Operation Encompass: Information Sharing for Child Protection

Ireland Department of Justice

Published March 19th, 2026

Detected March 26th, 2026

Summary

The Irish Department of Justice is progressing Operation Encompass, a new initiative for information sharing between An Garda Síochána and schools to protect children impacted by domestic violence. This initiative involves notifying schools within 24 hours of a domestic violence incident at a child's home to enable immediate support.

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What changed

The Irish Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has announced progress on Operation Encompass, a new cross-border initiative aimed at enhancing child protection. This program will establish a formal process for An Garda Síochána (Irish police) to share information with school authorities regarding children who have experienced domestic violence incidents at home. The notification is intended to occur within 24 hours of the incident, allowing designated school staff to provide immediate care and support to the affected child.

This development signifies a move towards legislative implementation of Operation Encompass, following pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme in January 2026. The initiative requires collaboration between law enforcement, educational institutions, and government bodies across Ireland and Northern Ireland. While this notice does not specify a compliance deadline, the active progression and prior scrutiny suggest that regulated entities, specifically schools and law enforcement agencies, should prepare for the formal introduction of this information-sharing protocol.

What to do next

Review internal policies for child protection protocols.
Ensure designated school staff are trained on potential notification procedures.
Collaborate with local An Garda Síochána units on information sharing protocols.

Source document (simplified)

News

Cross-border meeting to progress Operation Encompass

From: Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
Published on: 19 March 2026
Last updated on: 26 March 2026

A cross-border meeting convened in advance of legislation to allow for the introduction of Operation Encompass.

Operation Encompass will provide for information sharing between An Garda Síochána and school authorities to strengthen protections for children impacted by violence in the home.

Operation Encompass involves a notification process whereby An Garda Síochána will inform a child’s school within 24 hours of attending a domestic violence incident at the child’s home. This is to ensure that designated school staff are aware that a child has experienced a violent and traumatic incident and can therefore provide the child with additional care and support during the school day.

In Drogheda today members from An Garda Síochána, the PSNI, school principals, education partners and government officials North and South came together to exchange information and lessons learned from rolling out Operation Encompass across Northern Ireland.

Pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme took place on 20 January 2026.