The extent of the failures in the foster care system has been highlighted in an unpublished report which reveals that vulnerable children in the southeast are at risk of being placed with unsafe carers.

This internal audit conducted by the Health Service Executive follows a number of other critical reports which highlighted major problems in childcare in the Dublin and Cork areas.

This latest report, completed in December of last year, found:

No evidence of formal assessments of foster families or Garda clearance in up to a quarter of cases examined, increasing the risk of unsuitable people working as foster carers. [Read more...]