, and the training and protection of staff to prevent future cycles of reoffending. [36738/25]

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 we have agreed 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.

With respect to the provision of rehabilitative and trauma-informed care at Oberstown, the Campus has a dedicated Programmes team who work with external providers to deliver a bespoke suite of courses to meet the needs of young people, in line with Oberstown’ s CEHOP® framework, which addresses individualised plans for Care, Education, Health, Offending behaviour and Preparation for leaving. All staff are familiar with the programmes on offer and care delivery under CEHOP®.

Oberstown also has a dedicated team from Tusla’s ACTS (Assessment, Consultation and Therapy Service) on campus providing specialist multidisciplinary therapeutic support to young people to address behaviours associated with complex clinical needs. The HSE Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (FCAMHS) provides psychiatric services to young people in Oberstown.

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.

A broad range of supports ensures employees have access to the resources they need for safety, health and wellbeing.

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

On-site Chartered Psychologist (Organisational Psychologist)

An 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. Supervision provides a space to discuss and process emotional reactions, dilemmas, and concerns in relation to work.

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 these resources, Oberstown aims 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.