Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children
8.8
Children in the care of the State under the Child Care Act 1991
8.8.1
Additional guidance is set out below in respect of children who are in the care of the State and who may be vulnerable to abuse.
8.8.2
Foster/Relative care and Residential care The HSE Children and Family Services has responsibilities for children whom it places with relatives or with foster carers or in residential placements, as provided for in the Child Care Act 1991 and the Child Care Regulations 1995. In arranging, providing or supervising placements with foster/relative carers or in residential centres, the welfare of the child must be paramount. The wishes and feelings of the child and his or her parents should be taken into account.
8.8.3
The national standards developed for children in foster/relative care and for children in residential care should be readily available to children, foster/relative carers and their families, and to all HSE staff involved in the provision of these services (see Paragraph 8.3.1).
8.8.4
Children entering the care of the State under the Child Care Act 1991 may have previously been abused or neglected. Any allegation of abuse or neglect, past or present, must be dealt with sensitively and support provided to the child and others who have developed close relationships with that child, e.g. the foster carers and their family, other children in the residence.
8.8.5
When the HSE Children and Family Services is assessing the allegation of alleged abuse or neglect of children in foster care or in a residential centre, the safety of any other children in the house/centre should be considered.
8.9
Other vulnerable children
8.9.1
Research has shown that abuse of children with disabilities is a significant problem. The abuser is most likely to be known to the victim.
8.9.2
Parents, teachers and all staff in services for children with disabilities need to be familiar with the indicators of abuse and to be alert for signs of abuse.
8.9.3
All agencies/organisations working with children with disabilities should have clear guidelines for preventing, identifying and reporting child abuse or neglect and should ensure that staff and volunteers are trained in the use of the Children First: National Guidance.
8.9.4
Particular attention should be paid to the welfare and protection of children who are living apart from their birth parents and whose first language is not English.
8.9.5
An area of growing concern is where children and young people may be trafficked into this country for purposes of exploitation, either employment or sexual. These children may resist offers of assistance from the HSE due to fears for their own safety or that of their families. They are frequently hidden within communities since they do not attend educational, religious or social events.
8.10
Children who are homeless
8.10.1 Occasionally, children will come to the attention of the HSE whose circumstances are unclear and who, because of what may be temporary difficulties, are without accommodation. In such circumstances, the following actions should be taken by the HSE Children and Family Services in line with the Youth Homeless Strategy 2001:
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(i)
Establish with the child, in a manner appropriate to his or her age and stage of development, the circumstances in which he or she became homeless.
(ii)
Assess the potential for the child to return to his or her family home, including whether family support is needed to achieve this.