Merit award win for Irish Examiner journalist

Irish Examiner journalist Noel Baker was last night presented with a merit accolade in the daily newspapers category of the Justice Media Awards.

Mr Baker was recognised for his ‘Home Away From Home’ feature, which was published last February and supported by the Mary Raftery Journalism Fund. He examined the experiences of Irish children sent by authorities here to care homes overseas. He also questioned why they ended up so far from home, why the State was unable to cater to the children’s needs here and also examined the Irish residential care system.

In choosing his series the award, the judging panel said: “The ‘Home away from Home’ series took an in-depth look at the system of out-of-State placements in secure care facilities for Irish children, and the impact on their lives and those of their families. Mr Baker visited Kibble in Scotland and the Ballydowd secure care facility in Dublin. He interviewed the then Minister for Children, the chief executive of the Child and Family Agency, and the young people who had direct experience of being placed in such facilities.