Closing a Protection Gap

This report was written with two goals in mind. Firstly, it is meant to be a tool for service providers of separated children. Its purpose is to be a review of the experiences of service providers in the area for new service providers to use as a reference. Secondly, it is meant to be a critique on the system and to highlight areas where the services provided to separated children may be improved. The key finding was that resources, to-date, have not been adequate to provide adequate representation for separated children. The CRC Article 27 requires States to provide material supports to those responsible for all children to promote ‘the right of every child to a standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development’. The ‘resources’ and ‘supports’ also cover the appointment of a social worker and the service they are able to provide, respectively. This report stresses the need for a representative, a legal guardian, in accordance with international standards, practice and law. It is therefore imperative that each separated child is appointed a social worker, in line with Irish child care law and a guardian ad Litem, in accordance with the next step recommendations of the National Children’s Strategy. From there, Ireland can begin to build on the quality of care provided to separated children.