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	Professionals who represent children and vulnerable teenagers in the family court or social services system will be legally obliged to stay with their clients throughout the cases under new rules.</p>
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	Cabinet agreed the move to a new statutory guardian ad litem service at its last meeting until September yesterday, saying that it is needed to ensure people in the systems have their rights fully protected.</p>
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	Under current rules, while a vulnerable child or teenager is given an independent representative to look after their needs in hearings, this person is not obliged to look after their client until cases conclude.</p>
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	As a result, they are at risk of being left without the vital support or having to change guardian midway through a court or social service process.</p>
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	However, under new rules agreed by cabinet yesterday, a statutory guardian ad litem service is set to be introduced making it mandatory that the person&rsquo;s original guardian continues to represent their client throughout their journey through the system.</p>
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	The move will also mean that unlike the current ad hoc approach where a guardian can be appointed by a private group involved in the cases such as Barnardos or another organisation, in future they must be agreed through a statutory appointments process.</p>
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	Barnardos, which operates the largest and most established national guardian ad litem service in the country, represented more than 800 children in the court and social services systems in 2014.</p>
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	It currently employees more than 30 guardians, who are selected after a thorough interview process, Garda vetting, training, and presentation of full references.</p>
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	A guardian ad litem &mdash; Latin for &ldquo;appointed to act&rdquo; &mdash; is only allowed to represent a child in an official capacity upon a judge&rsquo;s ruling.</p>
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	The decisions are most often limited to incidents where the national child and family agency, Tusla, has applied to the court for a care order, an interim care order or a supervision order, or where the child has been in long-term care for a substantial period of time.</p>
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	Rulings seeking the representation can also be made in special care application cases, when a parent is unwilling or unable to fully take part in court or social services hearings, or when there are significant language or cultural issues.</p>
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	Meanwhile, Cabinet also agreed yesterday to re-appoint Geoffrey Shannon as the State&rsquo;s special rapporteur for child protection. Mr Shannon was originally appointed on July 9, 2013, for three years and has been to the forefront of raising child protection issues.</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Examiner on the 28th July 2016)</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/professionals-acting-for-children-to-remain-with-them-throughout-cases-412778.html">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/professionals-acting-for-children-to-remain-with-them-throughout-cases-412778.html</a></p>
