Call for urgent child protection funding at Killarney conference

Frontline child protection and welfare services are facing an unprecedented crisis due to a surge in cases and limited resources, key speakers warned at a national conference in Killarney on Wednesday.

The final event of National End Child Poverty Week took place at the KCYS Youth Centre in Killarney, bringing together child welfare experts, legal professionals, and social workers to examine child protection, welfare, and alternative care.
Addressing delegates ahead of Budget 2027, Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, warned against proposed spending cuts across government departments that deliver core family supports.
“For politicians to speak about their prioritisation of the protection and safety of children in recent weeks, while at the same time committing to levying the Departments that deliver those protection, welfare and family support services is just not right,” Tanya Ward said. “The levies, which are intended to shoulder an ‘overspend’ by the department of education through cuts across other departments, could not come at a worse time. They essentially ask critical services to children to pare back, to do more with less – at a time when these services are completely stretched thin trying to meet the demand for support.”
Figures released at the conference revealed that referrals to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, have doubled over the past decade. The agency received a record 106,444 referrals in 2025. That upward trend has continued into 2026, with 28,800 referrals logged in the first three months of the year—an 11 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2025.
“Tusla and its support services are the last safety net for vulnerable children and families,” Tanya Ward added. “We need to be seeing significant increased investment to ensure we have a child protection system that is fit for purpose and can meet the needs of the children behind these figures who are facing battles such as neglect, emotional, physical or sexual abuse, trauma and deprivation.”
Chaired by Julie Ahern, Director of Legal, Policy and Services at the Children’s Rights Alliance, the conference featured keynote contributions from Kate Duggan, Chief Executive Officer of Tusla, and Dr Aisling Parkes, Special Rapporteur on Child Protection and Senior Lecturer in Law at UCC.
Additional speakers included Denise Kirwan, Partner at Comyn Kelleher Tobin Solicitors; social worker Thomas O’Driscoll; Seamus Whitty, CEO of KCYS; and Sinéad Roe, Intensive Family Support Co-ordinator at KCYS.
The Children’s Rights Alliance is calling on the Government to deliver a dedicated “Children’s Budget” for 2027. Key demands include increasing Tusla’s overall funding to expand social work staff across 30 new network areas, funding the rollout of the forthcoming National Policy Framework on Alternative Care, and increasing the proportion of Tusla’s budget directed to early intervention and community family support by three percentage points annually over five years.

Teresa McGrane to receive 2026 Maureen O’Hara Award

Former Deputy CEO of Screen Ireland Teresa McGrane has been named as the recipient of the 2026 Maureen O’Hara Award.

The award, which celebrates women who have made outstanding contributions to the film and television industries, will be presented as part of a special interview event during the 27th annual Kerry International Film Festival (KIFF).

McGrane served as Deputy CEO of Screen Ireland for more than two decades, overseeing significant expansion in national film production and talent development. Since 2023, she has held the role of Chief Operating Officer at Wild Atlantic Pictures, whose recent credits include Lee Cronin’s The Mummy and Saipan. She was also awarded the Outstanding Contribution to the Industry accolade by the animation sector in 2023.

Responding to the announcement, McGrane said: “I am delighted to be the recipient of this year’s award. It comes at a time for me personally where reflection on the past 25 years of growth in the industry is enormously satisfying. I acknowledge the hard work, duty and service of past Chairpersons, Boards, CEO’s and wonderful staff at Screen Ireland who served the industry with enormous dedication and commitment. Heartfelt thanks to the Kerry International Film Festival for this beautiful award in this very special place.”

The presentation and public interview, facilitated by producer Lesley McKimm, will take place on Friday, October 16, at 7pm in Randles Hotel.

KIFF launches REEL TALK industry series

Kerry International Film Festival has introduced REEL TALK, a new series of panel discussions, workshops, and industry sessions taking place across the four-day event.

The initiative aims to connect emerging talent, crew, and creative professionals with established industry figures to discuss practical career development, regional production, and independent filmmaking.

All REEL TALK events take place at ANAM on New Street and are free to attend, though advance registration is required via the festival website.

REEL TALK Schedule Highlights

Thursday, October 15

12.30pm | The State of the County: Seán Mulchinock from Screen Kerry delivers a presentation detailing regional production opportunities, local funding avenues, and skill development programmes.

1.00pm | The Kerry Crew Experience: A panel exploring inter-departmental collaboration on set. Featuring script editor Kate Leys, costume designer Michelle Navarro, and intimacy coordinator Bronagh McAuley.

2.15pm | Script & Story Masterclass: Script and story editor Kate Leys (Whitetail) breaks down the process of screenplay development and story engineering. Delivered in collaboration with NTA Crew South, an initiative of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland managed by Film in Limerick.

3.30pm | Making Diatribe: Building an Independent Feature: Director Shaun O’Connor, producer Mo O’Connell, and writer Paul Cahill share a case study of their independent feature shot entirely in County Kerry. Supported by the National Talent Academy for Film & TV.

Saturday, October 17

11.00am | Storyboard Masterclass: Hollywood storyboard artist John Coven (Jurassic World, The Lion King, Logan) leads a session on visual storytelling. Supported by the National Talent Academy for Animation.

3.15pm | Inclusive Filmmaking Case Study: Director Aisling Byrne and team unpack the creation of Oscar-qualifying psychological thriller Mary is Missing, produced by inclusive arts organisation Run of the Mill.

Festival launch set for September 22

Organisers of the Kerry International Film Festival have confirmed that the full 2026 screening lineup and schedule will be officially unveiled on Tuesday, September 22.

The festival takes place across multiple venues in town from October 15 to 18. This year’s edition is supported by principal funders the Arts Council of Ireland, Kerry County Council, and Fáilte Ireland, with headline sponsorship provided by Kerry Airport.

Ticket bookings for all announced events, including the free REEL TALK sessions, are now open on the official festival website at kerryfilmfestival.com.