Oberstown has a Social Worker who is the Designated Liaison Person (DLP) for Child Protection on Campus. Each residential unit has a poster showing the DLP along with information on how young people or staff can report concerns about the safety of any young person.
In 2023, there were 180 matters referred to or followed up by the DLP in line with Campus policy and Children First legislation. This was up from 120 in 2022. Seventeen of these matters were forwarded as Mandated Reports to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency; 10 of the reports referred to matters internal to Oberstown. Of these, four related to physical interventions by staff and six to assaults by one young person on another. Five Mandated Reports related to allegations against Gardai. The DLP referred 11 matters to the Garda Ombudsman on behalf of young people.
The Social Worker also fulfils a valuable educational role on Campus, conducting Victim Empathy programmes with young people and providing staff training in Children First/Safeguarding. The Social Worker also supervises placements for social work students – in 2023 a student from University College Dublin successfully completed a 14-week placement.

The DLP helped to develop the Oberstown Child Safeguarding Statement [LINK TO DOCUMENT].