Children in care had no social worker

The Ombudsman for Children and Hiqa are to be asked to investigate why the Child and Family Agency left children in state care without an allocated social worker for more than three months this year.

This follows District Court judge Alan Mitchell instructing the children’s guardian ad litem, Sarah Treacy, to refer the case to Ombudsman Emily Logan and Hiqa.

At a family law court sitting in Ennis, Judge Mitchell said it is “a matter of serious concern and unacceptable” that the children have been left without an allocated CFA social worker from February of this year until now.