Press release
Minister McEntee publishes the 2025-2027 Corporate Plan for Cuan, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency
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Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has today (Friday) published the first Corporate Plan for Cuan, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) Agency.
The establishment of Cuan earlier this year was a key action under Minister McEntee’s Zero Tolerance strategy for combating domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.
Cuan is tasked with implementing the Zero Tolerance Strategy. This first corporate plan, covering the period 2025 to 2027, sets out how Cuan will fulfil its mandate and work towards achieving a society with zero tolerance for any form of DSGBV or the attitudes which underpin it, and ensuring victims have access to the full range of supports and services they need.
As with the development of the Zero Tolerance Strategy, and the subsequent work to identify the core functions of Cuan, which were co-designed with the DSGBV sector, the feedback from frontline service providers, civil society and Cuan’s implementation partners has been key to developing the corporate plan. Cuan also worked closely with their Board in developing this first corporate plan, which the Board has endorsed.
Speaking today, Minister McEntee said:
"The establishment of Cuan represents a significant and transformative shift in our focus to create a more structured, cohesive, and impactful response to DSGBV now and into the future.
"Cuan is a major initiative under the Zero Tolerance Strategy and is key to realising its ambition. Promoting cross-sector collaboration, Cuan can further transform how we understand and prevent all forms of DSGBV. I am confident that it will not only provide improved support for victims but will also promote and sustain a national movement towards lasting cultural change.
"The publication today of Cuan’s inaugural Corporate Plan, which sets out a clear vision for action in the coming three years, is a significant step. I am particularly pleased to see that this plan is grounded in values that reflect our wider mission to combat DSGBV: Courage, Creativity, Empathy, Inclusion and Integrity."
Prof. Caroline Fennell, Chair of Cuan’s Board, said:
"As a dedicated Agency committed to tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, Cuan marks a crucial milestone in Ireland’s continued commitment to eradicating domestic sexual and gender-based violence. Cuan’s role is to drive the ambition towards zero tolerance of all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, and in so doing, bridge the gap between policy and practice, ambition and reality, thereby ensuring a comprehensive effective response that integrates the lived experiences of victim-survivors into all aspects of its work. Our Corporate Plan sets out our strategic direction and guides this critical work.”
Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe, CEO of Cuan, said:
"I am proud today to outline Cuan’s commitment to shaping a safer and more just Ireland. This Corporate Plan is not only ambitious—it is an essential blueprint for the transformation needed to eliminate domestic, sexual and gender-based violence from our society. Guided by this plan, our priority is to establish the structures and systems that will allow Cuan to fulfil its purpose and remit. From strategy oversight and coordination; research and data development; victim-survivor engagement; awareness campaigns and the delivery of safe, accessible services, including refuge accommodation, our focus is on driving real, lasting societal change.
"I want to thank Minister Helen McEntee for her unwavering leadership in this space, and Cuan’s Board, staff and stakeholders for their ongoing guidance and support in the task ahead.”
An Ghníomhaireacht um Fhoréigean Baile, Gnéasach agus Inscnebhunaithe, or Cuan, is a statutory agency under the remit of the Department of Justice dedicated to tackling and reducing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV).
Cuan was established in 2024 as a core output of Zero Tolerance - The Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (2022-2026).
Under its founding legislation, Cuan is required to prepare for the approval of the Minister of Justice a corporate plan outlining the agency’s objectives and strategies.
Cuan’s first Corporate Plan 2025-2027 outlines the agency’s vision, values and objectives for combatting DSGBV in the years ahead. It is guided by the legislation and based on feedback from frontline service providers, civil society and Cuan’s implementation partners. It can be read at www.gov.ie/cuan.
The plan outlines Cuan’s Strategic Direction, Values, and Objectives for the coming three years.
Purpose: Driving Ireland’s response to the prevention of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and the protection of all victims and survivors.
Ambition: Cuan is recognised nationally and internationally for our role in achieving zero tolerance of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, leading to profound societal change and the elimination of these forms of violence.
Vision: a society free from domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.
Courage, Creativity, Empathy, Inclusion and Integrity.
1. Galvanise nationwide action to end domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.
2. All generations will be educated, informed and equipped to challenge and transform the social and cultural norms that contribute to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.
3. Lead the development and delivery of quality and effective services and supports, accessible to all victims and persons at risk of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.
4. Drive whole-of-government action to prevent domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, protect victims and ensure effective and supportive pathways to and through justice.
5. Build a knowledge base and evidence-informed response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence issues informed by the lived experience of victims/survivors.
6. Establish a dynamic, effective, internationally recognised agency working towards an Ireland free from domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.
Zero Tolerance - The government’s Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) (2022-2026) was published by Minister McEntee in June 2022. The Zero Tolerance Strategy approaches change as a whole of government and whole of society task. Government departments, State agencies, and DSGBV services work collaboratively to deliver on the Strategy.
The strategy is built on 4 pillars – Protection, Prevention, Prosecution and Policy Co-ordination.
A core output of the strategy was the establishment of a dedicated new agency to drive the implementation of the Zero Tolerance strategy, and this was the genesis of Cuan, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency, which was established in February 2024 as an agency of the Department of Justice.