Minister McEntee announces publication of the 2023 Cineáltas Implementation Report
- Published on: 2 July 2025
- Last updated on: 3 July 2025
Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee has today (2 July) announced the publication of the first annual Cineáltas Implementation Report.
The report provides an update on the progress made on implementation of the actions contained in Cineáltas, Ireland’s national action plan to prevent and address bullying behaviour in schools, during the first year of implementation, 2023.
Published in December 2022, Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying is aimed at preventing and addressing bullying behaviour including, cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools. The action plan incorporates each of the nine components of UNESCO’s Whole Education Approach to prevent and address bullying behaviour.
The implementation plan for Cineáltas, which was published in April 2023, commits to implementing the actions contained in Cineáltas over a five-year period from 2023-2027.
Minister McEntee said:
“I want to thank the Cineáltas Implementation Group, chaired by the Secretary General of my department, for their work in progressing the actions contained in Cineáltas. The implementation plan for Cineáltas contains 61 actions. In the first year of Cineáltas, 56 of the 61 actions were commenced and five of those were fully implemented.
“I am very encouraged by the progress made at this early stage of implementation. This 2023 report demonstrates tangible steps taken to help ensure that all of our children and young people feel safe and happy in our schools. These steps include the piloting of one-to-one counselling in primary schools across a number of counties, a Cineáltas flag being issued to every primary and post-primary school and the establishment of the student participation unit in my department.
“I would like to thank our school leaders, our Boards of Management, our teaching and non-teaching staff, parents and students for the work that they do every day to prevent and address bullying behaviour.
“The importance of this work cannot be overstated. Schools are not just places of learning; they are communities where children and young people develop their sense of identity, belonging, and self-worth. Ensuring that these communities are safe, inclusive, and nurturing is fundamental to our mission. It is our responsibility to create an environment where every student feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential.
“I look forward to the good work continuing and all the actions contained in Cineáltas being realised.”
Notes
Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying was published on 1 December 2022. Cineáltas is the department’s whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying behaviour in schools.
Cineáltas is centred on a child rights-based approach and provides a collective vision and clear roadmap for how the whole education community and society can work together to prevent and address bullying behaviour in our schools.
An implementation plan for Cineáltas was published on 10 April 2023 and commits to implementing each of the 61 actions contained in Cineáltas within a five-year period.
An Implementation Group has been established to oversee implementation of the actions and to publish annual implementation reports, informed by feedback from children and young people, parents, school staff, education partners, key stakeholders and relevant agencies.
The report published today covers progress made during 2023.
For further information go to the ‘Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying’ at Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying (www.gov.ie).