Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-30
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Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South

The first four amendments in this grouping are minor drafting corrections to correct the wording in four places so the Bill reads consistently. They do not make any change to the substance or effect of the Bill.
The fifth amendment, amendment No. 12, is again a technical amendment. It is to ensure we apply the provisions of the Act of 1991 relating to the appointment of a guardian ad litem to proceedings heard under the new Part. The only substantive change is that the new drafting ensures a guardian ad litem can be re-appointed both where there is a review of an order as set out in the order itself, and where a review of the order takes place under the proposed new section 12E.
A guardian ad litem is an independent person appointed by the court to put the views and best interests of a child before the court. Under this Bill, the court may appoint a guardian ad litem for a child in proceedings to restrict or remove the guardianship of a convicted guardian. The guardian ad litem is to be drawn from the new guardian ad litem national service. The amendment applies the rules of that service to the new proceedings and makes clear how they work in this context. It provides for when a guardian ad litem's appointment comes to an end and how a replacement is to be appointed. The aim is to ensure the child is independently represented throughout, that there is no gap in that representation if a replacement is needed and that there is full clarity on the role of the guardian ad litem .
The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 reformed the guardian ad litem system and provides for the new service, which commenced about a week ago. The Government is committed to a high quality, consistent, child-centred service that strengthens the voice of the child in care proceedings.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-30