Designated Liaison Person (DLP) in Irish Schools: Role, Deputy and Training

The Designated Liaison Person is the school’s named contact for child protection concerns and liaison with Tusla and An Garda Síochána. The board appoints a senior full-time registered teacher, usually the principal. The DLP oversees prompt reporting and records; the deputy supports the role and takes over during absence.

Start with the procedures your school has adopted

The Department of Education and Youth published the Child Protection Procedures for Schools 2025 on 28 May 2025. Its child protection procedures page confirms that the 2023 procedures remain in place until formal adoption of the 2025 procedures. This guide explains the 2025 arrangements, so check the school’s adoption minute before using it as the operational reference.

Circular 0041/2025, section 2.3, requires adoption no later than the board’s last meeting prior to 31 December 2026. Use the 2025 procedures adoption checklist to plan the transition. Preparing the transition does not suspend the reporting obligations already applying in the school.

The DLP role is a reporting and safeguarding responsibility. It does not give the school an investigative function that belongs to Tusla or An Garda Síochána. A well-prepared school makes the reporting route clear, ensures that cover is effective and keeps confidential records accessible to the authorised person who needs them.

Who appoints the DLP and DDLP?

Section 4.3.1 of the 2025 procedures requires the board of management to designate a senior full-time member of the school’s registered teaching staff as DLP. The principal is the usual choice and is recommended where possible; the procedures do not say the principal is always the DLP.

Where another eligible teacher is appointed, the school authority should record the reason and arrange for the DLP to keep the principal appropriately informed. The principal still has oversight responsibilities under section 4.4. The distinction matters when preparing the Child Protection Oversight Report: appointing someone else as DLP does not transfer every principal responsibility to that person.

Under section 4.3.2, the board designates another full-time registered teacher as deputy DLP. A deputy principal is expected where possible. The board ensures arrangements allow the deputy to take over effectively and access relevant records. The section provides a specific exception for one-teacher schools: no deputy appointment is required where there is no other full-time teacher, and the substitute replacing the absent principal assumes the relevant DLP duties with appropriate preparation by the employer.

Section 4.3.3 addresses the absence and unavailability of both named people where nobody is formally acting in their role. The chairperson, or the ETB chief executive or delegate in an ETB school, assumes the DLP role. Make this contingency understandable before it is needed. A contact poster alone is not an absence plan.

DLP responsibilities: reporting, liaison and records

Section 4.3.4 describes the DLP as a resource for school personnel who have a child protection concern. The DLP ensures the reporting requirements in chapter 5 are followed correctly and promptly, liaises with the relevant statutory agencies and makes the procedures and Children First guidance accessible to personnel.

The DLP is also appointed as the relevant person for the Child Safeguarding Statement. This is the first point of contact about the statement under section 11 of the Children First Act, rather than a general power to investigate concerns. In the school procedures, the DLP and relevant-person appointments are linked; the legal descriptions should not be treated as interchangeable in every organisation.

When concerns arise, follow chapters 5 and 6. Personnel bring concerns through the school’s specified route, the DLP considers the applicable reporting requirements, and Tusla advice is sought where needed. Reporting must not wait for the next board meeting or for an ordinary policy review. The procedures include specific routes where an allegation concerns the DLP or another school employee.

Record-keeping is part of the role. Chapter 8 covers dedicated case files, original records, restricted access and appropriate anonymisation for oversight. Keep factual records of concerns and actions, including communications and advice received. Do not put detailed child protection case information into a general staff drive or an ordinary board pack simply because those locations are convenient.

Tusla’s designated liaison person resources provide further explanation of the reporting role. They support understanding of Children First, while the Department’s procedures provide the school-specific arrangements.

The expanded deputy role under the 2025 procedures

Section 4.3.5 gives the DDLP a continuing support role alongside the responsibility to substitute during absence. The deputy supports implementation, accurate records and reporting protocols. They are kept up to date on active cases so that a change of availability does not interrupt support for a child or family.

This does not create two parallel reporting gates. When both are onsite, the DLP receives the report. The deputy’s support cannot screen concerns or introduce delay. Tusla’s duty social worker remains the appropriate source of advice when the DLP requires it; internal discussion between two teachers is not a substitute for that advice.

The section also provides safeguards around allegations. The DLP cannot involve the deputy in managing an allegation against that deputy. Where an allegation concerns the DLP, the chairperson or relevant ETB official assumes the DLP role, supported by the deputy. Staff should know that these alternative routes exist, even if they have never been needed locally.

A practical cover check asks whether the deputy can actually access the relevant records and understands outstanding actions. Being named in a statement without that preparation leaves the school vulnerable to interruption when illness or another absence occurs.

Mandated persons and other school personnel

Registered teachers are mandated persons under the Children First Act. Sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the procedures distinguish their statutory responsibilities from the responsibilities of non-mandated personnel. Other staff still have an important role in recognising concerns and following the school’s reporting arrangements.

A mandated person’s duty is not discharged simply by telling the DLP. The procedures explain joint reporting and individual reporting responsibilities, including what happens where there is disagreement about whether a mandated report is required. Staff should use those provisions and seek the appropriate advice rather than assume the DLP’s position settles every statutory question.

Non-mandated personnel should understand how to pass on a concern promptly, how to record what was observed or disclosed and where to go if the concern involves the DLP. They do not need to be trained to make their own investigative finding before reporting a concern through the agreed route.

Keep awareness practical. A short staff briefing can establish where the current procedures are, who receives concerns, what absence route applies and why confidentiality matters. It should reinforce the formal training rather than replace it. Avoid circulating a simplified flowchart that omits exceptions which matter in a real case.

Required training and records

Circular 0041/2025, section 2.4, requires attendance at Department-provided DLP/DDLP training and retention of a record. Chapter 11 of the 2025 procedures describes the training and supports provided through Oide and Tusla. Section 11.1.1 says the DLP and DDLP shall attend role training and retain attendance records; training should be refreshed at a minimum every three years.

The wording matters: the attendance and record requirements are obligations, while the refresher interval is expressed as “should”. The same chapter covers training for school personnel and supports for boards. A board should avoid treating completion of a generic online introduction as proof that every role-specific training requirement has been met.

Keep a simple training record with the person, role, course, provider, completion date and evidence of attendance. Record outstanding training and how it will be arranged. When appointments change, check the incoming person’s preparation rather than relying on a certificate belonging to the previous role-holder.

DLP information and the board’s Child Protection Oversight Report

The principal provides the Child Protection Oversight Report at each board meeting as a standalone item under sections 4.4 and 12.3. Where the principal is also DLP, the two roles meet in one person. Where they differ, arrangements need to support the principal’s report without weakening confidentiality or reporting duties.

The board uses the report for oversight of the procedures, rather than to conduct its own investigation. Use the required headings and relevant anonymised information. Case records and supporting documents should be handled under the access and confidentiality arrangements in chapters 8 and 12.

The Child Protection Oversight Report checklist supports meeting preparation. The Child Safeguarding Statement annual review checklist addresses the separate review and publication cycle. A completed annual review does not remove the need for regular CPOR oversight.

DLP handover checklist

Use this as a practical handover aid alongside the procedures; it does not replace urgent reporting or statutory advice.

1. Confirm the board’s appointment and the procedures currently adopted.
2. Record any reason the principal is not designated as DLP.
3. Confirm the DDLP and arrangements for absence of both people.
4. Update the names in the Child Safeguarding Statement and local contacts.
5. Update the student-friendly statement and relevant displays after adoption.
6. Check role-specific training and retain attendance evidence.
7. Transfer authorised access to confidential files without widening access.
8. Review active cases, outstanding communications and reporting actions securely.
9. Confirm arrangements for the principal’s CPOR and relevant board oversight.
10. Brief personnel on the contact and cover arrangements.

Separate public updates from confidential case handover. The board can record appointment and training actions in ordinary governance records without including children’s names or case details. The incoming DLP should have enough protected information to act promptly, and the outgoing person’s unnecessary access should be reviewed.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the designated liaison person in a school?

The board appoints a senior full-time member of the school’s registered teaching staff as DLP, usually the principal. The DLP is the school’s contact for child protection concerns and liaison with Tusla and An Garda Síochána.

Is the principal always the DLP?

No. Section 4.3.1 says the DLP will usually be the principal and recommends this where possible. If another eligible teacher is appointed, the school authority should record the reason and arrange for the principal to be appropriately informed.

What training does a DLP need?

Circular 0041/2025 requires attendance at Department-provided DLP/DDLP training and retention of a record. Section 11.1.1 of the 2025 procedures says role training should be refreshed at a minimum every three years.

What does the deputy DLP do?

Under section 4.3.5, the DDLP assumes the DLP’s responsibilities during absence, supports implementation and accurate records, and stays informed about active cases. The deputy’s support must not screen concerns or delay reporting.