The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters was established by the Irish Government in February 2015 to provide a full account of what happened to vulnerable women and children in Mother and Baby Homes during the period 1922 to 1998.

"An adoptee identity rights organisation has called on the Government to commit to a national apology for the 'decades-long practice of concealing and obstructing access to records pertaining to mother and baby homes,'" according to this article from the Irish Examiner.

"According to new figures, 295 children who are in care do not have an up-to-date care plan," says this article from the Irish Examiner.

This letter, published in the Irish Times, calls for "a high-level national working group to address the cross-departmental responsibilities of the State to children in care, with a specific focus on meeting their holistic educational needs in a coordinated way, across all age levels."

"There has been slow but consistent growth in private foster care placements [in Ireland] and an increase in the number of companies in this market," writes Patrick Costello in this opinion piece for TheJournal.ie. "While these companies plug a gap in services, a gap that can leave children at risk, ultimately they lead to negative outcomes across the system," Costello argues.

A new Tusla-commissioned report reveals that "almost one-quarter of youths in care, or known to child protection services, who died over the last decade died as a result of suicide," according to this article from the Irish Times.

This article describes some of the findings from a new report on childcare law matters in Ireland, which has revealed many of the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on families of children in state care.

"The Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions have had a particularly heavy impact on vulnerable and marginalised children, none more so than those who require the protection of the State through the child care courts," says the Irish Times in this opinion piece.

This report reviews specific national and international legal developments for the protection of children in Ireland; examines the scope and application of specific existing or proposed legislative provisions and to make comments/recommendations as appropriate; and reports on specific developments in legislation or litigation in relevant jurisdictions.

"Concerns have been raised about how children in the Irish care system are coping during the coronavirus pandemic," says this article from the Irish Examiner.