Ombudsman for Children

The closing date for this vacancy is 26/11/2026, 15:00

Job summary

The Ombudsman for Children will be appointed under the Ombudsman for Children Act, 2002. The Act provides that the Ombudsman for Children is independent in the performance of his or her functions and is accountable to the Oireachtas. The appointment of the Ombudsman for Children is made by the President of Ireland.

Main Duties of the Job

The main functions of the Ombudsman for Children are:

To promote the rights and welfare of children, including:

• giving advice to the Government on how to develop policies and services for children,
• encouraging public bodies, schools and voluntary hospitals to have policies and practices that respect children's rights,
• collecting and sharing information about children's rights and welfare,
• telling the public (including children and young people) about children's rights and welfare issues and explaining how children's rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child can be better respected and protected,
• making people (including the Government) aware of children's rights issues that children themselves are concerned about,
• sharing information and ideas with the Ombudsman for Children in other countries,
• creating ways to consult regularly with groups of children;

To undertake, promote or publish research relating to children's rights and welfare;

To monitor, review and advise on legislation, including:

• giving advice on how any proposed legislation will affect children;
• looking at laws relating to children's rights and welfare and how they work;
• looking at the Ombudsman for Children Act from time to time and making suggestions on whether parts of it should be changed;

To examine and investigate complaints made by, or on behalf of, children. Following investigation, the Ombudsman will, where appropriate, issue recommendations to the public body concerned to improve its processes and procedures for dealing with children;

To report annually on the operation of the Office;

To attend before Oireachtas Committees; and

To manage the administration of the Office of the Ombudsman for Children and associated resources.

A full list of duties and eligibility criteria can be found in the Candidate information Booklet

Information about the organisation

The primary objective of the Ombudsman for Children is to promote and safeguard the rights and welfare of children. Information on the work performed by the Ombudsman for Children, the main issues that have arisen, various publications including annual reports and the Ombudsman for Children Act, 2002 can be obtained on the website of the Ombudsman for Children .

See information Booklet.

Selection Process Details

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Thursday 26th of November 2026.

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act, .