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	More than 3,000 high-priority children known to be in immediate danger of serious neglect or abuse have no dedicated social worker.</p>
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	The shocking claim was made by children&rsquo;s rights activist and senator, Jillian Van Turnhout, at yesterday&rsquo;s meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee of Health and Children.</p>
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	She discovered that more than 3,000 of the 9,000 children who have no social worker at any given time are considered to be &lsquo;high-priority&rsquo; cases by the Child and Family Agency.</p>
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	High-priority cases are classed as children at immediate risk of harm, such as being abandoned, beaten or sexually abused.</p>
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	&ldquo;I am alarmed that figure is so high. I think we should be ringing alarm bells,&rdquo; Ms Van Turnhout said.</p>
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	Senior officials from the CFA admitted on Wednesday that children&rsquo;s lives might still be at risk when they published the latest reports into the deaths of children and young people known to social services.</p>
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	Ms Van Turnhout said the figure that was taken from an internal CFA report included more than 3,000 cases considered &lsquo;high priority&rsquo;.</p>
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	Minister James Reilly said it was obvious that there were a &ldquo;raft of things&rdquo; that seemed to be looked at in isolation and delays in reports and information changing hands.</p>
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	Ms Van Turnhout said it would be reprehensible if the performance of the agency was to be measured on the number of children who died in state care.</p>
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	&ldquo;Will we be applauding ourselves that less children have died this year in the care of the State? We have to set targets and they need to be published.,&rdquo; she said.</p>
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	<a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/no-social-worker-for-3000-children-at-immediate-risk-275891.html">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/no-social-worker-for-3000-children-at-immediate-risk-275891.html</a></p>
