Children who were being abused by their foster parents for years, were forced to remain with them, despite the fact 
that social services were made aware of the situation by members of the public and teachers, according to a report [1] published [2] yesterday [3].
The two children who were in different foster families were only rescued after inspectors from the health watchdog moved in last year and insisted the Health Service Executive (HSE) again review their cases, the Irish Independent reports.
The HSE had earlier decided the allegations were unfounded. However, it is now understood that one of the children was sexually abused over a number of years and a file is with the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The other child, whose teachers reported physical and verbal abuse between 2006 and 2008, had to remain with the family until last year when the inspectors decided the allegations were true.
In another case, a child who ran away from foster parents because of physical and emotional abuse was returned to the family by the HSE — before any examination of the claims took place.
The cases were discovered by inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) after they enquired into the situation of children in foster care last autumn in north Dublin.
They found that hundreds of children in foster care were not visited for years or were without a social worker to check on their welfare. In some cases, HSE local offices did not even know how many children in their area were in foster care or that some had moved on to other families.
The inspectors’ report showed that the HSE’s care of hundreds of children with foster parents in Dublin North West (from Clonsilla to Cabra ) and Dublin North Central (from Ballymun, the north inner city to Clontarf) was totally inadequate.
The HSE care of foster children in Dublin North (from Raheny to Portmarnock and Naul) was mostly “safe and well organised” but significant weaknesses were also uncovered.
The two children left with abusive families were in the Dublin North West region, where 59 children became a source of concern to inspectors.
The inspectors found incomplete or poor assessment by the HSE of allegations made by children against foster carers and poor records on the outcome of criminal investigations by gardai when abuse was confirmed.
There were also delays in sending children at the centre of sexual abuse allegations for assessment.
Speaking at the launch of the report yesterday, HIQA inspector Bronagh Gibson said there were 18 cases involving allegations of abuse in Dublin North West .
They included emotional, physical, sexual abuse and neglect. She said the HSE confirmed four cases but there was only evidence of one case being notified to the gardai.
In Dublin North Central, inspectors pressed for the HSE to re-examine claims made by a child who was allegedly slapped by foster parents on several occasions — the social workers regarded it as unconfirmed physical abuse.
When it was re-visited it was decided the foster parents should be removed from the register and the children they were looking after were moved to other families.
In the Dublin North region a child who was being regularly criticised by the foster carer’s family was moved to another placement — 110km away.
But no other attempts were made to find out if a short-term placement was available somewhere nearer.