Failings of foster system in spotlight
Empowering People in Care (Epic) director and former social worker Jennifer Gargan made the claim after a series of damning findings were revealed in new inspection reports.
Documents drawn up by Hiqa show vulnerable children are being put at potential risk due to consistent under-funding and under-staffing of the sector.
The reports focus on the Dún Laoghaire and the Waterford/Wexford areas and warn:
- Just one in three in foster care have a social worker;
- “frequent changes” in social workers mean some children will no longer confide in those there to protect them, while others are unsure who they should contact if they need help;
- foster care committees are not always informed of complaints against carers, contradicting the 2011 Children First guidelines;
- and just one special foster care placement — used for children and teens with the more complex needs — is available between both areas, meaning some troubled children must be placed with unqualified families.
In addition to ongoing concerns over Garda vetting and the lack of check-ups on whether placements are working, the reports also found “budgetary cutbacks” and “significant vacant posts” meant the suitability of care “could not always be guaranteed”.
They also found that, while some improvements are apparent in terms of listening to children’s views, those in care are still being left with relatives who have not undergone safety checks because of a lack of space for them in the system.
However, despite calls to hold the HSE responsible for the ongoing crisis, independent expert Ms Gargan said a row-back on government promises is to blame.
“Really this is about the failure of the system,” she said. “What I take from these reports is that one in three posts are not filled.
“That is the cause of this, everything stems from the fact there are not enough staff and there is not enough money. It comes down to budgets. We heard in the aftermath of the Ryan Report [into clerical abuse] that the sins of the past would not be repeated, but if that is true then they have to back up what they are saying.
“Government needs to step up to the mark on this because we are slipping back [in terms of focus on child protection],” she said.
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- Foster care children have stopped confiding in social workers because the officials “always move on”.
The worrying finding is revealed in the latest Hiqa reports, which says lack of funding and adequate staff levels are putting children in jeopardy.
The Dún Laoghaire report says some children had five different social workers in just two years; eight in five years and 13 in nine years.
It warned that responsibility for drawing up each child’s safety plan was not carried out, due to a lack of communication between officials.
“Failure to provide a social worker whom they can relate to in a meaningful way can have serious consequences in the future.”
The report said some children didn’t know who to contact if they were concerned about their safety, and full medical records were not always available to officials.
