Minister for Children Barry Andrews said there has to be consequences for anyone who failed to deliver a professional standard of services in the provision of foster care in the Health Service Executive.
Independent inspections of three regions in Dublin found that governance was poor in two areas and senior management did not deal with deficiencies in the services.
Mr Andrews said yesterday's reports might have consequences for individuals, but will more than likely result in a change in management structures and the provision of extra resources.
He compared the situation to what happened in the Catholic Church, where there were consequences for those who presided over failure. He said the HSE has to do the same.
The Minister admitted that the level of care a foster child gets is 'a postcode lottery'.
However, he said 'the vast majority of foster care children are getting is an absolutely fantastic service'.
