New Homepage 2025

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:

    2025

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    14

    Categories:

    Addiction, Domestic Violence, Drugs, Newborn

    Full care order granted for baby born with drug withdrawal where mother had not engaged

  • Year:

    2025

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    42

    Categories:

    Domestic Violence, Neglect

    Judge: “some of worst neglect ever seen” of young child, directs CFA to respond to GAL’s concerns in writing

  • Year:

    2025

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    12

    Categories:

    Additional Issues

    Full care order application adjourned after mother’s legal team comes off record; interim arrangements continued

  • Year:

    2025

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    39

    Categories:

    Section 47

    Interim care order extended and consent dispensed with for children’s dental treatment

  • Year:

    2025

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    56

    Categories:

    Access, Addiction, Autism, In Prison

    Review of long-running care orders; rural placement noted and prison-based father seeks video access

  • Year:

    2025

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    40

    Categories:

    Access, Ethnic Minority, Lack Of Service

    Interim care orders for three children extended amid concerns over delay in therapy for access with father

  • Year:

    2025

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    71

    Categories:

    Drugs, Missing In Care / Absconding / Running Away, Section 47, Special Care

    Special care application in preparation after young person goes missing and stays in apartment where drugs used

  • Year:

    2025

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    28

    Categories:

    Access, In Prison

    Consent to interim care order after child over a year in voluntary care

  • Year:

    2025

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    13

    Categories:

    Homelessness, Mental Health, Neglect, Section 47

    Five-year care order granted for two boys after long-standing neglect

  • Year:

    2025

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    63

    Categories:

    Mental Health, Section 47

    Judge believes cases are being missed and strongly criticises “failure of the State to fund” care system for the past two decades

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.