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What we do

We deal with complaints made by or for children about the actions of public organisations and promote the rights and welfare of children in Ireland

The Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) is an independent office. We have two main roles; to deal with complaints made by or for children and young people about the actions of public organisations, and to promote the rights and welfare of children and young people under 18 living in Ireland.

We promote children’s rights and welfare by finding out what children and young people are concerned about and highlighting their opinions to people who make decisions that affect them. We help people, especially young people, to find out about children’s rights and how those rights can be respected and made real. We advise Government and others to help make sure laws and plans respect children’s rights. We encourage public organisations to promote children’s rights in the work that they do. We also carry research to get a better understanding of issues that are important in children and young people’s lives.