Barnardos Knowledge Bank
Barnardos Knowledge Bank is an online service hosting full content materials produced by Barnardos Ireland. It contains the full text of booklets, journals, reports, research papers and more. Barnardos Knowledge Bank is an open access platform, with the aim of making Barnardos output as widely accessible as possible. Use the browse functions above for an overview of relevant materials. Barnardos is Ireland's leading children's charity and is also a National Voluntary Childcare Organisation whose work is part funded by Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
Recent Submissions
Item Parent and Carer Involvement in the Online World of Children(Barnardos, 2025)Since 2014, the Barnardos Online Safety Programme, supported by Google.org, has equipped children, parents, and educators across Ireland with the knowledge and tools to navigate the digital world safely. Delivering workshops to over 100,000 children in more than 1,000 schools, the programme promotes a holistic approach where digital providers, policymakers, and communities all contribute to creating safe, age-appropriate online spaces. Each year, Barnardos gathers insights from children to shape programme delivery, and this year’s research also includes the perspective of parents and carers. The report explores how supported children feel by their caregivers in online activities, their comfort in discussing digital experiences, and when they seek help. Findings show that teens often struggle to talk about the emotional aspects of their online lives, while younger children seek more guidance on identifying misinformation, emotional wellbeing, and online consumer behaviour but value autonomy over screen time and social media use. Parents, although actively engaged, report difficulty keeping pace with technological change. The insights underscore the need for open communication, mutual trust, and shared digital experiences between parents and children to strengthen resilience, encourage positive online participation, and promote digital safety.Item Annual Report 2024(Barnardos, 2025)Barnardos’ work in 2024 was guided by the understanding that childhood experiences shape lives and that, with the right support, every child can thrive—because “Childhood Lasts a Lifetime.” We supported 35,649 children and parents across 56 centres, homes, schools, and protection settings, addressing the long-term effects of trauma and adverse experiences such as deprivation, instability, and homelessness. Partnerships, particularly with Tusla, remained central to achieving our mission. During the year, Barnardos advanced several initiatives amplifying children’s voices, including the Empower Kids group and consultations on the Online Safety programme, whose 2024 theme explored children’s perspectives on Artificial Intelligence. Outcome measurement frameworks were standardised across family support services, demonstrating significant positive results, and specialist evaluations continued to ensure service quality. Our advocacy and research remained strong, marked by reports on parental mental health, child poverty, and the cost of living, contributing to policy outcomes such as expanded school meals and free schoolbook schemes in Budget 2025. Despite inflationary and funding challenges, new campaigns and generous donor partnerships sustained delivery. Internally, Barnardos advanced its People & Culture strategy, achieved a Bronze Award from the Irish Centre of Diversity, and launched a new employee assistance programme. With 514 staff and 250 volunteers, Barnardos continues to uphold high standards in service, governance, and sustainability—remaining steadfast in its commitment to support vulnerable children and families, ensuring every child has the opportunity to live a fulfilling life.Item Guidance for Childminders: Supporting Children with Transitions(Barnardos, 2025)Children experience many transitions in their lives. Some of these are big transitions, such as moving from home to a childminder setting or starting a new school, while others are smaller, daily transitions, like moving from playing in the sandpit to having lunch. Whatever the size or scope of the transition, children need support from the important adults in their lives to navigate the changes taking place. As a childminder, you develop close, nurturing relationships with the children in your care. This enables you to offer individualised support around transitions based on each child’s needs. When you plan transitions well, in collaboration with a child’s family, you can prepare the child for what is to come, help them adapt to the new situation, and ease any concerns they might have. In doing so, the child is more likely to experience positive outcomes and to become confident in anticipating and managing change, now and in the future. This resource offers guidance on how you can support children’s social and emotional development and wellbeing during transitions.Item Evaluation of the Parental Advocacy and Information Service(Barnardos, 2025)This is an evaluation of the Parental Advocacy and Information Service (PAIS), which was established in 2022. PAIS offers face-to-face advocacy across pilot sites, supporting parents through meetings and legal processes, complemented by a national helpline and email service. It accepts diverse referrals and provides multimedia resources, workshops, and clinics to enhance accessibility and parental engagement. International research shows parents in child care proceedings often feel disempowered, but advocacy can improve relationships, participation, and outcomes. Ireland’s system has shifted from institutional care to rights-based, participatory approaches emphasising prevention, early intervention, and strengths-based family support. A realist-informed, mixed-methods evaluation (2022–2024) examined how PAIS operates and its impact. Data sources included service reports, 28 interviews with parents and professionals, 37 surveys from key stakeholders, and seven detailed Barnardos case studies illustrating advocacy outcomes. PAIS expanded rapidly, with referrals rising from 33 to 98 in 2023 and 107 parents supported. By mid-2024, 82 cases were active. The service delivered 1,226 support sessions, 195 court attendances, and 374 information enquiries across multiple channels. Dublin North City had 36.6% of cases, followed by Waterford and Wexford. Most users were women (79.6%), aged 26–40, predominantly White Irish (79.6%), with Irish Travellers as the largest minority. Lone parents comprised 80.6% of families served. Parent surveys showed extremely positive experiences with PAIS, highlighting emotional support, advocacy, rights awareness, and improved communication with professionals. Parents felt more confident, informed, and involved in child care decisions. Professionals strongly endorsed PAIS, noting enhanced collaboration, parental participation, and trust-building. Advocate interviews underscored trauma-informed, empathetic, and transparent practice as key to positive outcomes, though issues like vicarious trauma, supervision needs, and resource constraints emerged. Overall, PAIS was viewed as transformative in empowering parents and strengthening inter-agency relationships. The PAIS evaluation shows a strong positive impact on parents in child care proceedings, improving participation, relationships, and outcomes through trauma-informed advocacy. Key recommendations include sustaining and expanding the service nationally, preserving its independence, providing robust advocate training, and ensuring equitable access. Strengthening collaboration between advocates and professionals, addressing resource barriers, and embedding participatory approaches across child protection were emphasized. Continued evaluation and research are needed to assess long-term effectiveness and guide development. Overall, PAIS offers a transformative model for rights-based, parent-centered support within Ireland’s evolving child protection system.Item Barnardos Children’s Budget 2026(Barnardos, 2025)In the recent Programme for Government1 there was a commitment to implement actions to ‘lift more children out of poverty, giving them the futures they deserve’. The Taoiseach Michael Martin reiterated this at the National Economic Dialogue stating that for Budget 2026 he is asking ministers to plan and come forward with measures that will really make the difference to the most vulnerable families and children. In order to achieve this, and improve childhoods for those most at risk, there must be increased financial supports as well as additional family, health and developmental supports. Too many children continue to go without essentials, and too many families and children go without the support they need to have a decent childhood and provide them with the best opportunities to develop. All children should have access to decent quality homes, parents who are in a position to support, access to essentials and the ability to access essential services. The longer children live in poverty and deprivation and go without essential supports, the greater an impact it will have on their health, wellbeing, and future development.
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