The District Court president has vocally conveyed his serious disillusionment and worry to the Government regarding the impending discontinuation of an institution which holds the government accountable by scrutinising court cases involving at-risk children in care, as per certain correspondences.
The Child Law Project has been diligently providing consistent reports for over ten years, shedding light on court cases involving children in the care system, revealing significant deficiencies by certain authorities like Tusla, the agency for child and family. Nonetheless, as financial support from the Department of Children is set to be exhausted this month, it has abstained from sending investigators to examine court proceedings since mid-year. President of the District Court, Judge Paul Kelly, voiced his ‘serious disillusionment and worry’ about the circumstances. He described how the project had illuminated a ‘deeply dark’ aspect of the court system, focusing on child protection cases that contained shocking and alarming information. Judge Kelly stated that, considering the moderate cost to the State, the Child Law Project had delivered ‘unrivalled value for money.’
Judge Kelly acknowledged that the project’s published reports were of ‘tremendous advantage’ to district court judges and those beyond, lawyers, social workers, academia, and policymakers. With urgency, he pleaded, “I urge you to reconsider the situation and give the necessary implements to allow the project to persist in what I believe is crucial work.”
Originally known as the Child Care Law Reporting Project and established in 2012, the initiative was bankrolled through a blend of State and philanthropic contributions. In the recent past, the Department has been the direct funder, with its three-year agreement, valued at €200,000 annually, concluding this month. The project will be releasing its last report in the upcoming weeks.
During a meeting back in March, Mr O’Gorman informed the entity that a new contract to carry on the service wouldn’t be up for bidding before their finances deplete. “A comprehensive workload of considerable importance”, was the reason given by a department briefing note for the late start of a new tender to procure offerings for a new contract on the 6th of May.
Maria Corbett, CEO of the Child Law Project, requested information in late May regarding the commencement of the competition for a forthcoming contract. She wrote to the board that oversight of cases was key to maintaining openness in the care system.
The department responded on 30th July, however, they were not able to provide an exact timeline for the commencement of the process. An official letter mentioned a possible hiatus between the end of the current contractual phase and the inception of a future tender, a detail that was discussed with the Minister on 26th March.
The internal records and other correspondence were disclosed due to a Freedom of Information Act request. The stage of accepting proposals for the upcoming contract has not begun and it will probably require some months before funds are granted.
The department’s spokesperson stated that Mr O’Gorman confirmed his plan “that funding would be allocated for a later version of the court reporting project, which his department will facilitate following a competitive sourcing process”. Preliminary work is currently being initiated in the Department of Children, anticipating the new acquisition process.