Dublin District Court adjourned for a week a review in a re-entered care case as a precautionary measure while garda vetting for a new placement remained outstanding. The judge was told that the child concerned was safe and attending school.
The Child and Family Agency (CFA) handed in a report and sought directions. Counsel for the guardian ad litem (GAL) said the case had been listed for review because garda vetting for a proposed new placement had not yet been completed.
The court heard that one child had been moving between emergency placements and was now staying with a school friend and that child’s mother. The GAL said she was happy there and was attending school. There had been a number of visits, but the vetting process remained incomplete.
The CFA explained that the family offering the placement had moved house some weeks earlier and could not provide the usual utility bill as proof of address. Both the GAL and the CFA said they were trying to resolve the difficulty through the school and the Department of Social Protection.
The court noted that a full care order under section 18 was already in place and that the matter had been re-entered in January.
The judge adjourned the case for one week as a precautionary measure. He said the child was somewhere safe and that the short adjournment would allow the vetting issue to be resolved.