Children

Giving our children the best start in life

The early years of a child’s life have a profound impact on who they become. The first five years are critical, shaping future health, education, and well-being. A happy, nurturing environment during these formative years can set a child up for lifelong success.

Fine Gael believes that every child deserves the best start in life, and supporting families in providing that start is central to our vision for Ireland’s future. This is why childcare is a core focus for us. Affordable, accessible, and high-quality childcare is not just about giving children the best opportunities but also empowering parents, grandparents and carers to better balance the demands of modern life.

Realigning the Department of Children, Equality, Disability and Youth

Fine Gael established the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in 2011. We will transfer the Migration and Integration functions back to the Department of Justice so that children will be the focus of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability and Youth. This will also ensure a more joined-up approach to migration policy.

Fine Gael will also retain the Cabinet Committee on Children, Disability and Education, chaired by Simon Harris.

Better Early Childhood Education and Care

Every child deserves the best start, and every parent should have real choices to help balance work and childcare. While we’ve made childcare more affordable, too many families still struggle to find accessible, affordable early learning nearby. Fine Gael has a plan to close this gap, working in partnership with existing providers.

We will

Cap Childcare Costs: We’ll limit childcare costs to €200 per month per child, or €600 for a family with more than 3 children.
Expand Early Learning Places: We’ll create 30,000 new early learning places in public early learning and school aged care services by 2030, offering full-day and school-age care in areas of unmet need to close existing gaps and prepare for future demand. We will include an opt-in for private and community providers where appropriate.
Extend Free Preschool Hours: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme will provide an extra hour of free care each day in the second year of preschool.
Increase Flexibility for ECCE Access: We’ll offer flexible options for parents of children who don’t qualify for the full two-year ECCE due to their date of birth.
Make ECCE a Legal Entitlement: All eligible children will have a right to access the ECCE programme.
Maximise School Facilities: We will enable schools to host before and after-school care and plan the development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme.
Include Childminders in the National Childcare Scheme: We’ll extend the scheme’s benefits to all childminders.
Set Fair Wages for Childcare Educators: We’ll review and establish fair, progressive wages for childcare workers in public services and support pay increases across the sector to attract and retain talent.
Improve Training Pathways: We’ll remove barriers in education and training for early years educators to broaden access to the profession.
Enhance Core Funding for Providers: We’ll review and increase Core Funding to ensure it meets providers’ needs and reduce their administrative workload.
Boost Access for Children with Disabilities and Disadvantaged Families: We’ll increase participation in the Access and Inclusion Model and the Equal Start programme.
Review Local Authority Provision: Review the 2001 Childcare Facilities Guidelines for Planning Authorities to ensure childcare spaces are provided and put into use.
Consult and Plan for Immediate Action: We’ll start a broad consultation with families, educators, and providers, and within 100 days, release a detailed Action Plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and care system with State-led facilities to add capacity.

This plan is designed to work for everyone — families, early years educators, and providers — ensuring accessible, affordable, and high-quality childcare across Ireland.

Supporting Childminders as Part of Affordable Childcare

Fine Gael is committed to making childminding an affordable and viable choice for parents, even within a public early learning and school aged care system.

Fine Gael will

Expand the Childcare Scheme: We will extend the National Childcare Scheme to cover childminders working in families’ homes, with sensible regulations that fit home-based care.
Maintain Childminding Development Grants: We’ll continue funding grants that help childminders improve safety and quality through essential toys, equipment, and technology.
Support Registration and Training: We’ll guide childminders through the registration process and expand access to local training opportunities.

Our approach will keep childminding affordable, accessible, and well-supported for families and childminders alike.

Baby Bundles for Newborns

Fine Gael will give newborns and their parents a Baby Bundle, providing essential items to support them from day one. Each bundle will include blankets, nappies, a digital ear thermometer, clothes, and other necessities ensuring an equal start in life.

Reducing Childhood Poverty:
A Path to Brighter Futures

Child poverty is not inevitable. We need a determined focus to lift children out of poverty and give them the futures they deserve. Fine Gael established and will retain the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office in the Department of An Taoiseach to break down silos between departments and drive delivery.

Fine Gael will

Reduce Child Poverty Rates: We will set an ambitious child poverty target to ensure a focus on inequality and supporting families.
Expand Hot Schools Meals: We will offer hot meals in all schools.
Provide Holiday Meal Support: We will ensure children have access to meals during school holidays.
Examine a Second-Tier Child Benefit: We will explore a targeted child benefit payment, and the extent to which the Working Family Payment and Child Support Payment already help to reduce poverty.
Extend Free Healthcare for more Children: We will expand access to free GP care.
Promote Uniform Swap Shops in Schools: We will encourage all primary schools to establish uniform swap shops to cut costs and support sustainability.
Expand the School Transport Scheme: We will broaden access to school transport for more families.
Increase the Rate of Child Benefit: We will increase the monthly rate of Child Benefit.
Double Child Benefit in August Permanently: We will provide an additional Child Benefit payment each August to ease back-to-school expenses.
Raise Income Support for One-Parent Families: We will increase income disregards for the One Parent Family Payment in line with National Minimum Wage increase.
Extend Jobseeker’s Support for Parents: We will continue Jobseekers Transitional Payment until the youngest child completes full-time education.

Fine Gael will ensure that children across Ireland have the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed.

Supporting Families: Accessible Resources, Tax Credits, Family-Friendly Policies, and Alternative Care

Fine Gael is committed to strengthening support for families with accessible resources, financial relief, family- friendly policies, and a comprehensive approach to alternative care.

Fine Gael will

Expand Family Resource Centres: We will increase the number of Family Resource Centres, while exploring ways to better support non-profit and social enterprise organisations.
Extend Paid Leave and introduce Pay-Related Parents Benefit: Extend paid family leave and introduce Pay-Related Parents Benefit modelled on the new Pay-Related Jobseekers Benefit and seek to extend this to other forms of leave over time.
Assisted Human Reproduction: We will drive the early establishment of the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority, commit to commencing the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 within the first 100 days, and enact without delay supplementary legislation. We will introduce leave for parents through surrogacy..
Strengthen Breastfeeding Support: We will enhance support for breastfeeding with a government- wide strategy, funding for community initiatives, more lactation consultants in hospitals and communities, and increased support for voluntary breastfeeding groups.
Enhance Support for Foster Carers: Recognising the essential role of foster carers in our care system, we will implement a comprehensive action plan that takes a cross-government approach to foster care. This plan will include:
• Increased Foster Care Allowance and increases in the new Initial Placement Payment.
• Exploration of pension provisions for foster carers to acknowledge their long-term commitment and ensure valued support after their fostering years.
Recognise Kinship care: We will improve support for kinship care to enhance outcomes for kinship families.

These initiatives ensure that families, caregivers, and foster carers receive the recognition, support, and resources they need to thrive, strengthening our communities and enhancing the quality of life for all.

Strengthening Tusla to Protect and Support Children

Fine Gael is dedicated to ensuring Tusla can provide strong, consistent protection and support to vulnerable children across Ireland.

To address increasingly complex cases, Fine Gael will:

Build a Resilient Agency: Our goal is to create a well-resourced, robust Tusla capable of safeguarding every child in need.
Strengthen Tusla’s Powers: We will strengthen measures aimed at preventing violence against children and ensure prompt access to comprehensive support for children who are victims or witnesses of violence, supported by the expansion of the Barnahus model.
Boost Resources and Staffing: We will ensure Tusla has the funding to recruit and retain vital frontline staff and foster carers. We will also work with third level institutions to increase the supply of social work graduates.
Strengthen Interagency Co-operation: To ensure effective and mandatory co-operation between state agencies we will put the inter-agency committee on vulnerable children on a statutory footing.
National Plan on Alternative Care: We will develop a national plan on alternative care which will include a short-term action plan addressing current issues in accessing appropriate care places. It will also set out a longer-term vision for how the care system will operate into the future examining initiatives to prevent admissions into care, new placement options, recruitment and retention. It will be strongly linked to our action plan for foster carers.
Expand Training and Support: We will increase training opportunities and support programmes for Tusla staff and carers to enhance service quality.
Ensure a Child-Friendly System: We will ensure children have access to legal support, and confidential and child-friendly complaints mechanisms, in education and care settings for reporting of violence and abuse.
Provide Specialised Legal Support: We will provide training on children’s rights and child-friendly proceedings for the judiciary, lawyers and law enforcement officials, and consider the introduction of a specialised child justice court model.
Enhance Education and Awareness: We will strengthen public education programmes to increase awareness of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including the need for online safety.

Promoting Online Safety for All

Online safety has long been a priority for Fine Gael. Recently, Taoiseach Simon Harris convened two online safety summits with government departments, agencies, and key stakeholders to focus on:

  • Protecting children online
  • Combating online threats and crime
  • Addressing misinformation and disinformation

These summits underscore Fine Gael’s commitment to building a safer digital environment, especially for children and families, and to taking decisive action against online threats.

Fine Gael will:

Enforce the Online Safety Code: We will support Coimisiún na Meán in enforcing the Online Safety Code, which can fine platforms up to €20 million or 10% of annual revenue.
Raise Awareness of Children’s Online Rights: We will work with Coimisiún na Meán to inform children, young people, and their parents about their rights online under the new safety framework.
Implement Online Health Recommendations: We will act on the Online Health Taskforce’s recommendations to improve digital well-being.
Strengthen Regulatory Support: We will ensure regulators have the resources to protect citizens and offer certainty for industry.
Collaborate with the EU: We will work closely with the European Commission to create a unified and effective digital regulatory framework.
Work on Tougher Rules for Platforms: We will work on a new EU Child Sexual Abuse Directive which will put an onus on platforms to detect and remove child sexual abuse material, prevent grooming.
Increase Public Awareness: We will launch a campaign, especially for parents, on the risks of excessive screen time and online dangers.
Boost School Funding for Online Safety: We will increase online safety funding for schools, giving them more flexibility in how to use it.
Protect Children from Bullying: We will ensure the effective implementation of the new action plan on bullying and implement measures to tackle cyber bullying.
EU Child Sexual Abuse Directive: We will work to agree a new EU Child Sexual Abuse Directive putting the onus on platforms to detect and remove child sexual abuse material and prevent grooming.
Tackle Recommender Algorithms: We will tackle the use of recommender algorithms protecting children from harmful content.
Action Plan on Bullying: We will ensure the effective implementation of the new action plan on bullying, implementing measures to address cyberbullying.

Fine Gael is committed to building a safe and secure online environment that protects all citizens, especially children.

Other Policies

Housing

Policy

Children

Policy