Minister Jim O'Callaghan announces significant reforms to the Family Justice system
- Published on: 22 April 2026
- Last updated on: 22 April 2026
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan has today announced details of the Implementation Plan for the Family Courts Act 2024 that will result in some of the most significant reforms of the family justice system in the history of the State.
The Family Courts Act 2024 will introduce important changes to the delivery of family justice in Ireland.
These changes will include full-time specialist judges assigned to deal with family law within new family court divisions, each run by a new Principal Judge, and the possibility to provide divorce applications at both District and Circuit Court level.
Minister O’Callaghan said:
“It is a priority for me, and the Government, to ensure that the family courts are more user-friendly, less costly and place the needs of children at the centre of family law proceedings.
“I am very pleased today to announce the Implementation Plan for the Act. I recently informed Cabinet of the plan's contents which is the first step to implementing significant changes in how the family courts will operate. My priority is to create an accessible, efficient, and child-centred family courts system.
“Following the outcome of extensive stakeholder consultation last year, the best approach, both in terms of minimising disruption to the operation of the courts, as well as ensuring lasting change, is a phased implementation that will start at the beginning of the legal term in January 2027.
“Over three phases, new family courts will be stood up incrementally across the country, bringing the family courts into operation in selected locations over a series of stages before a full national roll-out.
“This approach will allow implementation to proceed in a manner that takes account of the needs of court users, staff, and practitioners.”
A planning phase dedicated to setting up the necessary foundations to implement Phase 1 has already commenced and will run until the end of this year. Alongside the implementation of each phase, evaluation and refinement will take place to inform the approach adopted for the subsequent phases.
Minister O'Callaghan added:
“This Phase will involve a concentrated period of activity and engagement, encompassing a significant volume of work for the Courts Service, the judiciary, and other stakeholders to ensure the first family courts are operational by January 2027.
“The volume and complexity of changes required to fully implement the Act will require a co-ordinated and collaborative approach from a wide variety of stakeholders over the course of the coming years.
“However, the plan sets out the overarching direction of travel for implementation, acting as a high-level roadmap indicating the approach to implementation and the initial work required to support it.
“An Implementation Steering Group has been established to provide oversight and monitoring of the implementation process and to drive co-ordination and collaboration between key stakeholders. The Group will produce a more detailed project plan for publication in the autumn.”
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Notes for editors
The Implementation Plan (the Plan) provides for a phased approach and the first steps necessary to implement the Act; implementation is envisioned to proceed in three phases:
Phase 1
- Phase 1 will commence in January 2027. Three locations will be initially selected to commence operating as family courts in the new system. Locations will require a Family District Court, a Family Circuit Court, and a Family High Court.
- Judges with specific expertise in dealing with families and family law matters will be assigned to these first court locations on a full-time basis.
- During this phase, the next set of locations will be identified, training will be delivered to target staff, and information and awareness campaigns will be conducted with practitioners.
- A comprehensive evaluation will be conducted to ensure challenges are addressed promptly.
Phase 2
- Phase 2 is projected to commence in January 2028. Additional family court divisions will be added to those operational from Phase 1.
- Preparations will continue for the final roll-out to remaining locations in the third phase.
- A staggered commencement may involve certain processes coming online at different times, allowing for training and digital capacity to be established as needed and to learn from the results of the evaluation process.
Phase 3
- Phase 3 will see the full implementation of the Act and is envisaged to commence from January 2029.
- Additional family court divisions will be added to those operational from previous phases and additional judges with supporting staff will be assigned to family courts on a full-time basis.
- During the final phase, any last repeals and replacement provisions provided for in legislation should be prepared and commenced.