Overhaul for child state care system

A TECHNOLOGY system to standardise the referral of children into the state care system is set to be announced in the new year, Minister for Children Barry Andrews said yesterday.

The system could work in a similar way to the Garda Síochána’s PULSE system, with the minister admitting there is a gap in the current system which has led to children being referred into care settings in different ways in different parts of the country.

The minister, who has responsibility for child protection within the HSE, said the measure could be announced in the new year, although the exact details as to how the system would work had yet to be finalised.