Children's Minister Barry Andrews said today that he is hopeful of having a 'Children's Tsar' in place in the New Year.
The senior executive role will be filled by someone from abroad and would oversee childcare policies within the HSE.
Barry Andrews also says plans are on track to recruit a third person to join the two-person team examining the files of children who died in state care.
Minister Andrews said that he understands that the team now has all the relevant files.