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A Summary Report by the Ombudsman involving a complaint about the Health Service Executive's handling of an application to foster three children

The Complaint

The complainants claimed that it was their understanding, and also the understanding of the social workers, that the fostering arrangement which they had agreed to enter into, was intended to be long-term in nature. The couple understood that this would involve them looking after the children until they reached eighteen years of age. As mentioned above, sanction to the fostering proposal had only been approved by the Board from June to August 2001. The Child Care Manager claimed to have verbally advised the couple of the position. However, Ms Brown and Mr Murphy claimed that they were never advised by the Board that the arrangement to pay Ms Brown's salary in addition to the fostering allowance, had only been sanctioned for a three month period. Had they been so advised, they never would have proceeded with the arrangement.

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