Minister Jim O'Callaghan launches Ireland’s first set of Child Maintenance Guidelines
- Published on: 19 January 2026
- Last updated on: 19 January 2026
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan has today (Monday 19 January) launched Ireland’s first set of Child Maintenance Guidelines at a Family Justice stakeholder event in Dublin.
Minister O’Callaghan also announced his plans for the implementation of the Family Courts Act, 2024. This includes the establishment of the first family courts in selected locations on a phased basis before a full national roll-out.
Minister O’Callaghan said:
“The creation of child maintenance guidelines is a first for Ireland and a significant step forward to improving fairness, consistency and transparency when parents are making child maintenance arrangements.
“A new online child maintenance calculator will be launched shortly to accompany the guidelines which will assist in making the guidelines more accessible for parents. I am confident the guidelines and the calculator will be helpful tools for parents who choose, and for whom it is possible, to make private arrangements for child maintenance directly between themselves, instead of through the court system.
“Development of the Child Maintenance Guidelines was a key recommendation of the 2024 Review of the Enforcement of Child Maintenance Orders.”
Minister O’Callaghan added:
“It is a key objective for me and for 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.
“The implementation plan for the Family Courts Act will provide for a phased commencement of the Act, bringing the family courts into operation in specific locations over a series of stages before a full national roll-out.
“My officials will commence work immediately with the Courts Service to establish the first family courts in January 2027.”
Minister O’Callaghan also noted positive progress on several Family Justice Strategy actions including:
- The forthcoming establishment of the Children’s Court Advocate Pilot Project in two locations, Waterford and Clonmel.
- The recent publication of a tender for an evaluation to assess the pilot’s effectiveness, which will be open until 4 February 2026.
- The development of Voice of the Child Report Template and Guidelines which will be published in the coming months.
- The awarding of the tender for a private Family Law Reporting Project to the Child Law Project, led by Dr Carol Coulter, to be delivered over the next three years.
- The commencement of work to develop a Parenting Plan Template to assist parents in making parenting arrangements after a separation or divorce.
- The launch of a dedicated Family Justice Services page which brings together a clear list of services and supports for families and professionals in one easy-to-navigate place.
- Results from a public survey launched last April helped to inform the child maintenance guidelines with 69% of respondents indicating they would use the guidelines if they were to go through the process of agreeing child maintenance. 57% of respondents cited the benefits of guidelines leading to greater fairness, clarity and consistency.
Attendees at the Family Justice Development Forum were today updated on the Family Courts Act Implementation Plan, judicial training in the family law space and developments in family mediation with presentations from Maria Fitzgerald, Associate Director of Judicial Studies at the Judicial Council and Fiona McAuslan, Director of the Legal Aid Board’s Family Mediation Service.
Minister O’ Callaghan added:
“A significant aspect of the Family Courts Act is that it provides for judges who have specialist training or experience in dealing with family law matters to be assigned to the Family Courts divisions on a full-time basis. The provisions of the Act will also lead to improved levels of judicial expertise and training in family law matters.
“Ultimately, we all want to ensure that we continue to promote mediation as a mechanism of resolving disputes. Promoting the use of alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation, to resolve family law disputes, in so far as is possible and appropriate, is one of the guiding principles of the Family Courts Act.”
Minister O’Callaghan concluded:
"I want to emphasise as Minister that I am committed to implementing significant progress on family justice reforms.”
Notes for Editors
- The first Family Justice Strategy was published in November 2022.
- Implementation of the strategy is being led by the Family Justice Implementation Group which comprises representatives of the Courts Service, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality., the Legal Aid Board, the Judiciary, and the County Registrars Association.
- The Strategy committed to the establishment of the Family Justice Development Forum, chaired by the Minister, which typically meets twice a year.
- The Forum is an opportunity to update all interested stakeholders on, and for them to directly engage with, the implementation process and key issues arising in the area of family justice.
- It is also an opportunity for the Family Justice Implementation Group to engage with stakeholders on particular issues or pieces of work related to the actions outlined in the Strategy.
- The Child Maintenance Guidelines can be accessed here: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-and-migration/campaigns/child-maintenance/
- Report_on_the_Consultation_on_Child_Maintenance_Guidelines_.pdf
- The tender for the provision of an evaluation of the Children’s Court Advocate pilot project services is open until 4 February 2026 and can be accessed here: European Dynamics - Notice & Tender Documents
- A new Family Justice page is now live on the new Dublin Children & Young People's Services Committees (CYPSC) service directory hub: Family Justice – Dublin CYPSC Hub
- Child Maintenance Guidelines Comparative Review
This dedicated page brings together a clear list of services and supports for families and professionals in one easy-to-navigate place. It is designed to help users quickly find the right supports across 6 key areas, including:
- Legal Information, Advice & Mediation
- Domestic, Sexual & Gender-Based Violence
- Parenting & Family Supports
- Support for Children & Young People
- Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing
- Financial & Practical Supports
Minister Jim O’Callaghan’s opening remarks at the Family Justice development forum can be found here.