Child care law reporting project due to resume in April

The next iteration of the child care law reporting project will commence from next month.

A new phase of a child care law reporting project is expected to resume next month following the selection of an applicant for the project.

A reporting project on child care proceedings had been in existence since 2013, but its most recent three-year grant expired in October.

However, it is understood the presence of the project team in courts for hearing on child care cases ended last June as no fresh funding had been committed to the project.

A Department of Children spokesperson confirmed on Friday evening that a successful applicant to continue the next iteration of the project for a two-year period from next month has been selected.

Last month, Ombudsman for Children Niall Muldoon told the Irish Examiner the delay in commissioning a new iteration of the reporting project “has resulted in an interruption in the oversight and transparency in childcare proceedings in court over the past number of months".

Some €416,000 in funding for two years has been committed to by the Government for the project.

However, the department spokesperson said: “The Department will now engage with the successful applicant to finalise a funding agreement for the project, which is scheduled to resume in April 2025. 

"However, the start date will depend on finalising discussions with the successful applicant.” 

Ombudsman for Children Niall Muldoon previously told the 'Irish Examiner' the delay in commissioning the new iteration of the project led to 'an interruption in the oversight and transparency in childcare proceedings in court'. Picture: Michael Dillon

Last November, the final report from the Child Law Project — 'Falling Through the Cracks: An Analysis of Child Care Proceedings from 2021 to 2024 — analysed more than 340 childcare cases across the country.

The report found while the project had been in existence for 12 years, the situation has deteriorated for children in the care system in the past three years.

The procurement process for the continuation of the project commenced in October. However, an expression of interest was sent to eligible organisations, inviting them to submit proposals for a two-year reporting and research project focused on childcare proceedings.

The project had been due to commence in January but could not get under way because no proposal documents had been received by a December closing date, although three expressions of interest had been received.

Tusla's actions 'shocking and appalling'

The confirmation from the Department of Children comes as Dublin District Court Judge Conor Fottrell has described the performance of Tusla in its duties and obligations to 250 children in the Dublin area as "shocking and appalling" after the agency breached court orders by not informing the court that social workers had not been allocated to each of the children.

In his judgement, Judge Fottrell said that Tusla “made absolutely no effort to demonstrate compliance with any of these orders and to inform the court that children in care were without an allocated social worker. 

"The sheer number of children involved across social work departments highlights multiple failures within the agency at all levels.” 

A spokesperson for Tusla said: “All cases of children in care with directions on their care orders relating to the allocation of a social worker that are not being complied with have now been brought to the court's attention. 

"Each region now has systems in place to track court dDirections, and a national team has been established since early 2023 to review court orders relating to any other directions to provide assurance, that where required, directions of the Court are being implemented.”