Oberstown operates under the auspices of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY).
Oberstown has a Board of Management, which has responsibility for the overall management of the campus. The Board is appointed by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth under sections 164 and 167 of the Children Act, 2001 (the Act), the primary legislation governing Oberstown. Section 158 of the Act states that the principal objective of Oberstown is to provide appropriate educational and training programmes and facilities for children having regard to their health, safety, welfare and interests, including their physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing.
The Board carries out its functions on behalf of the Minister. Its key responsibility is to provide oversight and strategic direction to Oberstown on behalf of the Minister. The Board is also responsible for supporting the Director to deliver the strategic plan and is accountable to the Minister in line with the Children Act 2001 and associated legislation and policy.
The Act assigns the day-to-day running of Oberstown to the Director, who has primary (in loco parentis) responsibility for the young people on campus. The Director, together with the Senior Management Team, is charged with ensuring that the needs and rights of young people are met and the standards set down in national law are fulfilled.
The Oberstown Governance Handbook sets out the respective functions, authority and responsibilities of the Minister, the Board of Management and the Director. The Code of Conduct for Board Members sets out and amplifies the duties of all members of the Board and Board Committees.
Within the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), the Children Detention Schools Unit has direct responsibility for Oberstown. Governance and performance arrangements are set out in an Oversight Agreement between DCEDIY and Oberstown, reviewed annually. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has responsibility for inspecting Oberstown, at least annually, using a rigorous and transparent approach. The Department of Education's Inspectorate conducts an annual inspection of Oberstown Campus School. See the latest school report here.
Oberstown is accountable to the Minister for implementation of relevant national policy. This includes the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027, which makes specific references to the role of Oberstown in the youth justice system, assigning lead or co-responsibility to Oberstown for a range of strategic actions.
Board of Management
The Board of Management of Oberstown has 12 members plus a chairperson and includes representatives of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), the Department of Education, Tusla, two representatives from the local community and two independent members of staff, with five members identified via the Public Appointments Service (PAS) process. Members are appointed for a term, renewable, of up to four years.
Board meetings and Committees
Under the Children Act 2001, the Board must hold as many meetings as necessary for the performance of its functions and is entitled to determine its own procedure. In a typical year there are 11 regular Board meetings, one each month except July. The Board Secretary circulates a meeting update (bulletin) to staff on behalf of the Chairperson following each Board meeting.
Seven standing Board committees were in place in 2023 – the Audit and Risk Committee, the Governance Committee, the People and Culture Committee, the Performance Committee, the Strategy Committee, the Sustainability Committee, the Young People Committee. Dates of the Board of Management and committee meetings, and details of attendance, are set out in the Appendices to the Oberstown Annual Report. The Committees all operate in line with clearly defined Terms of Reference, approved by the Board and set out in the Oberstown Governance Handbook.