Abstract

The literature on alternative care focuses overwhelmingly on formal, court-ordered placements; voluntary care placements are discussed less frequently. Least attention of all has been given to informal kinship care placements, where a child is cared for by relatives but is not formally in the legal care of state authorities. In Ireland, these placements, when facilitated by state authorities in lieu of a care order or voluntary care agreement, are known by professionals as ‘private family arrangements’. This article explores evidence which shows that the use of such arrangements is motivated partly by a concern for subsidiarity, and partly by necessity: they provide a source of placements in cases where regulatory requirements and a lack of resources would otherwise make the placement challenging or impossible. However, this strategy carries significant risks. Private family arrangements receive less support and oversight from state authorities than formal care placements, and family members providing care under this model have no legal rights or responsibilities in respect of the child(ren). This places the child(ren) in a precarious position and raises concerns regarding a lack of equity of care. The article will illustrate the impact of these concerns and make recommendations for reform.

中文翻译：

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爱尔兰儿童的“私人家庭安排”：国家照料和家庭住宅之间的非正式灰色空间

摘要

关于替代照料的文献主要集中在正式的、法院命令的安置；自愿护理安置的讨论较少。对非正式亲属照料安置给予的关注最少，在这种情况下，儿童由亲属照料，但并未正式接受国家当局的合法照料。在爱尔兰，这些安置在国家当局的协助下代替护理令或自愿护理协议，被专业人士称为“私人家庭安排”。本文探讨的证据表明，使用此类安排的动机部分是出于对子公司的关注，部分是出于必要性：在监管要求和缺乏资源会使安置具有挑战性或不可能的情况下，它们提供安置来源. 然而，这一战略存在重大风险。与正式照料安置相比，私人家庭安排从国家当局获得的支持和监督较少，在这种模式下提供照料的家庭成员对孩子没有法律权利或责任。这使孩子（们）处于不稳定的境地，并引起人们对缺乏公平照顾的担忧。本文将阐述这些担忧的影响并提出改革建议。