A social worker got monthly child support payments from a mother of five whose children were in care and did not pass these payments on to the foster carers, it was claimed at a trial yesterday.

A judge is considering jailing a social worker after she put the names of children who were never in care on a HSE register in order to defraud the State of nearly €100,000.

A former HSE official was arrested and charged yesterday with 80 theft and fraud charges related to €92,000 in cash and she immediately signed a plea of guilty to all counts.