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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:

    2020

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    33

    Categories:

    Special Care

    Judge criticises lack of fostering care review for eight years, as special care application considered

  • Year:

    2020

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    32

    Categories:

    Foster Care

    Full care order made for pre-school child in care since four months old

  • Year:

    2020

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    31

    Categories:

    Placement Breakdown, Reunification

    Teenage girl in care sent home to mother when care placement broke down

  • Year:

    2020

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    30

    Categories:

    Non-Attendance At School

    Six-month supervision order granted where poor school attendance

  • Year:

    2020

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    29

    Categories:

    Domestic Violence, Witnessed Domestic Abuse

    Six-month care orders granted due to potential threat of domestic violence

  • Year:

    2020

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    28

    Categories:

    Neglect, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse

    Full care orders until 18 years made for five children due to serious sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect

  • Year:

    2020

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    27

    Categories:

    Lack Of Service

    Judge dissatisfied at long delays in vital assessments for pre-school child

  • Year:

    2020

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    26

    Categories:

    Physical Abuse

    Interim care orders granted for three young children where one had unexplained injuries

  • Year:

    2020

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    25

    Categories:

    Missing In Care / Absconding / Running Away

    Interim care order extended where children absconding to parents

  • Year:

    2020

    Volume:

    1

    Case number:

    24

    Categories:

    Alcohol, Domestic Violence, Newborn

    Full care order for baby amid alcohol and domestic violence concerns

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.