If you work or volunteer with children in Ireland, the first thing to know is that Tusla offers a free online introduction to Children First, and many organisations use it. This guide says that up front because any honest guide should. It then explains what the Children First Act 2015 and the National Guidance actually require of organisations and individuals, who is a mandated person, and when a fuller course such as Lift College's Children First Training (Ireland) earns its place alongside the free one.
The law and the guidance
The Children First Act 2015 put parts of child protection on a statutory footing. It requires organisations providing relevant services to children to keep children safe from harm, to carry out a risk assessment and to prepare and display a Child Safeguarding Statement; it creates mandated persons with a legal duty to report concerns at or above a defined threshold to Tusla and to assist Tusla on request; and it set up the Child Safeguarding Statement Compliance Unit.
Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017) sits alongside the Act. It describes the four types of abuse, how to recognise and report concerns, the role of the designated liaison person and what organisations should do, and it applies to everyone, not only mandated persons. Tusla is the Child and Family Agency that receives reports, and An Garda Síochána is contacted where a child is in immediate danger.
Mandated persons
Tusla's mandated persons page, read on 9 November 2026, describes them as people who, by virtue of their qualifications, training and experience, are in a key position to help protect children: key professionals in education, health, justice, youth and childcare, some professionals who do not work directly with children such as adult counsellors and psychiatrists, and registered foster carers. Schedule 2 of the Act lists them. A mandated person must report a concern at or above the threshold of harm to Tusla, and must assist Tusla in its assessment if asked. Not reporting is not an offence under the Act, but it has professional and organisational consequences, and the duty to assist is enforceable.
Tusla's free e-learning
Tusla, with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE, offers a universal e-learning programme called Introduction to Children First. Tusla's page says it takes about 1.5 hours, can be done over several sittings, covers recognising and reporting abuse, the role of mandated persons, the responsibilities of organisations and the role of designated liaison persons, and gives a certificate of completion by email. It is free, and Lift College encourages everyone to do it.
When a fuller course is worth it
Tusla's programme is an introduction. Organisations with a Child Safeguarding Statement that commits to training staff often want more than that, for three reasons:
- Depth: a 3-hour course with a knowledge check after every module and a final test, covering the four types of abuse, grooming and online risk, recording, confidentiality, the Child Safeguarding Statement, the designated liaison person's role and what happens after a report.
- A verifiable record: a dated, accredited CPD certificate with a refresh date, which auditors, sporting bodies and funders ask to see.
- Teams and languages: one organisation account for every member of staff and volunteer, with the course available in other languages for teams that need it.
Lift College's Children First Training (Ireland) is 3 hours in 6 modules, written for Ireland with the Children First Act 2015, the 2017 National Guidance, Tusla and An Garda Síochána. It is priced in euros. It costs €22.99, pay once, with 14-day money back. Lift College does not claim the course meets any specific statutory requirement; the Act and the Guidance do not name a course, and your organisation decides what training it needs under its Child Safeguarding Statement.
What no online course does
- Make a report for you. Concerns go to Tusla through the Tusla portal or the local duty social work team, and to the Gardaí in an emergency.
- Replace your organisation's own procedures, designated liaison person or Child Safeguarding Statement.
- Vet anyone. Garda vetting is a separate statutory process under the National Vetting Bureau Acts.
How often to refresh
The Guidance does not fix an interval. Organisations must review their Child Safeguarding Statement at least every 24 months and keep training current; many Irish employers and sporting bodies refresh safeguarding training every 3 years. Lift College recommends a refresh every 3 years, and the refresher is free.
Where to go next
- See the course: Children First Training (Ireland).
- Browse all Ireland courses, priced in euros.
- Working with children in the UK? Take Safeguarding Children Level 2, which covers UK law.