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Legal basis

The role of the Guardian ad litem is currently provided for under the Child Care Act 1991 and will be amended once the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 is commenced.

Information Session

An information session for Guardians ad Litem was held at the Department on 17 June 2025. The session was recorded and can be viewed below.

The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 introduced significant reforms to strengthen the role of Guardians ad litem in child care proceedings. Key provisions include:

• Presumption in favour of appointment in District Court child care cases.
• Mandatory appointment in High Court special care cases.
• Creating a system of authorisation of Guardians ad litem.
• Establishing qualifications, standards, and governance for Guardians ad litem.
• Providing for the transition to a national service under the Department of Children, Disability, & Equality.

For more details, please see the full text of the Act.

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