Minister Foley appoints new Chairperson to the Tusla Board
- Published on: 13 January 2026
- Last updated on: 13 January 2026
The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, has today announced the appointment of Ms. Madeleine Clarke as the Chairperson of the Board of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.
Ms. Clarke is being appointed by the Minister following a selection process managed by the Public Appointments Service and in accordance with the government’s Guidelines on Appointments to State Bodies.
Ms. Clarke brings substantial expertise to the Board of Tusla. She is a professional psychologist and previously served as Deputy Chief Executive of Barnardos, where she was responsible for the development and management of services for children and families, as well as for human resources, administration, and corporate planning.
Her career includes extensive work as an independent consultant with both statutory and non‑statutory bodies, including the HSE, the Department of Health and Children, and numerous other organisations. Much of this work has focused on the needs of children and young people. Ms Clarke is the founder of Genio, a non-profit organisation that manages public and philanthropic innovation funds and provides capacity‑building to support public service reform.
A vacancy for the role of Chairperson on the Board of Tusla arose on 31 December 2025 when the term of office of Mr. Pat Rabbitte, Chairperson, expired.
Speaking on the appointment, Minister Foley said:
“I am very pleased to appoint Ms. Madeleine Clarke to be the next Chairperson of Tusla. I am in no doubt that Ms. Clarke has all the qualities necessary to lead Tusla to the next stage of its development."
"Her career reflects a deep commitment to social innovation, system reform, and improving the lives of vulnerable people, most especially children. Ms Clarke’s skillset will help her lead Tusla into the future and addressing the many challenges it faces as an organisation."
"I am grateful to the outgoing Chairperson, Mr. Pat Rabbitte, on completing his two terms as Chairperson of the Board of Tusla. Pat has shown steadfast leadership, sincere commitment, and absolute dedication in his role as Tusla Chairperson since 2018. I thank him and wish him every success for the future.”
ENDS
Notes to the Editor:
Biographical info on Ms Madeleine Clarke
- Ms. Clarke is a professional psychologist and founder of Genio - a nonprofit organisation managing innovation funds (public and philanthropic) and providing capacity-building to support public service reform.
- Ms Clarke has been an independent consultant working with statutory and non-statutory organisations, including the HSE, Department of Health and Children, and many other organisations. The majority of that work undertaken focused on children and young people.
- Ms Clarke was a Deputy Chief Executive in Barnardos with responsibility for the development and management of services for children and families, human resources, administration and corporate planning.
- The Board of Tusla and its Chair play a vital role in ensuring that Tusla fulfils its mandate, is accountable to the Minister, Government, Oireachtas and acts in the public interest.
- The Board is responsible for overseeing the development of corporate strategy in relation to major plans of action, risk policy, annual budgets and business plans. The Child and Family Agency Act, 2013 provides that the Chief Executive Officer is responsible to the Board for the performance of their functions and the implementation of Tusla’s Corporate Plan and Business Plan.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, was established with effect from 1 January, 2014 following the enactment of the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013.
The Agency has responsibility for a range of services, including:
- Child Welfare and Protection Services, including family support services which were delivered by the Health Service Executive’s (HSE’s) Children and Family Services
- Family Support Agency responsibilities
- National Educational Welfare Board responsibilities
- pre-school Inspection services
- community-based services related to the psychological welfare of children and families
The Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, provides for the appointment of a nine person Board, consisting of a Chairperson, a Deputy Chairperson and seven ordinary members all appointed by the Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality.