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Reporting on child care proceedings in the District Court in May 2025.

Falling Through the Cracks: An Analysis of Child Care Proceedings from 2021 to 2024
Latest volume of court reports from 2024
A summary of findings from 10 years of reporting
  • Year:

    2024

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    36

    Categories:

    Foster Care Rights

    Enhanced rights granted to foster parents who described child as part of their family

  • Year:

    2024

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    35

    Categories:

    Behavioural Problems, Mental Health

    One-year care order for teenage boy who was living as a recluse in a virtual gaming world

  • Year:

    2024

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    34

    Categories:

    Abroad, Lack Of Placement, Physical Disability

    One-year care order granted for child who needed to travel abroad for life-saving medical treatment

  • Year:

    2024

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    33

    Categories:

    Access, Addiction, Homelessness, Physical Abuse

    Care orders for three children following failure of reunification of mother with one child

  • Year:

    2024

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    32

    Categories:

    Aftercare, Exploitation, Section 47, Sexual Abuse

    Care order and aftercare plan for girl where sexual exploitation under investigation

  • Year:

    2024

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    31

    Categories:

    Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse

    Care orders granted for two children where CFA first alerted to issues in 2017; reviews sought of decisions made before and after care applications made

  • Year:

    2024

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    30

    Categories:

    Access, Cognitive Disability

    Care order granted for a 14-month-old child to the age of majority, mother has intellectual disability

  • Year:

    2024

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    29

    Categories:

    Funding

    Care order till 18 for teenager being supported in musical ambitions

  • Year:

    2024

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    28

    Categories:

    Addiction, Homelessness

    Care order for teenage boy where mother is homeless

  • Year:

    2024

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    27

    Categories:

    Alcohol, Mental Health, Neglect, Section 47

    Care orders granted for three children where concerns for mother’s mental health

This follows the discontinuation of its reporting in July 2024, as the contract with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) was coming to an end. We are very pleased that we signed a new two-year Agreement with the DCEDY in March and the members of our reporting panel have agreed to resume their work.

Over a twelve-year period, the Project provided information to the public on the operation of the child care system in the courts with the aim of promoting transparency and accountability. It published 1,050 individual court reports and a number of analytical research reports, all of which are available on this website.