New Tusla Corporate Plan looks to the future as the Agency turns 10

Tusla – Child and Family Agency today published its new Corporate Plan 2024 – 2026. The Corporate Plan sets out the strategic direction, ambitions and key priorities for the next three years agreed between the Board of the Agency and Minister Roderic O’Gorman. 

2024 marks the Agency’s 10th year in existence, and over the course of those ten years the Agency has seen a significant increase in demand for its services, the expansion of services under its remit, and the development of new services to better support children, young adults, and families. 

At a time when the demand for the Agency’s services is at its highest levels, the Corporate Plan 2024–2026 outlines the key actions that Tusla will take, in partnership with Government Departments, other state agencies, and funded services, to help to ensure that children and young people are safe and protected, and that individuals and their families have timely access to consistent and integrated services. 

The plan is guided by the Agency’s revised Purpose and Mission, and Vision, and its core values of Trust, Respect, Kindness and Empowerment, which together provide the foundation upon which the Agency provides its services. Central to the Corporate Plan 2024 – 2026 is the Agency’s ambitious and ongoing reform of its Practice, Structure and Culture through the Tusla Integrated Reform Programme. 

Strategic objectives in the plan are underpinned and influenced by three pillars: 

• People: To attract, retain and grow a diverse and capable workforce and promote a positive culture so that our people can effectively respond to service users, feel supported and have pride in our services and the Agency.
• Practice: To design, deliver and govern services to ensure they are timely, equitable, integrated and consistent, and meet the needs of those that use them.
• Public Confidence: To ensure the services we deliver meet the standards our service users are entitled to, and are compliant, high-quality, transparent and visible across communities, in order to promote public trust and confidence in Tusla.

In line with these three pillars, are 6 strategic objectives that will guide the Agency’s actions over the next three years. These objectives focus on the recruitment and support of staff, the delivery of consistent and high-quality services, and ongoing service improvements and visibility in communities across Ireland. 

The Agency’s stakeholders are central to the delivery of its services, and a significant part of the development process for the Corporate Plan involved internal and external stakeholder engagement. Some of the key recommendations from this engagement, and how the Agency will respond, are highlighted within the plan. 

Speaking about the Corporate Plan 2024 – 2026, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Roderic O’Gorman TD said: “I welcome the publication of Tusla’s new Corporate Plan 2024 – 2026. Tusla does vital work in supporting children, young people, and families, particularly in the context of challenges posed by high demand for services. I have no doubt that this new Corporate Plan will support and enable that work, and I look forward to collaborating closely with the Agency.”

Speaking about Tusla’s focus for the next three years, Pat Rabbitte, Chairperson of Tusla said: “Our Corporate Plan for the three years ahead sets out ambitious goals that the Agency will strive to meet in the interests of the effective delivery of our services to the children and families who need our support.”

Kate Duggan, CEO, Tusla, said: “Through our Corporate Plan 2024 – 2026, we are committed to responding to the increased demand for our services, and to progressing implementation of our Reform Programme, so that we continue to integrate our services, better support our workforce, and enable more positive outcomes for children, individuals, and families.”

Yearly business plans will detail the actions to be undertaken as the Agency works towards achieving its goals, commencing with Business Plan 2024, which has also been published today. The Business Plan 2024 contains a range of clear and specific actions that the Agency will carry out this year, inclusive of objectives under the Tusla People Strategy, which details initiatives the Agency will undertake to attract, retain and grow its workforce.

The Corporate Plan 2024 – 2026 and Business Plan 2024 can be viewed on our website by visiting the following link: tusla.ie/publications