The Head of the new Child and Family Agency has said her organisation may need more resources, but has promised to use allocations wisely.
With 4,000 staff and an estimated budget of €600m, several child protection and family support services yesterday officially merged to form the Child and Family Agency.
The thousands of workers include social workers and childcare workers, staff from family resource centres, as well as some from the national education welfare board.
Chair Norah Gibbons says careful planning will ensure the agency's vast resources are not wasted.