Safeguarding children: addressing the issue of placement choice and creating a vision for looked after children in Northern Ireland

Abstract

Three-and-a-half years into the Children (NI) Order 1995, government reports have confirmed that there are serious concerns about the sufficiency of placement within both residential and foster care services. Colette McAuley argues that the ensuing issue of placement choice and its impact upon care planning and child safety needs to be urgently addressed. She calls for regional strategic leadership coupled with resource management and investment to bring about significant changes for looked after children in Northern Ireland