New child and family agency will employ up to 4,000 staffLegislation approved by Government, but no agreement over moving key staff to agencyWed Jul 10 2013 - 01:19
Opposition parties criticise Government moves to encourage water charge paymentMoves to cut water pressure will leave poor families with a ‘trickle of water’Tue Jul 09 2013 - 17:48
Water bill defaulters will face reduction in pressureFamilies face fees of €100 to €300 a yearTue Jul 09 2013 - 01:00
Water charges will be another burden for those struggling to stay afloatPrinciple of charges is progressive, but many will feel it is money down the drainTue Jul 09 2013 - 01:00
Irish clinic says it will offer ‘three-parent’ IVF proceduresNew procedure could prevent genetic disorders, but critics warn of ethical issuesSat Jun 29 2013 - 01:00
Special needs children face cut in support despite Government U-turnParents groups say children will be forced to share access to special needs assistantsFri Jun 28 2013 - 01:00
‘Our ultimate objective was to eliminate homelessness’Peter McVerry is marking three decades of fighting deprivation in DublinThu Jun 27 2013 - 05:00
Quinn reverses planned cuts to supports of special needs pupilsProposals by Minister for Education had provoked public backlashTue Jun 25 2013 - 13:06
Minister pledges to address ‘crisis’ in mental health services in Roscommon areaNurses say understaffing and lack of investment has resulted in serious incidentsMon Jun 24 2013 - 01:02
Budget wording altered to hide reference to councils passing on property taxTens of thousands in local authority housing likely to face rent increasesMon Jun 24 2013 - 01:00
The Special Olympics demolished our prejudices and perceptions of disabilitySpirit of those heady summer days lives onFri Jun 21 2013 - 01:02
Children left at risk by HSE social services, says Ombudsman reportHSE senior management says claims ‘unfounded and unsubstantiated’Mon Jun 17 2013 - 01:00
Taoiseach gives backing to national initiative aimed at tackling key social challengesChange Nation event seeks to create jobs, improve education and empower citizensSat Jun 15 2013 - 11:21
Termination was denied at first because clinicians believed their ‘hands were tied’Halappanavars requested abortion after being told miscarriage was inevitableFri Jun 14 2013 - 01:00
Report identifies multiple failures in treatment of Savita HalappanavarHSE says clinical staff at Galway University Hospital failed to properly assess or monitor dying woman’s conditionThu Jun 13 2013 - 16:00
Main points: HSE report into death of Savita HalappanavarFindings of the inquiry into pregnant woman’s death in Galway University HospitalThu Jun 13 2013 - 15:00
Mental health services ‘stagnant’ and in danger of slipping backwardsWatchdog says failure to hire community-based staff will hamper servicesThu Jun 13 2013 - 01:00
Standards of care will deteriorate unless mental health posts filled, watchdog warnsJohn Saunders says lack of community services will undermine outcomes for patientsWed Jun 12 2013 - 12:48
HSE cuts funding for childcare training and adviceDecision affects 33 positions in Childminding Advisory ServiceWed Jun 12 2013 - 01:00
Women at work: the cost of childcareGovernment should provide comprehensive childcare for pre-school children, say parents in an Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll – but don’t ask them to sacrifice child benefit to pay for itWed Jun 12 2013 - 01:00
Change Nation, change livesIn Dublin last year, 50 of the world’s leading social innovators gathered to share ideas on how to tackle key challenges facing the country. We are now seeing results, writes Carl O’BrienTue Jun 11 2013 - 15:17
Are we outsourcing our privacy to US technology companies?Digital rights campaigners say Irish internet users should be worried at new disclosuresSat Jun 08 2013 - 00:59
Jury finds PR consultant died by suicideCoroner says there is no evidence of third party involvement in Kate Fitzgerald’s deathThu Jun 06 2013 - 14:46
Rent supplement to increase in urban and fall in rural areasChanges to welfare support for 85,000 people due to come into force this monthWed Jun 05 2013 - 20:59
State Pathologist rules out third party involvement in death of Kate FitzgeraldInquest hears postmortem results show death was due to hangingWed Jun 05 2013 - 14:34
Just 37 inspectors available to monitor 4,700 creches and preschoolsGovernment rules out second free preschool yearMon Jun 03 2013 - 01:00
Government ruled out ‘hardship’ clause in property tax over fears of flood of applicantsOfficials opted not to introduce exemption for hepatitis C sufferersMon Jun 03 2013 - 01:00
State upped creche ratio against adviceChildren to staff ratio raised to 11 to 1 last September despite warnings by expertsSat Jun 01 2013 - 01:00
Cork man who inspired the Who: ‘There’s no Quadrophenia pension. Life’s not like that’Retired postman Jack Lyons was the inspiration for The Who’s 1973 albumSat Jun 01 2013 - 01:00
Creche crisis: the staff speakChildcare work is hugely demanding and highly important, but it’s undervalued and underpaid. Why?Sat Jun 01 2013 - 01:00
Rise of 30% in numbers sleeping rough in capitalCharities say figures reflect wider trend of growing demand for homeless servicesThu May 30 2013 - 01:00
Government pledge to cut funding to creches in breach of childcare standardsFacilities at centre of controversy have received millions of euro in public moneyThu May 30 2013 - 01:00
High quality childcare service can only be delivered with public supportOpinion: We are still paying for the quick-fix system several years agoThu May 30 2013 - 01:00
Minister pledges more robust inspection regime for pre-schoolsCreches at centre of controversy apologise to parents and childrenThu May 30 2013 - 01:00
Gaps in standards and inspection need to be tackled if parents can have confidence in systemMistreatment of children a symptom of wider failures in early years educationWed May 29 2013 - 01:14
Creches and pre-schools left uninspected for up to four yearsConcern over services has grown following airing of RTÉ’s ‘Prime Time’ programmeWed May 29 2013 - 01:00
It’s quality versus quantity in battle for hearts and minds of preschool childrenGovernment Ministers want to extend the free preschool year to two years, but is it too early given the variable quality of existing services?Mon May 20 2013 - 01:00
Quality issues found in preschool tuitionWeaknesses found in range and quality of activities for children in most preschools inspected by Department of Education and Health Service ExecutiveMon May 20 2013 - 01:00
Schools to be obliged to accept special needs students under new proposalsMajor changes planned to the way learning support teachers are allocated to schoolsSat May 18 2013 - 06:28
Is Ireland is danger of being left behind due to lack of stem cell research laws?No legislation or guidelines in place to support research using human embryosFri May 17 2013 - 01:00
HSE did not report cases of suspected child abuse or neglectHiqa report finds serious failings in child protection services in Carlow/KilkennySat May 11 2013 - 01:10
No desks. No staff. No tax. Ireland’s shadow banksIreland’s unregulated and barely visible ‘shadow banking’ industry is 10 times the size of our GNP. Is it a benefit or a threat to the economy?Sat May 11 2013 - 01:00
Report's findings are shocking - but familiarOur poorly managed child protection system is placing vulnerable children at riskSat May 11 2013 - 01:00
Children at risk due to HSE care failures, Hiqa report findsAuthority says gardaí were not always notified of suspected physical, sexual abuse or neglect of a childFri May 10 2013 - 12:38
No welfare cuts planned for funding free pre-school year, says QuinnExtending scheme would benefit up to 65,000 children each yearFri May 10 2013 - 01:00
Ministers support move to use of child benefit to fund extra pre-school yearProposals to either tax or means-test child benefit would deliver enough money to pay for the moveThu May 09 2013 - 06:05
Major delays assessing the needs of hundreds of children with disabilitiesVulnerable young people regressing due to long waiting times for services, say advocatesWed May 08 2013 - 05:41
Bruton sought multinational tax breaksMinister for Jobs requested an income tax rate of 23% for those earning up to €500,000 in Budget 2013Tue May 07 2013 - 06:00
Grandparents Bill aims to protect family tiesNew legislation to remove legal obstacles for grandparents over access to grandchildrenMon May 06 2013 - 07:00
