The forgotten children: An examination of the Irish state’s failure to adhere to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when dealing with children entering state and alternative care

Recent decades have seen the Irish legislature make significant improvements to legislation regarding children in state and alternative care. However, what still needs to be done? While Ireland is party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (henceforth, “CRC”), the question must nevertheless be raised as to whether Ireland is, in fact, adhering to its minimum obligations as set out under the Convention? This article shall demonstrate how the current administration of Ireland’s state and alternative care system fails to give full effect to the rights of the child, and shall evaluate how these shortcomings manifest themselves in the lives of children entering care. Notably, this article employs the CRC as a conceptual basis for measuring the success of Ireland’s treatment towards children in care.