There has been a “dramatic” rise in the number of children taken into care by the Health Service Executive 
(HSE), according to new figures. The figures show that the number of children in the care of the has exceeded 6,000 for the first time, according to a report in the Irish Times.
The news came as Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald said that there would be no referendum on children’s rights this year. She said yesterday the Government had decided the referendum would not get the kind of focus it needed if it was held at the same time as the presidential election in the autumn.
She said the wording of the proposed amendment to the Constitution on children’s rights also needed to be agreed in consultation with the Attorney General.
The HSE figures showed that, from January to April, the number of children in care rose by 332, almost three times the number of additional children taken into care in the whole of last year.
In April, 6,122 children were living in foster homes or residential centres run by the State, compared to 5,790 in December 2010.
The Iona Institute said the figures raised question marks over the need to hold a referendum on children’s rights as the State clearly already had the power to intervene in families to take children into care when there were concerns.
The Irish Times also says that some 1,322 reports of child abuse (defined by the executive as physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect) were referred to the HSE between January and March.
Some 823 of these referrals were made to HSE West, which is the region where the Roscommon abuse case happened. There were 172 referrals in Dublin Mid-Leinster, 173 in Dublin North East and 154 referrals in the south region.
Children’s rights groups said they were concerned at the “dramatic increase” in the number of children in care. They suggested the rise might be as a result of growing awareness of child abuse following scandals such as Roscommon, and/or a more interventionist approach being taken by social workers and/or the recession.
The figures show how the number of children in the care of the executive has increased from 4,844 in December 2005 to 6,122 in April 2011, which is a 26 per cent increase in a little over five years.
A breakdown of the executive’s April figures shows 3,716 children in foster homes, 1,781 children in foster homes with a relative, 460 children in residential centres and 165 children living in a variety of other types of care placements.
The HSE claimed that the figures showed “no significant change” in the rate of increase.
However, The Children’s Rights Alliance said it was “naturally concerned” by the rising numbers.
Senator Jillian van Turnhout, chief executive of the alliance, said study was required to determine why children were coming into care. This was key to help design supports and services that could keep children at home with their families whenever possible, she added.
Meanwhile, the Government insisted that the children’s referendum remained a priority and wuold happen next year. Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald said that holding a referendum reflected “the importance of establishing a Department of Children”.
She said the Government would not adopt the referendum wording proposed by the previous government but would work with a wording which reflected the wording produced by the Oireachtas committee chaired by Mary O’Rourke.
“We will take the committee’s wording and examine what the concerns were about that, see if the current Attorney General shares the concerns of the previous attorney general,” she said.
The last government decided the wording proposed by the all-party Oireachtas committee could prevent the deportation of parents unlawfully in the State and entitle children faced with expulsion from schools to legal representation. .
It later proposed new wording that would make some of the commitments on children’s rights non-judiciable.
Ms Fitzgerald said it was the Government’s intention to come up with wording that “reflects the wording of the committee” rather than that proposed by the previous government. “As soon as that is agreed and brought to Government, then we will publish it and we will begin an engagement around helping people understand why it is necessary.”