Oberstown publishes 2025 Annual Report
July 07, 2026
Oberstown Annual Report highlights continued progress in care and rehabilitation during year of increased demand
- Report highlights expanded programmes, stronger partnerships and continued focus on positive outcomes for young people
Dublin, 7 July 2026: Oberstown Children Detention Campus has published its 2025 Annual Report, capturing another year of progress in supporting young people through education, rehabilitation and therapeutic care, while strengthening professional practice, staff wellbeing and children’s rights across the campus.
The report outlines significant developments across Oberstown, including positive findings from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), expanded education and therapeutic programmes, stronger engagement with young people in decision-making, and enhanced partnerships to support young people before, during and after detention.
Staff wellbeing and professional practice were also key areas of focus during the year, including the expansion of practice supervision, implementation of recommendations from an independent culture review and ongoing workforce development.
During 2025, Oberstown cared for 119 young people, with the campus operating at full male occupancy on 137 days, more than double the previous year. Despite these pressures, HIQA found that Oberstown was delivering a good quality, child-centred and safe service, while recognising improvements in several key areas including reduced use of restrictive practices, enhanced staff supervision and continued progress implementing the campus’s strategic plan.
Other key highlights include:
- Young people participated in a broad range of offence-specific, educational and personal development programmes, including REAL U, Respect: Dating Detox, Victim Empathy, Baseline, Decider Life Skills and the Responsibility Programme.
- Continued progress in education, with six young people completing the Junior Certificate and 43 QQI Level 3 and Level 4 General Learning modules achieved across the campus school.
- Vocational achievements included 22 Fitness Instructor qualifications, 30 HACCP food safety certificates, 22 Safe Pass certificates, 20 Manual Handling certificates, barista training, catering training and horticultural training.
- The Hear I Am podcast project continued to grow, with 44 young people producing more than 20 podcast episodes exploring their experiences, interests and aspirations.
- Young people completed creative projects with partners including EPIC, Music Generation, Fighting Words and artist Joe Caslin, alongside participation in Gaisce – The President's Award and extensive sporting activities.
- Oberstown strengthened partnerships with organisations including the Traveller Justice Initiative, EPIC, Le Chéile, Hub na nÓg, the Diamond Project and Extern's Bail Supervision Scheme to support young people before, during and after detention.
- Continued investment in staff development and wellbeing, including expanded practice supervision, implementation of recommendations from an independent culture review, and ongoing professional training recognised by HIQA as contributing to improvements in care and governance.
- A comprehensive review of the Children's Rights Policy Framework was completed, reinforcing Oberstown's rights-based approach and strengthening young people's participation in decisions affecting campus life.
- Oberstown hosted and contributed to national and international youth justice events, including the 11th Irish Criminal Justice Agencies Conference and the 5th World Congress on Justice with Children.
- Sustainability initiatives continued, with Oberstown working towards ISO 50001 certification, establishing its first campus apiary, joining the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and continuing progress towards national Climate Action targets.
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, welcomed the publication:
"Every child in Oberstown deserves the opportunity to feel safe and supported and be given the chance to play a positive role in their community in the future. This report highlights the wide range of activities, programmes and supports that are helping children develop skills, build confidence and make positive changes in their lives, including recognising their offending behaviour. I want to acknowledge the dedication of Oberstown staff, whose work makes a real difference to the young people in their care every day.
Building on the progress made in 2025, the Government has provided an additional €2.176 million in funding for Oberstown in 2026 to strengthen staffing levels and enhance supports for children helping to ensure they continue to receive the care, guidance and opportunities they need to realise their potential."
Oberstown Director, Damien Hernon, said:
"This report reflects the depth and breadth of work taking place across Oberstown every day to support young people in our care. Through education, therapeutic interventions, offending behaviour programmes, skills training and strong relationships, young people are supported to reflect, develop and prepare for their return to their families and communities. 2025 was a demanding year, with increased occupancy, complex needs and continued recruitment pressures. However, the progress outlined in this report demonstrates the professionalism, resilience and collective responsibility of our staff and partners, who continued to sustain high-quality, rights-based care in a challenging environment. We remain focused on ensuring Oberstown is not only a safe and caring place for young people but also contributes to wider learning and improvement across the youth justice system.”
Chair of the Board of Management, Koulla Yiasouma, added:
"The Board is pleased to present Oberstown’s 2025 Annual Report, which reflects the commitment of staff and partner organisations to providing young people with care, respect, structure and opportunities for positive change. We continue to prioritise staff engagement, strong governance, safe staffing and the continued development of Oberstown’s child rights-based approach. We are particularly encouraged by the continued focus on young people’s participation, the review of the Children’s Rights Policy Framework and the partnerships that support young people both on campus and as they return to the community. These relationships are central to ensuring detention remains a last resort and that young people are supported to build more positive futures."
The report is available on the Oberstown website. www.oberstown.com
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Cian Doherty / Aaron Reilly, Drury
Cian.Doherty@drury.ie / Aaron.reilly@drury.ie
087 772 6678 / 085 244 5630
Additional Information:
About Oberstown
Oberstown is Ireland’s national facility for the detention, care and education of young people under 18 years referred by the courts on detention or remand orders. Established under the Children Act 2001, the campus provides individualised care to young people through an integrated multi-professional approach that enables young people to address their offending behaviour, support their individual complex needs and return successfully to society.
CEHOP®
Oberstown meets the needs of young people in relation to their Care, Education, Health, Offending behaviour and Preparation for leaving – the five elements of CEHOP®, the Oberstown model of care. Applying a rights-based model, set out in our Children’s Rights Policy Framework, young people participate in decision making about their care, their lives and the campus as a whole.
Victim Liaison Service
Oberstown recognises the harm done to victims and is fully compliant with the EU victims’ directive of 2012 and The Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime Act) 2017, through our victim liaison service.
Board of Management
Oberstown has a Board of Management appointed by the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) under the Children Act 2001, which has responsibility for the overall management of the campus. Governance and performance arrangements are set out in an Oversight Agreement between DCDE and Oberstown, reviewed on an annual basis. Day-to-day responsibility for Oberstown rests with the Director, who under the Act has primary (in loco parentis) responsibility for the young people in Oberstown’s care.