'Emergency care' ordered for Romanian girl living without legal guardian

A Judge has said gardaí may have to make an “emergency care order” for a 13-year-old Romanian girl living in Dublin with a man who maintains he is her uncle and guardian but has no official documentation to back-up his claims.

This allows gardaí to intervene when there are grounds for believing there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child. It says the Garda may, without warrant, enter, with force if needed, “any house and remove the child to safety.”