High-risk children given ‘cheapest’ care

HIGH-RISK children are being put on waiting lists or placed “in the cheapest option” of care by the HSE, a leading residential service provider has claimed.

Paula Kane, manager of Ashdale Care, a group of private care homes to which the HSE refers children, said she had kept quiet for too long and did not want to see mistakes of the past repeated due to what she called an “alleged lack of funding”.

Ms Kane claimed that:

nThe HSE was “playing down” risk assessments so placements would not be required.

nSome children were not being placed at all and were left in high risk and potentially dangerous situations.

nHigh risk referrals are being put on waiting lists.

The social worker said the situation was at crisis point, and she hoped speaking out would help frontline HSE staff who were working with impossible caseloads.

“Things are really going backwards. It is clear that those in the HSE who are charged with making decisions about the welfare of children and adolescents are making decisions purely on financial grounds,” she said.

Children as young as 12, Ms Kane said, were being advised they could no longer stay in placements because the HSE has no money, and placements sometimes ended overnight.

She said teenagers from age 16 were being moved from long term placements into bed and breakfasts.

“These young people have suffered significantly and are being left unsupported in these establishments – which are unregulated – with no trained professional staff.” Although foster placements were over-crowded, foster carers were being offered more money to take children because it is a cheaper alternative to residential care, she claimed.

A spokesperson for the HSE said everything it does was “tightly focused on meeting the needs of children in care, and that in the current climate this needed to be done in a cost effective way”.

“We are currently putting together a tender to procure residential placements in the private sector, if and when they are required.”

Norah Givens, from Barnardos, said the charity has heard anecdotal evidence that decisions were being taken to remove children from expensive facilities, and is was extremely concerned about this.

“Some children are not suitable for foster care and receive very good residential care. It would be shocking to think that children were being moved around because of financial situation.”