How Could You? Hall of Shame-Ireland-Foster Carers

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Dublin, Ireland, a “young boy, who had been with the foster carers for more than seven years, had no allocated social worker assigned to him for a number of years.”

“Gardaí have been notified and a child in care has been moved after alleged emotional neglect and abuse by his foster carers, the Dublin District Family Court was told yesterday.”

“Details of the boy’s treatment were not opened to the court, but at a previous hearing the judge was told there was clear evidence he had been subjected to abusive treatment that amounted to emotional abuse in the foster family.

The foster carers did not celebrate the boy’s birthday and when they heard he would not be staying with them they dismantled his bed the night before he was due to move.

Judge Sinéad Ní Chulacháin heard the boy was upset and distressed by the move and did not understand why he had to leave, but he had now begun to settle in his new placement and in a new school. He was also receiving therapy and his current foster carers were receiving support from a clinical psychologist.

 

A solicitor for the Child and Family Agency said the boy wanted contact with the foster mother, with whom he had lived for most of his life, but child protection notifications had been sent to gardaí and “might colour the relationship” with her.

He also said the foster mother said she would prefer to wait until the boy was fully settled in his new placement before any contact took place, though she had spoken to him on the phone.

Judge Ní Chulacháin said the case should be reviewed again next March or relisted before then if the boy’s child-in-care review did not happen or if the long-term matching procedure did not go ahead with his current foster parents.”

 

Child moved from foster parents after alleged emotional neglect and abuse[Irish Times 9/26/14 by Fiona Gartland]

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