Social Media Policy

External Social Media Policy

May, 2026

The Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) is an independent human rights organisation.

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.

The OCO recognises the importance of social media in shaping public thought about our organisation. It is an important communications tool through which we:

• promote and raise awareness of children’s rights and the work of our Office
• provide updates or information on OCO activities and services
• promote the voices of children and young people on our social media channels
• engage with OCO stakeholders and members of the public through promoting OCO policies, publications and positions on issues related to our work and children’s rights
• inform, influence and educate about OCO positions on policy decisions and issues of importance to the public and children’s rights
• protect the reputation of the OCO online
• respond and engage in an efficient, appropriate and timely manner

Official OCO social media channels

OCO Platforms are managed by the OCO communications unit during business hours Monday to Friday but may also operate outside these hours when needed.

The OCO is active on:

Instagram – @ombudsmanforchildrensoffice

Facebook – facebook.com/OCOIreland

LinkedIn – The Ombudsman for Children’s Office

BlueSky – @ocoireland.bsky.social

YouTube – youtube.com/@OCOIreland

*X- @OCO_Ireland

*Since January 2026 the OCO is no longer posting content on X. We are maintaining a presence on the site to maintain the integrity of our handle. Please follow the OCO’s other channels to stay in touch. 

Please note we cannot respond to complaints made via our social media accounts. For more information on how to make a complaint and the types of complaints you can make, please visit https://www.oco.ie/complaints/

What we post

If you follow any of the OCO accounts, you can expect to see photos, videos, posts and updates on any or all of the following:

• OCO publications and reports
• OCO events
• Content from our School Ambassadors and YAP
• OCO workshops and interactions with young people
• OCO statements
• Engagement with stakeholders

Where content includes children or young people, the OCO will ensure that appropriate consent has been obtained from the child or young person and a parent or guardian (when a child is under the age of 16).

The dignity, privacy and best interests of the child are protected at all times. The OCO will avoid sharing identifying information when it is not needed and will take all reasonable steps to ensure that children and young people are represented in a safe and respectful manner. The OCO reserves the right to limit comments, replies and interactions on any OCO social media content.

The OCO is not responsible for the use by third parties of our social media content without our permission.

Shares and Reposts

Shares and reposts are not endorsements of an opinion or comment. The OCO will from time-to-time share and repost information from Government departments, NGOs or stakeholders where it is considered relevant to our work and children’s rights. Decisions to share content are made by the communications unit on a case-by-case basis.

Replies and direct messages

We cannot provide replies or feedback to all direct messages and comments and have an automated response in place. If you have a complaint, you can fill in the Contact Form on our website at oco.ie/online-complaint

For general queries you can email oco@oco.ie

The OCO does not use social media channels to process complaints or sensitive personal data. Users are advised not to share personal, confidential or sensitive information (including details relating to children or complaints) via comments, direct messages or replies. Any such information received will not be processed through social media and users may be redirected to appropriate official channels.

Reporting / Blocking

The OCO reserves the right to report the following to relevant social media platforms and to block users where necessary:
• accounts that impersonate the Ombudsman for Children’s Office or the Ombudsman for Children in any way
• spam and abusive posts, shares or comments will not be tolerated and will be reported and removed/ hidden

In addition, the OCO reserves the right to remove, hide or report content that:
• contains personal or sensitive information relating to a child or third party
• is defamatory, discriminatory, hateful or incites harm
• is misleading or deliberately false
• is irrelevant, promotional or constitutes spam
• breaches the privacy or rights of others

 Data Protection

We recognise that social media platforms present varying levels of data protection, safeguarding and governance risk. The OCO will keep its use of social media platforms under ongoing review to ensure alignment with data protection obligations, Government policy, and the best interests of children and young people. This includes consideration of the appropriateness of platforms where risks to users or data protection standards may arise.

OCO Staff

OCO staff may have personal social media accounts. However, any communication intended for the Ombudsman for Children’s Office should be made through our official social media channels or email addresses.

OCO staff do not engage in discussions, commentary or responses on OCO business, policies or cases via personal social media accounts. This is to ensure that all information provided is accurate, consistent and managed through official channels.

 

• Meitheamh 2022
• Ábhar: Ar line