Oberstown Staffing Dispute: Director Calls for 'Ceasefire' as Industrial Action Continues at Children's Detention Campus
The director of Oberstown Children Detention Campus has called for a "ceasefire" in the ongoing staffing dispute with the Fórsa trade union, as weekly 10-hour work stoppages continue to disrupt operations at the facility in County Kildare. The union argues that chronic under-staffing is compromising the safety of both workers and the young people in the campus's care, while management insists that physical interventions have fallen 40% year-on-year and that significant new staff have been recruited.
Background
Oberstown Children Detention Campus is Ireland's only dedicated detention facility for young people under the age of 18, located near Lusk in County Kildare. It accommodates young people who have been remanded in custody or sentenced by the courts, providing a secure environment alongside education, therapeutic support, and rehabilitation programmes. The campus has a capacity of approximately 50 residents and employs a specialist workforce of youth justice workers, teachers, psychologists, and support staff.
The staffing dispute has its roots in a long-running disagreement between Fórsa — which represents the majority of frontline staff — and management over the ratio of staff to residents and the conditions under which staff are required to work. The union has argued for years that the campus is chronically under-resourced, with staff regularly required to work overtime and in some cases left to manage more residents than is safe. The dispute escalated in June 2026 when Fórsa members voted to support industrial action up to and including a full withdrawal of labour.
A work-to-rule began on 25 June, followed by a series of weekly 10-hour work stoppages throughout August. On 18 August, union members held a protest outside the Department of Children in Dublin, with Fórsa Assistant General Secretary Deirdre O'Connell and National Secretary Hazel Nolan among those who addressed the gathering.
Key Developments
Oberstown Director Damien Hernon has publicly urged the union to "step down" the industrial action, characterising it as counterproductive and warning that it creates further risks for the facility. "We want to progress issues related to parity, but that requires a ceasefire in the current dispute," Hernon said. He pointed to data showing that recorded campus incidents, including "low-level physical interventions," have decreased by approximately 40% year-on-year as of 31 July 2026, and noted that 23 frontline staff have been recruited over the past 12 months, resulting in a net increase of nine frontline workers.
Fórsa has rejected management's characterisation of the situation. The union contends that staffing levels have not kept pace with the campus's increased capacity, that risk assessments are effectively "tick-the-box" exercises, and that forced overtime is causing burnout among experienced staff. Representatives have described situations in which single staff members are left to manage up to eight residents — a ratio they say is unsafe and unsustainable.
The Department of Children has allocated over €2.1 million in Budget 2026 to increase staffing at Oberstown, and officials have emphasised that they have engaged extensively with staff representatives through the Workplace Relations Commission. The WRC process has not, however, produced a resolution, and the industrial action continues.
Why It Matters
The Oberstown dispute raises fundamental questions about how Ireland treats its most vulnerable young people. The young people detained at Oberstown are, by definition, among the most marginalised in Irish society — many have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, and educational disadvantage before they ever come into contact with the justice system. The quality of the care and rehabilitation they receive at Oberstown has a direct bearing on whether they go on to lead productive lives or become entrenched in the criminal justice system.
A facility that is under-staffed, where workers are burnt out and where the safety of both staff and residents is compromised, cannot deliver the therapeutic and rehabilitative environment that young people need. The dispute is therefore not just an industrial relations matter — it is a question of child welfare and of the state's obligations to the young people in its care.
Local Impact
For the staff at Oberstown, the dispute reflects years of frustration with what they describe as a management culture that prioritises cost control over safety. Several experienced workers have left the campus in recent months, citing the conditions, and the union has warned that the loss of institutional knowledge and expertise is itself a safety risk. For the young people in the campus's care, the industrial action — which involves work-to-rule measures and periodic stoppages — disrupts the routines and programmes that are central to their rehabilitation.
What's Next
The Workplace Relations Commission has been involved in the dispute and is expected to facilitate further talks between Fórsa and management in the coming weeks. The union has indicated that it will maintain the industrial action unless and until management agrees to address the core staffing concerns. The Department of Children has said it remains committed to resolving the dispute through dialogue and has not ruled out further investment in staffing if a credible case can be made.
