Introduction
The Commission of Investigation has been established to examine how concerns of child sexual abuse were handled by schools, and by those responsible for schools in Ireland.
The Commission will also examine how reports of abuse were handled by An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive, and the Department of Education. Its work will focus on identifying where complaints and concerns of child sexual abuse were not handled correctly, why this occurred, and who was responsible.
The Commission will consider the impact of childhood sexual abuse in schools. It will report to the Minister for Education and Youth on the experiences of survivors, the impact on their lives, and on what can be learned to strengthen child protection in the future.
Terms of Reference
The Commission’s Terms of Reference outline what it is set up to do, what it will examine and, broadly, how it will carry out its work.
The Commission can only investigate matters included in the Terms of Reference which have been set by the Government.
Under its Terms of Reference, the Commission will:
- Consider the handling of concerns of child sexual abuse that occurred between 1927 and 2013 in day and boarding schools, including special schools.
- Identify and investigate failures by schools to respond to concerns of child sexual abuse in a way that adequately protected children, and examine the causes of those failures.
- Examine how An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive (and its predecessor or successor bodies), and the Department of Education handled concerns of child sexual abuse reported to them.
- Report on the impact of sexual abuse on survivors and identify any lessons that may help further strengthen child protection in the future.
The Commission is not tasked with investigating individual cases of child sexual abuse or making findings about individual perpetrators. Its role is to examine how concerns of child sexual abuse were handled.
Please know that the Commission cannot respond to current child protection concerns. Please contact the Gardaí or Tusla if you are worried that a child may be at risk of sexual abuse now.
Further information can be found here if you are worried about a child’s safety now.
Work of the Commission
The Commission of Investigation will conduct a survey in Autumn 2026, inviting survivors of child sexual abuse in schools, and others, to provide some initial information. The information gathered will help to determine the focus of the next stages of the Commission’s investigative work.
The Commission will also establish a Survivor Engagement Programme. This will provide a voluntary, safe and supportive space for survivors to share an account of their experience and its impact, through a process that is informal, confidential and anonymised.
A Survivor‑Centred Approach
This Commission is committed to ensuring that its work is survivor‑centred, as set out in its Survivor-Centred Principles.
Commission Team
Mr Justice Michael MacGrath has been appointed to chair the Commission. He is supported by four commissioners: Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring, Mr Roddy Bourke, Ms Michele Clarke and Mr Kieran McGrath.
Further information on the Commission team.
Establishment of the Commission
The Commission of Investigation into the Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Schools was established by the Minister for Education and Youth following a Scoping Inquiry into historical sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders. This Commission has a wider scope and includes all schools.