Questions we're asked most.

It applies to providers of relevant services to children, which is far wider than most people expect — crèches and preschools, sports clubs, schools, youth groups, dance and drama schools, hotels and leisure centres running children's activities, and charities working with families. If you are unsure, it is a reasonable first question and it costs nothing to ask.

The Children First Act 2015 requires a provider of a relevant service to carry out a written assessment of the risk of harm, prepare a child safeguarding statement setting out the procedures that manage each risk it identifies, appoint a relevant person — commonly called the designated liaison person — as the first point of contact, display the statement where the service operates and furnish it to anybody who asks, and review it at least every twenty-four months. The procedures the statement must specify include reporting to Tusla, recruitment, investigating allegations against staff, maintaining a list of mandated persons, and information, instruction and training for staff and volunteers. Michael does all of that work.

Tusla's module is titled Introduction to Children First. Best practice in safeguarding training goes further than an introduction: it involves discussion, applied judgement, and some assessment of how a person would respond to a real situation. What your own organisation requires follows from your risk assessment.

Possibly not, and Michael will say so. The test is whether your statement came from your own written risk assessment and whether the procedures named in it actually exist. If both are true you are in good order.

It opens shortly. The price is published when it does, so there is no figure to quote yet and nothing to enrol in. Leave your details on the contact page and you will be told the day it is live — one message, on that day. For larger organisations the course can carry your branding, on every screen and on every certificate, and your own procedures and code of behaviour can be included; that is separate work and Michael quotes for it before anything begins.

Around three hours, at the learner's own pace on any device. Cara is with them throughout rather than at the end, putting situations to them and following up on what they say. The course opens shortly; this is what it will be.

No. Cara is an AI assessor, built on the seven criteria of judgement Michael uses himself. Learners are told before they begin. Michael sets what is assessed and how it is judged; the AI conducts the conversation and applies his criteria consistently to every learner.

They are told what was missing and can go again. Nobody is failed on a technicality or on the wording of an answer — the assessment is about whether a child would be safer for the position they took.

Yes. Each learner will receive a certificate issued in your organisation's name, recording what was assessed rather than only that they attended.

Yes. Independent review is a substantial part of the practice. A review may examine a specific incident and how it was handled, or assess an organisation's safeguarding arrangements as a whole. Your reporting obligations come first and are not affected by any review.

The Children First Act 2015 requires a provider of a relevant service to appoint a relevant person as the first point of contact in respect of the organisation's child safeguarding statement. Relevant person is the Children First Act 2015's own term; designated liaison person is the name in common use and in Tusla's guidance. Either way they must be named in the statement.

Then it does not go to them, and your procedures should already say where it goes instead. If they do not, that is a gap worth closing before you need it.

Naas, Co. Kildare, and Michael works with organisations across Ireland. Most of the work is done remotely; in-person sessions are arranged where they are worth the day.