Just one in four children in foster care in parts of east coast have a social worker

One-in-four children in foster care in parts of Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow do not have an allocated social worker, according to a Hiqa report.

The inspection report on foster care services in Dublin South West/Kildare/West Wicklow found that 111 of 429 children did not have an allocated social worker, meaning they were potentially at risk.

Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) inspectors found evidence of good practice but also found that a number of children with no allocated social worker, had not been visited enough to check on their welfare — with no record of a statutory visit in over four years in one case.