Survivors of Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes in the North are being encouraged to come forward and share their experience with a working group investigating the institutions.

An organisation set up to address the abuse of young unmarried women in mother and baby homes in the North is calling on those affected by the Catholic institutions to make contact.

Some women accessing a pilot project for domestic abuse victims were abused by their own mothers.

A record number of children were referred to Tusla’s child protection and welfare services last year, even as the Child and Family Agency struggled with a €5.1m budget deficit.

The number of senior managers working for the Child and Family Agency outnumbers its counselling and psychology staff by almost four to one.

The Government has been warned that it faces “a crisis a year” unless it starts ploughing additional funds into the cash-strapped Child and Family Agency, Tusla.

Several children’s groups have today criticised aspects of new legislation making the reporting of child abuse mandatory for named professions.

The Head of the new Child and Family Agency has said her organisation may need more resources, but has promised to use allocations wisely.

Child protection cases in the district court often end up as a battle between the HSE and the family, according to new research.

The board of the Child and Family Support Agency will demand more funds from the Government if a review of social worker caseloads due in the autumn indicates a shortage of resources.

The number of children and teenagers who died of unnatural causes while in the care of the HSE more than doubled last year.

Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has said the State is still spending far too much money on residential and special care for children.

CAN systems change?

One of the authors of the report into the deaths of children known to care services has said the upcoming referendum on children’s rights could prevent similar tragedies taking place in future.

Care workers and HSE staff who “blatantly” failed vulnerable young children under their care could face criminal charges.

The role of alcohol in the abuse of children must urgently be addressed, writes Fiona Ryan

State faces legal action over damning HSE report

The authors of the report into 196 deaths of children known to care services have called for it to be a watershed in how Ireland treats its children.

A radical root-and-branch reform of the child protection system in Ireland has been recommended in a damning inquiry in to child deaths in care.

The Taoiseach has described an independent report into the deaths of children in State care as a "harrowing tale and a litany of shame".

A report into the deaths of children in care over a 10-year period will be published before the end of the month, Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald said yesterday.

Retired judge Anthony Hart is to chair the North's official inquiry into the abuse of children living in residential care back to 1945.

A senior member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has questioned whether Irish laws on smacking mean parents can be good role models for their children.

Employers who work with children and vulnerable adults must be aware that vetting rules are not as robust as they should be and they may not have the “complete picture” about employees, according to the Department of Health.

Caretakers, cooks, administrators, and bus drivers who work in organisations with school-going children will not have to be vetted under proposed legislation.

GATES to an empty field have cost the taxpayer €68,000.

CHILDREN’S Minister Frances Fitzgerald hopes to publish the report into the deaths of children known to the care system within the next month to eight weeks, provided the Attorney General does not raise any legal issues blocking its publication.

ONE-PARENT and large families will take the biggest hits following the changes to social welfare entitlements, with families with four children losing a minimum of €432 per year.

A family with four children will be at least €432 worse-off a year as anticipated child benefit cuts swept through all sectors of society.

CHILD Benefit for the first and second child will remain untouched in today’s budget but it will be cut for third and subsequent children.

It is understood child benefit payments for the majority of children will not be affected in next week's Budget.

THE number of children estimated to be living in consistent poverty may have risen by as much as 40,000, Barnardos has estimated.

THE physical and financial cost of Ireland’s relationship with alcohol was spelled out when a survey showed that one in 11 people had reported that they or a family member had been assaulted by someone under the influence of alcohol in the past year.

UP to 600,000 children are exposed to hazardous drinking by their parents on a regular basis, according to new research.

THE report into the deaths of children known to social services will be published before Christmas, Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald said yesterday.

A REPORT on the deaths of 196 children in the care of the state over the past 10 years will be presented to the Minister for Children shortly.

CHILD abuse remains a serious threat in Ireland despite over a decade of inquires and reports revealing the suffering of tens of thousands of children at the hands of Church and state.

THE HSE was last night accused of failing to shore up foster care services in parts of Dublin after a report showed that almost all relative foster carers had not been assessed.

THE Department of Justice, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the state solicitor and the Health Service Executive (HSE) must work together to address the “very serious” issue of disclosure of confidential records in sexual abuse prosecution cases.

The absence of laws to allow the sharing of “soft information” on paedophiles is severely hampering child protection, the country’s top children’s watchdog has warned.

TWO young adults at the centre of the Roscommon abuse case have begun legal proceedings against the State to seek redress for their suffering and neglect.

A drastic change is needed to radically overhaul child welfare and protection systems, a leading charity warned today.