'Striking' lack of consistency between social workers and courts regarding child welfare

The lack of consistency between social workers and the courts with regards care orders has been dubbed 'striking' by the Child Care Law Reporting Project.

A case which saw one child described as 'the most bruised child [a doctor] had ever seen' was only granted a temporary care order and an instance which saw children 'strapped in buggies for lengthy periods while their mother was drunk' resulted in the same outcome.

The project's director, Carol Coulter, expressed concern over the leniency of care orders despite 'powerful evidence', while records show that other orders have been granted for 'minor' parental drug use.

Commenting on these disturbing cases, the director said: "That is the thing that we have found most striking, huge variations in the outcomes of cases and in the attitudes of both the judges and of the local sections of the CFA to different problems, like drug use and so on."

Comparing these outcomes, Ms. Coulter asserts: "There is a real lack of consistency" while Children's Minister James Reilly agrees that more consistency is needed, saying: "We can not allow children be left exposed to abuse and harm."