Child Care Law

The High Court has expressed that Tusla, the Department of Children and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform need to work together to solve pay issues driving staff recruitment and retention deficits in special care units. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice John Jordan con

Vulnerable children are falling through the cracks because of a shortage of care placements and overcrowded courts, according to a report from the Child Law Project. The analytical report identifies trends emerging from three years of court reporting and marks the conclusion of the Project's three-y

The Child Law Project has published its final tranche of reports under a three-year government grant, which highlight the challenge of providing appropriate care placements, allocated social workers and support services for children in care. The latest volume comprises 70 reports — 67 from the

Campaigners calling for the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to be given powers to sanction Tusla when it fails to meet its statutory obligations will give evidence to an Oireachtas committee today. Three representatives from the Alliance of Birth Mothers Campaigning for Justice (ABC)

Tusla yesterday welcomed a wide range of stakeholders to its second Child Care Law Conference, which put on a spotlight on inter-agency cooperation and looked ahead to proposed reforms to child care law. Speakers at the conference in Mansion House covered topics including the general scheme of the C

The Supreme Court has upheld the orders of the High Court forcing the Child and Family Agency (CFA) to apply for special care orders and granting special care orders in circumstances where the CFA pleaded a lack of resources. Delivering judgment for the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Gerard Hogan emphasi

Family justice expert Anthony Douglas CBE has been appointed to help progress preparations for the planned guardian ad litem (GAL) national service. Mr Douglas is the former chief executive of Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, which represents children in family co

The lack of available appropriate placements for children in care and judicial concern about some vulnerable children in care mark the latest volume of reports published by the Child Law Project (CLP) today. This volume comprises 67 reports: 62 from the District Court, four High Court cases related

The Child Law Project (CLP) has celebrated 10 years of reporting on and analysing child protection proceedings in the courts. A short seminar and reception to mark the anniversary took place at the Distillery Buildings yesterday, addressed by children's minister Roderic O'Gorman and the president of

Northern Ireland’s High Court has determined that a mother of two children was not entitled to vote on whether or not her children should be placed on the Child Protection Registry. The court found that she was appropriately involved and represented in the procedure, and that the question of w

The most significant reforms to child care law in more than 30 years will deliver more "child-centred" legislation, the government has said. Ministers yesterday approved the drafting of the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2023, which will revise and update the Child Care Act 1991 to better reflect chang

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC has been appointed as the Irish government's special rapporteur on child protection for a three-year term. Ms Gallagher is an accomplished international human rights lawyer and barrister, originally from Dublin and based in Doughty Street Chambers in London.

A privately procured guardian ad litem (GAL) service provided by a single company would be cheaper than an equivalent service run by the State, according to a report produced for ministers. The 66-page report, published yesterday by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Y

Comyn Kelleher Tobin partner Denise Kirwan and intern Anna McCormack give an overview of recent changes to child care law in Ireland. The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 was signed into law by the President on 19th July 2022. When introducing the Act as a bill in the Dáil, Minister for Childr

Proposals to expand the use of ex parte hearings in child care proceedings could be challenged as incompatible with the Constitution, the government has been told. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has now published the responses to its 2020 consultation on refo