Guardians ad litem paid €8.9m last year

Guardians ad litem paid €8.9m last year

Guardians ad litem (Gal) in Irish childcare cases were paid a total of €8.9 million in 2015, an increase of 7.5 per cent on the previous year.

New figures released by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request show that twenty individuals and firms acting as guardians to children during childcare proceedings received more than €100,000 each.

Just over €3.82 million went to the Barnardos Beacon service, the largest provider of Gal services.

Other payments made in 2015, according to The Irish Times, include:

  • The Independent Guardian Ad Litem - €1.3 million
  • Claire Quinn - €307,465
  • Child and Family Consultancy Ltd - €272,095
  • Jigsaw Training Solutions - €268,305
  • Ceili O’Callaghan Consultancy Ltd - €251,624
  • Carmel Murphy - €245,258
  • Child Advocacy Services - €226,818
  • Celbridge Counselling Services - €220,740
  • Independent Guardian Ad Litem Services - €181,083
  • National Children’s Welfare Services - €171,574
  • Independent Social Work Service - €170,739
  • Government plans for a new statutory Gal system are widely expected to cut costs.

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