Information and Resources

This section includes information sheets, links to documentation referenced on the Children First website and other useful links.

HSE Child Protection and Welfare Policy

Adult Disclosures of Retrospective Abuse

Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012

HSE Children First National Office Newsletter

HSE Child Protection and Welfare Policy

Information Sheets

Posters

These resources are available in 17 languages. QR Codes on these resources brings people to the corresponding webpages where they can access the different languages available. It is recommended that the English language version is displayed unless your service is primarily aimed at a non-English speaking demographic.

Poster for Children and Young People on Being Safe and Asking for Help

(PDF, 606 KB, 1 page)

The poster informs children about their right to feel safe and how to ask for help, if they feel unsafe.

It is important that this poster is displayed in services where children and young people are service users or visitors in order to promote child safeguarding.

Please note: Contact details of your local Tusla – Child and Family Agency need to be included on the English language version of the poster.

Explanation of the HSE Child Protection and Welfare Policy

(PDF, 1,044 KB, 1 page)

This is a child friendly information sheet providing an explanation of the HSE Child Protection and Welfare Policy.

This is a supplementary support document that can be included in any information packs that are provided to children and young people. This information sheet can also be used, if required, by practitioners to explain to children why they are reporting concerns to Tusla – Child and Family Agency.

This resource may also be displayed in services however, the priority would be to display the Poster for Children and Young People on Being Safe and Asking for Help.

Explanation of the HSE Child Safeguarding Statements

Two child friendly posters providing an explanation of the HSE Child Safeguarding Statements are also available. The first option appealed greater to children of primary school age and the second option appealed greater to older children and young people. The wording of both posters is the same.

It is recommended that one of these posters is displayed beside the Child Safeguarding Statement in your service.

Choose which poster is more relevant to your service’s user demographic or if you provide services to children of all ages, display the poster you prefer.

Please note:These child-friendly resources have been translated to numerous languages accessible through the QR code on the poster or more than one language version of the poster can be displayed based on the needs of your service users.

Option 1: Children (PDF, 2,060 KB, 1 page)

Option 2: Older Children and Young People (PDF, 975 KB, 1 page)

Supervision of Children Poster

(PDF, 1,433 KB, 1 page)

Additionally, we have also created a generic poster about children needing to be supervised by a parent, guardian or carer.

If your service does not already have supervision signage, this poster can be displayed as a further child safeguarding measure.

HSE Children First Awareness Posters for Staff

The Children First Awareness Posters can be downloaded and displayed in offices and staff rooms to promote Children First and raise awareness of staff members responsibilities under Children First.

Limits to Confidentiality

The HSE Children First National Office has developed a leaflet titled ‘Limits of Confidentiality: When We Can’t Keep Information Private - Protecting Children’

This leaflet is designed to help service users understand the boundaries of confidentiality in their interactions with HSE staff, when there are concerns about child protection or welfare. It serves as a valuable resource to support HSE staff in implementing Children First and the HSE Child Protection and Welfare Policy. The leaflet is available in seventeen different languages.

Adult Disclosures of Retrospective Abuse

Adult Retrospective Disclosures Courts Interpretation (PDF, 525 KB, 3 pages)

Addendum to Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children - Dealing with Adult Retrospective Disclosures of Childhood Abuse (PDF, 529 KB, 6 pages)

Aguisín do Thús Áite do Leanaí: Treoir Náisiúnta - Déileáil le Nochtadh Cúlghabhálach Ar Dhrochúsáid Leanaí do Dhaoine Fasta (PDF, 532 KB, 6 pages)

An eLearning module is being developed (April 2025) regarding 'recognising and responding to adult retrospective disclosures of childhood abuse' and will be made available once finalised.

Hidden Harm

The experience of children living with, and affected by, parental problem alcohol and other drug use has become widely known as Hidden Harm. The term 'Hidden Harm' encapsulates the two key features of that experience:

those children are often not known to services;
and that they suffer harm in a number of ways as a result of compromised parenting which can impede the child’s social, physical and emotional development.

The key to the success of Hidden Harm work will be both the willingness and capacity of all services to work in a collaborative fashion.

Hidden Harm Practice Guide Seeing through Hidden Harm to Brighter Futures:

In 2019, the HSE and Tulsa published ‘Hidden Harm Practice Guide Seeing through Hidden Harm to Brighter Futures’. This document is an educational resource to enhance knowledge and skills, in identifying and responding effectively to parental problem alcohol and other drug use in terms of its impact on children and to support the continuing professional development of health and social care practitioners:

Hidden Harm Practice Guide Image (PDF, 2 MB, 94 pages)

Opening our Eyes to Hidden Harm:

The following leaflet ‘Opening our Eyes to Hidden Harm’ is specifically for empowering and guiding frontline workers in the area of parental problem alcohol and other drug use:

Opening your Eyes to Hidden Harm Image (PDF, 5 MB, 10 pages)

Hidden Harm eLearning Programme:

A 45 minute e-Learning programme has been produced and is available on www.hseland.ie; 'Hidden Harm: Recognising and responding to the impact of parental alcohol and other drug use on children'.

This programme is relevant to all staff working with parents, children, young people or families who may be affected by problem alcohol and other drug use. This includes HSE, Tusla, and community/voluntary sectors.

The programme seeks to support them in understanding and responding to the often ‘Hidden Harm’ of children living in these families:

Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012

The Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 outlines that it is a crime to withhold information from An Garda Síochána about a serious offence, including a sexual offence, against a person under 18 years or a vulnerable person where the information you have would help arrest, prosecute or convict a person for that offence. The provisions of this legislation are separate to any reporting requirements under Children First National Guidance.

Serious Offences against children include murder, manslaughter, false imprisonment, rape, sexual assault, incest, child trafficking, child pornography, reckless endangerment of children, assault causing harm or serious harm and female genital mutilation. The full list of serious offences against children under this Act are outlined in Schedule 1 of the Act.

The form for HSE personnel to report to An Garda Síochána is in the HSE National Child Protection and Welfare Policy and is available here: Notification to An Garda Síochána Form (Microsoft Word, 35.7 KB, 4 pages). Professionals that do not work in the HSE can use this form also or can adapt the form to remove the HSE logo and references to HSE staff.

Becoming a Prescribed Organisation under the Act

In certain circumstances, defences are available to a person who is prosecuted for withholding information under the Act. However, these are defences rather than exemptions. 'Designated Professionals' have a specific defence available to them. Services can apply to become a 'Prescribed Organisation' which would provide other categories of staff, known as 'Prescribed Persons', with a similar defence.

The purpose of the above video is to assist HSE services in considering whether to apply to become a Prescribed Organisation under the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012.

It is hoped that this video might also be useful in providing general information to HSE staff on the requirements under this piece of legislation to report offences against children and vulnerable persons to An Garda Síochána in certain circumstances.

The first fifteen minutes of the video may be relevant to HSE staff in general, while the entire video is relevant to services that are considering applying to become a Prescribed Organisation.

This Application Form (Microsoft Word, 19 KB, 5 pages) can be used by organisations and persons seeking to be prescribed in accordance with section 5 of the Act.