# The system that was failing vulnerable children — and the fix that changed everything

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/transform-gov-the-digital-government-podcast-6921732/the-system-that-was-failing-vulnerable-children-and-the-fix-that-changed-everything
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/transform-gov-the-digital-government-podcast-6921732/the-system-that-was-failing-vulnerable-children-and-the-fix-that-changed-everything.md
Podcast: [Transform Gov - the digital government podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/transform-gov-the-digital-government-podcast-6921732)
Published: 2026-03-24T11:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://digitalgovawards.com/podcast/
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6654b705d950260012df3b93/e/69c15238d832f1da93b59c54/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/transform-gov-the-digital-government-podcast-6921732/episodes/the-system-that-was-failing-vulnerable-children-and-the-fix-that-changed-everything
Duration seconds: 2086

## Resource

This is not a tech story. This is a human story. Before this system existed, vulnerable children could wait weeks for access to childcare — stuck in a maze of emails, forms, and approvals. Now? Minutes. On this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Ruth Shortall (POBAL) and Ciarán Madden (Department of Children) about the system that: Cut waiting times from 3 weeks to minutes Connected multiple agencies into one seamless flow Removed friction for frontline workers under pressure And quietly transformed outcomes for families at critical moments This is what real digital transformation looks like. Not flashy. Not theoretical. But life-changing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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