"One-third of foster carers have said that a lack of structure for their foster children during the Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenge, according to a new survey," says this article from the Irish Times.

This article explores evidence which shows that the use of ‘private family arrangements’ is motivated partly by a concern for subsidiarity, and partly by necessity: they provide a source of placements in cases where regulatory requirements and a lack of resources would otherwise make the placement challenging or impossible.

Ireland's Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP) has published a collection of 48 cases underscoring the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on vulnerable children, according to this article from the Irish Times.

"The Irish government is to apologise after an investigation found an 'appalling level of infant mortality' in the country's mother-and-baby homes," according to this article from BBC News.

This article from the Gazette Desk highlights findings from the annual report of the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection in Ireland, Dr Conor O’Mahony, which "examines both court care orders and voluntary care arrangements for children and notes that court reviews by a judge have the effect of making sure that things are done for a child in care, with more defined plans."

This paper presents a potentially fruitful theoretical framework for examining the transition out of state care.

This article reports on the use of a suite of validated instruments to measure the impact of services on children and their parents in receipt of services provided by an Irish Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) across their seven family centres.

"In the middle of the last century, thousands of students from African countries were studying at Irish universities. Some had children outside marriage, who were then placed in one of Ireland's notorious mother and baby homes. Today these children, now adults, are searching for their families," according to this article from BBC News.

This paper explores the research from a collaborative between Tusla, the Child and Family Agency and University College Cork (UCC) that had an overarching aim to reduce fostering instability, in relation to its contribution to supporting fostering stability.

This report reflects on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on children. It compiles information gathered from 25 countries across Europe, and provides recommendations for improving public policies in the short and long-term to support better outcomes for children and families, including children in alternative care or at risk of separation.