Latest Update

The Guardian ad litem National Service is due to commence in June. In the run up to commencement regular updates will be available here.

28 April 2026 Update

Commencement

There are 8 weeks left until commencement of the Guardian ad litem National Service which is planned for 23 June. The team are working well to ensure that everything is in place to support the Guardians ad litem who will be working directly with children in all parts of the country.

Recruitment

Interviews have been concluded for our Senior Solicitor and Legal Executive vacancies, with the final interviews for Solicitors planned to be completed in May.

We are also excited to welcome our first Regional Manager on the 27th of April, to support the preparation for commencement.

We have also reached a key milestone recently in the recruitment for the Guardians ad litem themselves, having completed the first batch of interviews in March. From these interviews, we have progressed 40 candidates into clearance so far and expect for the first of these to be contracted in the coming weeks

Child Participation

Over the past few weeks, with the support of Foróige, we have met with several care experienced young people to gather their views on the role of the Guardian ad litem and the complaints process. The feedback shared by these young people has been invaluable and will inform the ongoing development of the service. We look forward to continuing to engage with more young people in the coming weeks.

Transitional Guardian ad litem applications and vetting

There has been significant ongoing engagement with Guardians ad litem regarding Garda Vetting and the processing of 35Q transitional applications. This engagement is ongoing, and we encourage all Guardians ad litem to contact us with any queries and to continue engaging with these processes.

Garda Vetting/ Overseas Police Clearance Query: gardavettinggal@dcde.gov.ie

35Q Application Query: galnationalservice@dcde.gov.ie

May consultations on operational procedures

We are hosting 3 online consultations for current Guardians ad litem on policies and procedures on Monday 11, Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 May. Invitations have been issued and we encourage as many Guardians ad litem as possible to attend and to share your expertise.

Open tender for legal services

A request for tenders for legal services is open until 8 May. We are seeking these legal services to support authorised Guardians ad litem appointed under the Child Care Acts 1991–2022 and the Mental Health Act 2001. This will be a multi‑supplier Framework Agreement that will include the provision of legal advice to Guardians ad litem; representation in District Court child care proceedings; representation in High Court Special Care proceedings; and representation in Mental Health Act (section 25) applications.