New service to advocate for children in care

Frances Fitzgerald, the children’s minister, will today launch a new advocacy service for children in care amid calls for an overhaul of the guardian ad litem service in the courts.

The national advocacy service operated by EPIC (Empowering People In Care) will provide a one- to-one service exclusively for children in, and leaving the care system, operating in Dublin North East, Dublin Mid-Leinster, and Cork in HSE South.

The hands-on service aims to ensure that the views of the young person are heard, in addition to linking them to appropriate services and attending various meetings such as care reviews.