Child Care Law

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

The lack of care placements in Ireland, particularly for disabled children, is the dominant theme in the latest volume of reports published by the Child Law Project on cases where the State brought legal action to take children into or keep them in care. The new volume includes 58 District Court cas

Legislation providing for the establishment of a new national guardian ad litem service has been enacted. The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 allows for the new service to be established within an executive office of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on an inter

The Court of Appeal has extended a special care order for a vulnerable child in circumstances where there was no available stepdown facility for the child to return to the community. It was held that difficulties with such placements were a “long-term problem” in the State. Delivering ju

The Child Law Project (CCLRP) has identified the lack of secure and step-down placements, mental health concerns, unaccompanied minors and parental neglect as the key features of its latest volume of reports of cases where the State sought orders to take children into or keep them in care. Severe me