Department of Children considers statutory Gals regulation

Children’s Minister James Reilly is considering the establishment of a new body to regulate the appointment of guardians in child care cases, The Irish Times reports.

The Department of Children has consulted stake-holders on proposals to set up a new national service that would work with judges to provide Guardians Ad Litem (“Gals”) to represent the wishes and needs of children in childcare cases.

At presents, Gals are governed by the Child Care Act 1991, which allows them to be appointed by judges on an ad-hoc basis with no regulatory body.

The Department has proposed either setting up a new service within the Courts Service, establishing a new State agency, or contracting an external organisation like children’s charity Barnardos to exclusively provide regulated Gals to the courts in future.

A consultation document circulated last year and seen by The Irish Times says that new legislation would be introduced to regulate the service. A total of 24 responses were submitted.