Private foreign foster-care arrangements are to be regulated for the first time under amendments to the Children's Bill to be published shortly.
It is understood the amendments will allow for health boards to be notified of all short-term informal foreign fostering arrangements. They will also give the boards the power to inspect homes and to take a child into care if the arrangements are not up to standard.
The measures will affect the hundreds of families who bring Chernobyl children from Belarus to Ireland for rest and recuperation programmes every summer and Christmas.
It has also been learned that the Children's Bill will be amended to exempt juveniles from the new provision whereby those charged must pay one third of bail up front before release from custody.
Under Section 5 (1) of the Bail Act 1997, which came into effect in May of this year, a person admitted to bail must pay one third of the amount up front. The amendments are to be included in the Bill to ensure children do not end up in custody because they have nobody to pay the bail.
It is speculated that the Minister for Justice will also publish amendments to allow for the President of the District Court to sanction training for judges who are sitting in children's courts.
The Irish Times revealed last week that another amendment to the Children's Bill will allow for the setting up of a central residential services board to co-ordinate provision of places for disruptive children.
The move follows recent controversy over a 17-year-old disturbed girl which led to criticism of the lack of co-ordination among the three Government departments with responsibilities in the area.
Last month, Mr Justice Peter Kelly threatened to hold three Government Ministers in contempt of court if they did not provide a suitable place of detention for a seriously disturbed 17year-old girl according to a standard set down by him.
It is understood that plans for the board were in train before the recent High Court case.
The new board will have its own chief executive and staff and the Minister of State responsible for Children, Ms Mary Hanafin, will have political responsibility for it. It will have a chairperson and 10 members, including representatives of the three Government departments.