Report slams failure to foster children

CHILDREN under the age of 12 in the care of the Health Service Executive are being housed in residential centres rather than foster homes - in breach of the HSE’s own policies.

A health inspectors’ report has strongly criticised the HSE for failing to implement its own code, which seeks to avoid putting young children into residential care.

The report by the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) claims that plans by the HSE South Western Area, to place under-12s into foster care have lost momentum.