The National Board for Safeguarding Children was established in 2006 in order to develop policies that would foster the prevention of child abuse in the Catholic Church in Ireland. Its main goals are to offer advice on best practice, to assist in the development of procedures and to monitor practices. Its members have a good deal of experience in dealing with the problem of sexual abuse.
On 30 November 2011 the board issued six reports into the dioceses of Tuam, Kilmore, Ardagh, Dromore and Derry.
The Board is funded through its sponsoring bodies: the Conference of Irish Bishops; the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) and the Irish Missionary Union (IMU).
The second tranche of reports on 5 September 2012 were published. They comprise four dioceses and three religious congregations. The dioceses included are Kildare and Leighlin, Limerick, Cork and Ross, and Clonfert. The religious congregations are the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans), the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC), and the male Dominicans.