June 17th: Valerie's Law has been approved by the Dail and will now go to the Seanad
Frequently Asked Questions on Valerie's Law
This is not legal advice.
Q: Where is the text of the bill ?
The Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill 2026 has been published at: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/find-bills-and-acts/
and is directly accessible at: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2026/53/
with the explanatory memorandum at: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2026/53/?tab=documents
Q: Where can I see the Oireachtas Committee recommendations ?
The Oireachtas Committee submissions, deliberations and pre-legislative scrutiny report are linked from here.
Q: Might contact with the convicted parent be beneficial for the child ?
It might and it would still be completely possible. This is about guardianship not about contact.
Q: Would removal of guardianship be automatic on conviction ?
No. Families are complex and this is about giving the Family Law Courts opportunity and powers to do what is best for surviving children. Any suspension or removal would be at the Court's discretion.
Q: What about cases where a parent kills an abusive parent in self-defence ?
This is why Court discretion taking a full view of what is best for the child is important.
Q: Could someone losing guardianship rights re-apply ?
Yes, this is provided for where the conviction is quashed or circumstances change.
Q: Would this come into effect when someone is charged with manslaughter or murder ?
No. Someone is assumed innocent until proven guilty and consideration of guardianship status could only occur after conviction.
Q: Conviction is some time after the crime and the charge, sometimes years, what about the intervening period ?
The current situation makes any future guilty verdict essentially irrelevant to decision-making for the child's future. The potential of guardianship status being removed or suspended in the future (subject to a conviction) would be a consideration in decision-making and the Bill addresses the possible need for interim orders..
Q: What further harm can a person convicted of killing do to their child given that the convict will be in prison ?
A guardian is entitled to be informed of the child's progress, who they are living with and where and be involved in major decisions including healthcare, religious upbringing and passport application. This privacy breach and decision-making presence by right in the child's life is deeply problematic and does not put the child first. A guardian can also object to other guardians being appointed or even given notice party status with regard to the child. This allows even further harm to be inflicted.
Q: Is this backed by research ?
Yes. The government report entitled "Study on Familicide & Domestic and Family Violence Death Reviews" from 2023 contains a recommendation (7.3.18.4) that legislation be updated to ensure that a parent convicted of the murder or manslaughter of the other parent does not retain guardianship of the surviving child or children. Part of the research supporting this is the "Ripe for Reform" report from 2021 by the Childcare Law Reporting Project.
The latest report from the Child Law Project on January 19th, 2026 again highlighted the lack of guidelines for children bereaved by domestic homicide and the need for a specific national policy to deal with the aftermath of domestic homicide and the specific situation where the father has killed the mother. Domestic homicide is the sharp end of domestic abuse. Valerie’s Law is one of the multiple legislative updates required to address this issue.
Recent research (May 2026) by the University of Edinburgh and University of Melbourne has called for the introduction of Valerie's Law.
Devaney, J, Kurdi, Z., Houghton, Barrett, A., Conroy, R., Eastwood, O., Frederick, J., Humphreys, C., Joy, K., Marinkovic Chávez, K., Morrice, H., Sakthiakumaran, A., Vasileva, M. & Alisic, E. (2026) "Children and young people bereaved by domestic homicide: A focus on the United Kingdom and Ireland." University of Edinburgh and University of Melbourne. Open Access: https://share.google/PJuwiVjx629faSbWL
Further research in this area is listed here.
Q: Is this Constitutional ?
In addition to the Attorney General and the Department of Justice, various legal experts such as Professor Louise Crowley of University College Cork and Associate Professor Brian Tobin of University College Galway have given their opinion that this is constitutionally possible.
Q: What is the process for creating legislation ?
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/procedure-guide-dail/legislation/stages-of-a-bill/