Cross-border placement of a child including foster family

Ireland
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European Judicial Network (in civil and commercial matters)

1 Which authority is to be consulted and to give prior consent before the cross-border placement of a child within your territory?

This comes through the Central Authority for Child Abduction which forms part of the Department of Justice. The Central Authority then refer to 'Tusla', the Child and Family Agency, as the authorised agency.

Contact details for both are laid out below:

Central Authority for Child Abduction,

Department of Justice,

7 Ely Place, Dublin 2

internationalchildabduction@justice.ie

Tusla – Child and Family Agency,
The Brunel Building,
Heuston South Quarter,
Saint John's Road West,
Dublin 8.
D08 X01F

Phone:  +353 1 7718500*
Email: info@tusla.ie

2 Please describe shortly the procedure for consultation and the obtaining of consent (including required documents, deadlines, modalities of the procedure, and other relevant details) for cross-border placement of children within your territory.

The Child and Family Agency ISS (International Social Service) is the central point for receiving and reviewing the application to ensure that it falls within the remit of Article 82 of Brussels IIb and liaises with the local Area Manager’s office of the area where the child will be placed. For foster placements, an assessment of the prospective foster carers will need to be carried out by a social worker registered in Ireland, and the report will be presented to the local Foster Care Committee for approval. The documentation required includes a cover letter outlining the rationale for the placement, a report on the prospective foster carers, including police vetting, child protection checks, medical report, references as well as a care plan for the child and a copy of the court order.

The documents required for placements in residential care include a cover letter outlining the rationale for the placement, the child’s care plan, the court order, the funding arrangements for the placement and any aftercare arrangements.

In all cases, a letter of consent for the placement will be drafted by Tusla ISS when all of the above requirements are met and will be co-signed by the Area Manager.

3 Has your Member State decided that consent is not required for cross-border placements of children within your territory where the child is to be placed with certain categories of close relatives? If yes, what are the categories of close relatives?

Not applicable. Ireland has not made use of the option under Article 82 to exclude certain categories of close relatives from the requirement to obtain consent for cross-border placement of children in Ireland.

4 Does your Member State have in place any agreements or arrangements for simplifying the consultation procedure for obtaining consent for the cross-border placement of children?

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, are currently in the process of developing a policy document in this area. Once this document is available, this section will be updated.

Last update: 12/02/2024

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