<p>
	The Director of the Child Care Law Reporting Project said that figures showing a wide variance in the number of child protection orders issued across Ireland, highlight a need for more research to examine the reasons behind the imbalance.</p>
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<p>
	Dr Coulter added that it was also important to remember the figures do not represent children in care.</p>
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	The statistics from the Courts Service, which were released to the project, found applications for child protection orders in towns in the midlands were significantly lower than in towns and cities in other parts of the country.</p>
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	Dr Carol Coulter said she was concerned about the way figures may have been compiled in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, where over 1,000 applications were made.</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
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	She said she feared there had been a lot of double counting in Letterkenny and explained that the same family would frequently return for order renewals.</p>
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	These cases would be counted individually, but would not represent new cases.</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Speaking on RT&Eacute;&#39;s Morning Ireland, Dr Coulter said it was not known why the number of applications were greater in different parts of the country, but some areas could have better family support services so cases do not reach the point of children having to go into care.</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
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	Or, she said, voluntary care orders may be issued which means the cases do not go to court.</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
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	In addition she said that judges in bigger cities and towns, such as Dublin and Cork, have more time to give to these cases.</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	She said, however, that busy district court judges do not have the time needed to give to family cases.</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	(Published by RTE.ie on the 24th October 2016)</p>
<p>
	<a href="https://www.rte.ie/news/2016/1024/826374-child-protection-orders/">https://www.rte.ie/news/2016/1024/826374-child-protection-orders/</a></p>
