The general scheme of the Children and Family Relationships Bill was published for consultation in January 2014 by Alan Shatter, the then Minister for Justice and Equality,[3] and discussed by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality in April 2014.

[4] The bill was introduced in Dáil Éireann on 17 February 2015 by Shatter's successor as minister, Frances Fitzgerald.

[7] It passed the Seanad on 30 March, in a 20–2 vote and was signed into law by President Michael D. Higgins on 6 April 2015.

[11] Senator Jim Walsh resigned from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party over its support for the bill.

[18] An opinion poll published in March 2015 indicated strong public support for some of the central provisions of the Bill, namely adoption rights for same-sex and cohabiting couples.