No social worker for 3,000 children at immediate risk

More than 3,000 high-priority children known to be in immediate danger of serious neglect or abuse have no dedicated social worker.

The shocking claim was made by children’s rights activist and senator, Jillian Van Turnhout, at yesterday’s meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee of Health and Children.

She discovered that more than 3,000 of the 9,000 children who have no social worker at any given time are considered to be ‘high-priority’ cases by the Child and Family Agency.