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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:

    2017

    Volume:

    2

    Case number:

    13

    Categories:

    Mental Health, Special Care

    High Court judge refuses application to move teenager from secure unit

  • Year:

    2017

    Volume:

    2

    Case number:

    12

    Categories:

    Behavioural Problems, Special Care, UK / United Kingdom

    No appropriate unit found for teenage “too dangerous” for secure care

  • Year:

    2017

    Volume:

    2

    Case number:

    11

    Categories:

    Behavioural Problems, Mental Health, Special Care

    High Court concerned about Gardai failing to execute secure care order for distressed and violent young girl

  • Year:

    2017

    Volume:

    2

    Case number:

    10

    Categories:

    Mental Health

    “Clearly it’s a success story” – High Court judge

  • Year:

    2017

    Volume:

    2

    Case number:

    9

    Categories:

    Abroad, Mental Health, No Mental Health Service, Special Care

    Suicidal teenage girl transferred to specialist unit abroad

  • Year:

    2017

    Volume:

    2

    Case number:

    8

    Categories:

    Section 47

    Interim Care Order extended while post-mortem results awaited

  • Year:

    2017

    Volume:

    2

    Case number:

    7

    Categories:

    Addiction, Homelessness

    Emergency Care Orders for two children due to mother’s addiction and homelessness

  • Year:

    2017

    Volume:

    2

    Case number:

    6

    Categories:

    Reunification, Section 47

    Care Order extended in long-running case where father seeks reunification

  • Year:

    2017

    Volume:

    2

    Case number:

    5

    Categories:

    Cognitive Disability

    High Court to consider case stated by District Court on obligations of State to mother with intellectual disability

  • Year:

    2017

    Volume:

    2

    Case number:

    4

    Categories:

    Alcohol, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse

    Allegations of sexual assault at the heart of care order hearing for three children

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.