On May 8th 2025 the Department of Education and Youth hosted the second Lifelong Guidance Network event took place in Dublin Castle. The theme of the event was ‘Empowerment through effective lifelong guidance: navigating transitions and reflecting on pathways’.
An overview of the Map of Lifelong Guidance Services in Ireland was given in the first session. Action 1.1 of the National Strategic Action Plan for Lifelong Guidance (2024-2030) seeks to “Identify and map the continuum of lifelong guidance and interconnections between services in the current lifelong-guidance system” and “Identify any possible areas of duplication and potential gaps, if any, for innovative development and enhancement.”
In the presentation it was noted that the key aims include enhancing visibility and awareness of lifelong guidance services from the point of view of guidance practitioners; policymakers and other stakeholders; and service users.
With regard to service users the map should help people identify lifelong guidance services in their area and who they are available to; services that are publicly accessible and those that require a referral; and which services provide modes-of-delivery suited to their needs.
It was noted that the Map is an evolving process; they are aware there may be some additional data or services to add; and they would welcome feedback and observations.
Six people spoke about their experiences of lifelong guidance and the impact it had on their lives. One of the speakers, Finbarr Savage had participated on the INOU’s Building Futures Local Training Initiative programme. He talked about the importance of compassion, of the impact of other people believing in him on his belief in himself, a sense of guidance by his side and his desire now to help others.
The last session included roundtable discussions which focused in on two questions:
- To enhance inclusion for ‘all, some and a few’ to LLG?
- To improve interconnections between LLG services?
The Mentimeter platform was used to collect feedback from these discussion. While important issues were highlighted in the short report of this event published by the Government, there was a strong formal education focus to it, this focus must widen if we are to truly deliver meaningful lifelong guidance.
Please see links below to the map and guidance page:
https://doeirl.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/nearby/index.html?appid=aa106175438d463a9228c8dce50bd3bf
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/publications/guidance/#lifelong-guidance