The Child Law Project (CLP) has published its latest report, which covers cases attended by its reports during the second half of 2023.

This volume comprises 54 reports – 43 from the District Court and 11 from the High Court.

The volume includes a report on proceedings heard in 2021, in which the High Court heavily criticised the HSE for failing to meet the needs of a young girl with disabilities who spent nearly 60 days in a darkened room off a hospital A&E department, as the HSE could not find her another placement.

This case was reported in detail in the December 2021 issue of the Gazette.

Parental absence

The CLP said that, in several reports, it continued to see concern and frustration on the part of the judiciary about failings in the care system.

Most of the 26 District Court cases that were attended relate to applications for care and supervision orders.

Echoing previous volumes, key themes in these cases include parental mental health, addiction, homelessness, and domestic violence.

CLP highlighted the absence from the child’s life of one or both parents as a striking feature in many reports.

Vulnerability

“In 11 of the 26 reports, the child’s father was either not known to Tusla (the Child and Family Agency), not engaging in, or not mentioned during the proceedings we attended and, in four cases, the child had been abandoned by their mother.

“The level of vulnerability of these families is apparent in that, in six cases, the parent was in prison or had recently left detention and, in two others, the mother had been in care during her own childhood,” the CLP said.

It added, however, that many of the reports illustrated “excellent work” undertaken to care for and safeguard children – including possible child victims of trafficking.