Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley together with Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Jerry Buttimer are delighted to announce the launch of the My Little Library Initiative 2026.

Each year in Ireland, children leaving pre-school and starting primary school are invited to visit their local library to pick up a free book bag on starting school and take the opportunity to join the library.

The initiative, which is funded by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, is run in association with the Local Government Management Agency and delivered by local libraries in every local authority. The focus of the My Little Library initiative is to build strong links between young children, their families and their local library and support children finishing pre-school and starting school.

From Friday, 8 May all children completing the Government funded pre-school programme (Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme) and starting primary school are invited to visit their local library and pick up a book bag. The bags will be available throughout the summer. All families are warmly welcomed to join the library if they aren’t already members and a special My Little Library wallet is available for the children to keep their library card in.

The books and resources in the book bag support parents and their children in the transition to primary school. The bag contains books for the children to keep, with topics such as starting school, making friends and big emotions. It also has some very useful information for parents on supporting that start in primary school and what’s on offer at each local library.

My Little Library Book Bags are available in English and Irish.

Since the initiative was rolled out for the first time in 2022, tens of thousands of young children have picked up their book bags and joined their local library. Last year alone, 20,000 young children benefited from the initiative and became library members.

In making the announcement, Minister Foley said:

“I am thrilled to announce the launch of the My Little Library initiative 2026. The transition from pre-school to primary school is such an important moment for every child in Ireland. I encourage all families who have children starting primary school in September to avail of this initiative and to join the library in the process.”

The Minister added:

“The gift of reading to and with children on a regular basis cannot be overestimated. It not only supports connections between parents and their children but also promotes early language and literacy development which is crucial for children’s success in their continuing education journey.”

Acknowledging the central role of the national library service in ensuring the success of the initiative, Minister Buttimer said:

“I warmly welcome the launch of the 2026 My Little Library Initiative. I’ve visited so many libraries around the country in the last year, and I know that our public library staff nationwide share my enthusiasm for connecting young families with our excellent national library service.

“I must acknowledge their hard work in delivering this initiative. We are very lucky in Ireland that every child has access to books and stories through their local library. This initiative is a lovely way of helping parents support their children with their transition to primary school and their learning and development.”

Dr Stuart Hamilton, Head of Libraries Development at the Local Government Management Agency, said:

“We’re delighted to welcome children and families into their local libraries through the My Little Library initiative. It introduces young children to the joy of reading, supports early language and literacy development, and helps them feel at home in their library from an early age.

“Libraries are welcoming, community spaces, and this initiative is a wonderful first step in building a lifelong relationship with reading and learning.”

My Little Library is a collaboration between the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, and Local Government Ireland.

• The My Little Library book bag is now available in local libraries for all children starting primary school in September.
• The initiative is available annually.
• My Little Library Bags and books are available in Irish and English.
• A glossary of the language in the Irish books is included in the Irish bags.
• A collection of resources and information is also provided in each bag, including: a library social story card, Little Library colouring sheet, First 5 Guidance for Parents of Children Moving from Pre-School to Primary School, Dyslexia and the Younger Child by Dyslexia Ireland and Bookshare Ireland by Vision Ireland. Ireland has 330 public libraries, which are managed by the local authority in the area in which they are located.

This initiative is supported under First 5. Published in 2018, First 5 is a ten-year Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families. The Strategy works to enhance early childhood and make a significant contribution to the lives of young children, their families and society over the short, medium and longer term. More information can be found on the First 5 website at: www.first5.gov.ie/

This initiative is an action under the Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy 2024-2033 https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/3f341-towards-a-new-literacy-numeracy-and-digital-literacy/

And

The Library is the Place: Information, Recreation, Inspiration – National Public Library Strategy 2023-2027. https://www.gov.ie/en/news/e6d8e-the-library-is-the-place-new-five-year-strategy-for-public-libraries-unveiled/

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley has welcomed the launch of an independent national counselling service for foster carers, which goes live today.

The LENA service, which is being rolled out by Tusla, enables foster carers to access a wellness hub including one-to-one counselling sessions free of charge, provided by independent and suitably qualified professionals. This allows carers to seek help with guaranteed confidentiality and privacy, without needing to go through their link workers or social workers, thereby encouraging early engagement with support services.

Under the service, foster carers will be entitled to up to six counselling sessions in each 12-month period, though additional supports may be provided in circumstances where longer-term needs are identified.

Counselling sessions will be available to all foster carers, as well as their children over the age of 16, and can be accessed in person, by telephone or online. Foster carers can request access to the service on their own behalf or can be referred with their consent by their social work team.

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, said:

Jacqueline Smyth, Tusla Fostering’s national lead for foster care, commented:

The establishment of the new service reflects contemporary practice and knowledge surrounding the delivery of trauma-informed therapeutic supports.

Foster care is the bedrock of our alternative care system, with 3,782 people on the panel of approved foster carers as of Q4 2025. 88% of children in state care in Ireland are living with a loving foster family.

Anyone interested in becoming a foster carer is encouraged to contact Tusla on tusla.fostering@tusla.ie or by phone on 1800 226 771.

• The rollout of the service is being carried out by Tusla and is funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund (DAF), through which €300,000 was allocated for the purpose of foster care counselling and psychological supports this year.
• The measure, as set out in the DAF Action Plan 2026, aims to help foster carers and children in care, whilst informing future service provision of counselling and psychological supports.
• Lena (by Inspire) is an independent mental health and wellbeing support service which offers a number of supports including confidential counselling.
• The establishment of the service reflects contemporary practice and knowledge surrounding the delivery of trauma-informed therapeutic supports, provided by suitably qualified professionals.
• The service is open to any and all foster carers (and their children over 16, with parental consent) who can access one-to-one supports independently and confidentially, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, upon any welfare issue raised by the client.
• The LENA contact number is 1800 817433.

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley and Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Emer Higgins have today launched the Assistive Technology Capacity Assessment Report for Ireland.

Assistive technology encompasses a wide range of products to support people in their daily activities and participation in society. It includes glasses, hearing aids, subtitles, communications boards, screen readers, wheelchairs, shower chairs, hoists, and pill organisers.

The Assistive Technology Capacity Assessment Report for Ireland is the most comprehensive review to date of Ireland’s assistive technology provision. It was conducted by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe between 2024 and 2025.

The report found that Ireland is strongly committed to funding Assistive Technology through a variety of schemes and innovative pilot programmes.

The report underscores the very positive progress Ireland has made in recent years in expanding access to Assistive Technology and identifies ways in which this access could be strengthened.

Launching the report, Minister Foley said:

Also speaking at the launch, Minister of State Higgins said:

Assistive technology can prevent further health complications, reduce healthcare costs, and support people being able to live at home into their old age.

The current government schemes to support Assistive Technology include the following:

• the Department of Children, Disability and Equality’s Access and Inclusion Model for children with disabilities in early years education
• the HSE’s Aids and Appliances scheme
• the Department of Housing’s Housing Adaption Grants
• the Department of Social Protection’s Work and Access scheme
• the Department of Education’s Assistive Technology Grant
• the Department of Further and Higher Education’s Fund for Students with Disabilities
• the HSE’s Cooperative Real Engagement for Assistive Technology Enhancement (CREATE) fund
• the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme provides tax relief for purchase of vehicles
• VAT refunds on eligible assistive products, such as hoists, communication devices, and mobility aids.
• Zero VAT on wheelchairs, hearing aids, prosthetics etc

The WHO report is available to read here.

Notes to Editors

Assistive technology is an umbrella term for assistive products and their related systems and services. Assistive products help maintain or improve an individual’s functioning related to cognition, communication, hearing, mobility, self-care and vision, thus enabling their health, well-being, inclusion and participation.

Globally, more than 2.5 billion people need one or more assistive products, relying on them to live independently, stay connected, and participate fully in daily life. The WHO and UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT), launched in 2022, highlights that this number is expected to grow to 3.5 billion by 2050. This rise reflects longer lives and increasing rates of noncommunicable diseases.

In March 2024, the Irish Government entered into a €12.524m donor agreement (split evenly over a period of five years) with the WHO to strengthen equitable access to assistive technology globally, with a focus on innovation in people-centred, rights-based service delivery models and harnessing the potential of digital assistive technology (DAT).

In addition, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is progressing a Project Collaboration Agreement with the WHO which is focused on domestic objectives. The independent Assistive Technology Capacity Review being published today is a key deliverable of this agreement.