Child Care Law

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

A major study into the lives of children in care and adults who were in care as children has been announced by the government. The landmark research and data project will be the most comprehensive examination of Ireland's alternative care system ever undertaken, and will provide an extensive overvie

A specialised family court system must be established as soon as possible, along with a range of reforms to proceedings in which children are taken into State care, the Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP) has recommended. The CCLRP will today publish new analysis based on 403 cases heard at Dis

Long-awaited reforms to the guardian ad litem (GAL) system will go ahead after ministers agreed to draft new legislation. The Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2021 will establish a new national guardian ad litem service within an executive office of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integ

Serious mental health issues among children, the care of unaccompanied minors and domestic violence all feature in the latest volume of reports from the Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP). The CCLRP has today published 53 case reports from proceedings in courts around Ireland where application

The special rapporteur on child protection has highlighted aspects of the Child Care Act 1991 which merit "substantial reform" in his annual report for 2019. The report, published today, is the first report submitted by child law expert Professor Conor O'Mahony since his appointment to the role last

The Family Lawyers' Association of Ireland has established a working group of child care law practitioners to make recommendations for reform of the Child Care Act 1991. Solicitor Gareth Noble of KOD Lyons has been appointed to chair the group, and is joined by Sarah Fennell BL, Lewis Mooney BL and