Minister
for Children Frances Fitzgerald was on Today with Pat Kenny this morning
(Monday) talking about the forthcoming children right’s referendum.

She said
that one reason we need the referendum is because it is so hard to adopt the
children of married parents who therefore languish in the legal limbo of the foster
care system for years.

The
Minister said that out of roughly 5,500 children who are currently in foster
care, 2,000 are the children of married parents and it is almost impossible to
place them for adoption.

However,
that would seem to mean that the remaining 3,500 children are the children of unmarried
parents. By the Minister’s logic, these children can be placed for adoption
much more easily, but this is not happening. The question therefore arises, why
not?

In 2008,
only 200 domestic adoption orders were granted and only 67 of these were to
non-family members.

According
to the latest figures from the Adoption Authority, in the second quarter of
this year, a miserable 12 domestic adoption orders were granted.

In other
words, very few adoptions from any kind of family are taking place and while a change
to the Constitution in respect of adoption may well be necessary, it will do
very little good until the Minister finds out why so few domestic adoptions are
taking place and moves to rectify the situation.