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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:

    2023

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    52

    Categories:

    Addiction

    Judge concerned about denial of legal aid due to exceeding the threshold as interim care orders extended

  • Year:

    2023

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    51

    Categories:

    Autism, HSE, No Disability Support

    Parents seek supports from HSE for child with autism in voluntary care

  • Year:

    2023

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    50

    Categories:

    Foster Care

    Judge heavily criticises CFA during review of four children in care

  • Year:

    2023

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    49

    Categories:

    No Allocated Social Worker

    Judge orders report on failings in case, including failure to allocate a social worker; report to be sent to HIQA

  • Year:

    2023

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    48

    Categories:

    Change Of Placement, Placement Breakdown

    Case re-entered where teenager’s placement broke down; girl had 13 previous placements

  • Year:

    2023

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    47

    Categories:

    Lack Of Placement

    Judge directs CFA to immediately identify appropriate, long-term and regulated placement for three siblings

  • Year:

    2023

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    46

    Categories:

    Placement Breakdown

    Bespoke placement sought for teenage girl abruptly evicted from placement

  • Year:

    2023

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    44

    Categories:

    Change Of Placement, In Camera Rule, Section 47

    GAL permitted by court to bring complaint to Ombudsman for Children about abrupt change in placement for young boy

  • Year:

    2023

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    43

    Categories:

    Aftercare, Unaccompanied Minor

    District Court judge refuses to direct the Child and Family Agency to prepare an aftercare plan for an unaccompanied minor from Ukraine, on basis that the child was not in care

  • Year:

    2023

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    42

    Categories:

    Ethnic Minority, Unaccompanied Minor

    Interim care order extended in respect of an unaccompanied non-national teenager, racial abuse alleged

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.