Children in care: a time for change

Sharon O'Connor of Beauchamps Solicitors looks at the timely publication of the Draft National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children and its implications for foster care. On March 22, 2012, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) published the Draft National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children. The standards build on the guidelines in Children First and have the objective of strengthening the welfare of children at risk. The standards are very timely because of the dramatic rise in the number of children who are in the care of the Health Service Executive — it exceeded…