Investigation

What the Commission Will Investigate

The Commission has been established to examine how concerns and complaints of child sexual abuse in schools were handled in Ireland over a long historical period.

Its work will focus on understanding systems and responses.​​​​  As set out in our Terms of Reference, the Commission will investigate a number of sample cases where there were concerns of child sexual abuse and/or complaints of child sexual abuse were made. The Commission will investigate how such complaints and concerns were handled in those selected cases.​ 

The Commission will also set up a Survivor Engagement Programme.

Scope of the Investigation

The Commission will:

• Examine how concerns and complaints of child sexual abuse were handled by schools, and by those responsible for schools. This applies to all types of schools, including day and boarding schools. The Commission will select sample cases for detailed Investigation.
• Look at how specific State bodies responded to complaints reported to them. These bodies include: 
  • The Department of Education
  • An Garda Síochána
  • The Health Service Executive (and its predecessors and successors, such as Health Boards and the Child and Family Agency – Tusla)
• Consider abuse that occurred between 1927 and 2013. Such abuse is relevant even if complaints or allegations about the abuse were first made after 2013, or were not reported.

Overall Aim of the Investigation

Through its Investigation the Commission aims to:

• Determine how historical child sexual abuse in schools was handled in those cases it selects for Investigation.
• Understand how such abuse was allowed to occur over time.
• Contribute to improving how children are protected in the future.

The Commission will focus on how complaints or concerns were handled, including:

• Whether allegations or concerns were reported, ignored or concealed.
• Whether appropriate steps were taken to protect children from harm.
• Whether institutions and authorities responded properly and effectively.
• The systems, practices and decisions that allowed sexual abuse to occur or to continue.

In particular, the Commission will identify where there were failures in response, such as non-reporting or inadequate action.

Approach to the Investigation

The Commission is required to complete its work within five years. Because of the scale of the task, the Commission will:

• Use a purposive sampling approach, examining selected cases rather than the handling of every instance of historical sexual abuse.
• Focus on cases where there is sufficient witness and documentary evidence to reach reliable findings and show wider systemic failures.

This approach is designed to allow the Commission to produce meaningful findings within its timeframe.

The Commission has wide powers to conduct its Investigation. In the first instance, it will conduct an initial survey in Autumn 2026 in which it will seek information from survivors and others. This information will help to determine the focus of its work. If you would like to provide information via the survey, click survey for further information.

The Commission may also:

• Gather and review documents and records relevant to the issues under examination.
• Request information from individuals and organisations.
• Request or require witnesses to give evidence, including under oath where necessary.
• Seek expert input to help analyse complex issues.

Under the law, a Commission can require people or organisations to cooperate and can compel the production of documents where needed.

It is important to say that under our survivor-centred, trauma-informed approach, the Commission seeks information from survivors on a voluntary basis only, and does not intend to compel co-operation or documents from survivors.

The Commission will decide its own procedures so that it can carry out its work effectively, fairly and efficiently. These will be published on our website.

Hearings and Evidence

Most of the Commission’s work will be carried out in private, to encourage cooperation and protect sensitive personal information. Witnesses will be treated in accordance with fair procedures, including being informed of their rights.

What the Commission Will Deliver

At the end of its Investigation, the Commission will:

• Produce and submit a detailed report to the Minister for Education and Youth, setting out its findings and taking account of the outcomes of the Survivor Engagement Process. While Reports of Commissions of Investigation are generally published, publication is a decision for the Minister.
• Provide an evidence-based account of how institutions and authorities responded to historical child sexual abuse related to schools, and may identify failures to protect children from harm.
• Identify lessons and, where appropriate, recommendations for the future.

The Commission operates independently in carrying out its work. It is required to:

• Act impartially and objectively.
• Follow fair procedures for all individuals involved.
• Base its findings solely on the evidence gathered.

What the Commission Will Not Do

It is important to understand the limits of the Commission’s role:

• It will not investigate or determine individual allegations of abuse.
• It will not decide criminal guilt or civil liability.
• It does not have a role in relation to redress or compensation.
• Its role is to examine systems and responses, and to report on what happened overall.