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Investigation Report on fostering

Date released: 07.06.2007

The Ombudsman, Ms Emily O'Reilly, has today published her Summary Report  of an investigation into a complaint which she received from a couple regarding the manner in which a former health board dealt with their application to foster three sibling children in 2001.

The report, which has been anonymised to protect the couple's privacy and that of the three children, may be viewed on the Ombudsman website, http://www.ombudsman.ie, and deals with the issues of concern to the Ombudsman and the couple namely 1) how the actions of the former health board (both the social work team and administrative staff) impacted on the couple, and 2) how these actions ultimately affected the three children who remain in residential care.

In publishing her summary report, at this stage, the Ombudsman is very keen to ensure that people who come forward as possible foster parents are dealt with in a fair and proper manner. She is keen to highlight the need for improvement in the lines of communication between social worker staff and administrative personnel, so that, in turn, their dealings with potential foster parents are fair and unambiguous. In this case, a window of opportunity was lost, an opportunity which may have led to a different outcome for the three young children. The Ombudsman has emphasised the need for important communications to prospective foster parents to be made in writing, and in a timely manner, so that they know exactly where they stand.

 The report contains a series of recommendations, all of which were accepted by the Health Service Executive and were aimed at improving communication protocols between professional and administrative staff in dealing with fostering applications. It is hoped that, in publishing this summary report, that the issues raised and lessons learned by one health board area will be taken on board throughout the wider social services system.

For further information contact: Matthew Merrigan, Office of the Ombudsman, 18 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2. Tel:- (01) 6395635, e-mail: matthew_merrigan@ombudsman.gov.ie  or Patsy Fitzsimons Tel: -(01) 6395637, e-mail: patsy_fitzsimons@ombudsman.gov.ie.

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