SnDMedia@SnDMediaNews
WE JUST WANT CHILDREN TO BE SAFE: Child Safeguarding Coalition Presents to Houses of the Oireachtas
11 June 2026 in Dublin
Serious questions need serious answers- Michaela Ní Chéadaigh
Invited by Senator Sharon Keogan, the Child Safeguarding Coalition presented serious concerns about safeguarding failures in Ireland’s education system. Contributions came from Jana Lunden, Laoise de Brún BL, Dr Stella O’Malley, Dr Niamh Regan, Lynda Dernham, and Eugene Garvin. The Coalition is an independent national organisation focused on child safeguarding and parental rights. It works to promote transparency in educational institutions so parents are meaningfully informed and involved in decisions affecting their children.
The press conference highlighted critical issues, including sexually explicit content in schools and libraries and the lack of proper risk assessments. Excerpts from textbooks and library books read aloud shocked the audience. Parents send children to school believing they will be safe. Yet learning what they are exposed to raises a vital question: are our children actually safe?The event follows public debate over inappropriate material, including the book What’s the T? on Children’s Books Ireland reading lists. Minister Norma Foley admitted she was not familiar with it. Parents reject any attempt by her department to avoid responsibility.
Senator Sharon Keogan stated upon opening: “If this material were truly uncontroversial, age-appropriate and widely supported, there would be no need for confusion or deception. The lack of candour speaks for itself.” She emphasised that while age-appropriate sex education is accepted, there is a clear line many parents would not cross in their own homes.Inappropriate literature on display included Seeing Gender, found in a local library’s youth section. The book promotes historical revisionism and exposes children to explicit topics. Teaching 9-year-olds about first sexual experiences, gender orientation and sexual behaviour is not education, it is predatory indoctrination.Even senior infants were asked in class about their genitalia and told that having a vagina does not make you a girl, or a penis a boy. Children went home feeling humiliated and violated.
The Coalition calls on the Department of Education to engage directly with parents and teachers on curriculum and safeguarding. There must be ongoing dialogue so materials reflect both safety standards and community expectations. The panel also criticised the National Parents Council’s failure and called for Bi Cineálta to be abolished.
Four clear calls to action:
•Statutory guidance prohibiting ideology in any educational setting.
•Restoration of parental authority and meaningful consultation.
•Immediate withdrawal of Bi Cineálta and replacement with a balanced safeguarding framework.
•An urgent independent audit of all school materials, with removal of inappropriate content and stronger oversight.
Deputy Carol Nolan warned of a “malign determination” to expose children to extreme content. Dr Stella O’Malley stated powerfully: “Children get only one chance at childhood. Our responsibility as adults is to put children first. Safeguarding is not a culture war issue.” Every child deserves protection and every parent deserves honesty.
As Jana Lunden concluded, this is not about left versus right — it is about one thing only: the safeguarding of children.
