State under fire as 300 children go missing

THE Government has been accused of failing to protect children, 300 of whom have gone missing while under State care in the past five years.

Yesterday, Barnardos, Ireland’s foremost children’s charity, said the missing children, while mostly non-nationals, were entitled to the same level of care and protection as Irish citizens.

In a determined bid to tackle the sinister trend, the charity, which works with more than 12,000 children and families each year, has drawn up an emergency plan.