Foster children removed from unsuitable homes

Children identified as being in unsuitable foster placements have been removed from those families following the publication of a critical report last week, the children’s minister has confirmed.

Frances Fitzgerald said yesterday that an intervention team to be led by a foster care expert was also being sent into Dublin North West following the findings of unsuitable foster arrangements in the area and a lack of assurances over child safety there.

The report, published last week by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), outlined a number of issues in the area, a region covering major urban places such as Blanchardstown and Dublin City centre and that has previously been criticised for aspects of its child protection systems.

Speaking yesterday at a seminar looking at the future of the soon to be launched Child and Family Support Agency, both Ms Fitzgerald and the chief executive designate of the new agency, Gordon Jeyes, said action had been taken on foot of the Hiqa report.

Ms Fitzgerald said: “I actually met with [Dublin] North West yesterday and every single case has been investigated and appropriate action has been taken.”

She confirmed that some children had been moved from their placements and said: “Practice has to change. We’ve sent in a team, we are going to appoint an independent expert to be part of that team, an expert on fostering.

“I have met with Dublin North West, I have met with the management, every case identified in relation to child protection is being and has been assessed properly, there are child safety plans in place for very child, and that is the situation.”

Concerns were expressed by Hiqa regarding foster placements of children with extended family members who may not have been vetted or about whom there may be concerns.

“According to the regulations we will look to the extended family first and children in emergency circumstances can be placed in the extended family prior to checks. And sometimes, as Hiqa have quite rightly pulled us up on, these cases can drift,” Gordon Jeyes said.

“But the situation is monitored and decisions are made in the best interests of each child.”

Ms Fitzgerald said legislation that will pave the way for the Child and Family Support Agency to become operational will be unveiled in the coming weeks, at which point a start date will also be announced.

Yesterday’s seminar, held in Dublin, was attended by a large number of stakeholders across the child protection and family support sector, with many voicing their encouragement and optimism about the potential of the new agency.

But Ms Fitzgerald said another five reports on fostering were due to be published in the next few months, as well as the first child protection report on Carlow/Kilkenny in March.

“I have no doubt that failings will be uncovered,” she said.

“We have to learn from those failings.

“You cannot change what has been a very dysfunctional system overnight.”