The referendum on children's rights could finally be held next year, although no agreement has been reached on the age of sexual consent, the Taoiseach has said.
Speaking during a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, Mr Ahern said the referendum may be held on the same day as one dealing with the new European Union treaty.
"If we can find and move very quickly to get an agreed wording we could do it next year. Perhaps we could do it with the European referendum," he said, speaking in Druids Glen, Co Wicklow.
Last November, Mr Ahern proposed a constitutional change to give children stronger rights, following the crisis caused in May by the release of a man who had been found guilty of statutory rape.
"There is almost universal agreement for a referendum that will allow the Oireachtas to legislate safely for a range of areas to enhance children's rights. Obviously we have to get a wording that we can bring to the people.
"That is what we intend to do. The people are sovereign when it comes to our Constitution. We don't change it lightly. But we have as legislators to deal with this issue, and we must deal with this issue," said Mr Ahern on the first day of the two-day parliamentary party meeting.
He said he had been ready to hold it in conjunction with May's general election, "but other Dáil parties had believed that we should not mix it up with the election and give it more time. I was happy to do that."
Minister of State for Children, Brendan Smith, who took over from Brian Lenihan when the latter was promoted to be Minister for Justice, is working to get agreement on a possible wording.
Asked if agreement could be reached on the age to be set for sexual consent in the face of strong Fine Gael objections to any reduction, Mr Ahern said: "I don't think we are going to get consensus on that easily, but let's see what happens in the committee. Let's see what consensus Brendan Smith can get.
Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats agreed in the Programme for Government that they would hold a referendum on the issue.
If passed, this referendum would allow the Oireachtas to legislate for the exchange and collection of information between the HSE, gardaí and others in relation to suspected child abuse. Such a referendum would also let the Garda disclose, subject to controls, information to potential employers if an employee posed a risk of child abuse.
