Teenage girls waited for help that never came

Three out of four teenage girls who died by suicide were known to child protection services and had been on lengthy waiting lists for psychology services, it emerged yesterday.

One of the girls could not access a mental health service in the days before her death, according to the National Review Panel.

The independent group yesterday published reviews relating to the deaths, since 2010, of 12 children known to state services.

One of the girls, Jennifer, took her life just before her 18th birthday. At one point, she had been on a waiting list for psychological services for two years.

Her mother told the review team she had tried to get a mental health service for her daughter the week before she died.

By the time she got a GP appointment, to make the referral, it was too late.

A few days before she took her life, Jennifer attended a local hospital following an episode of self-harm. The social work department was unaware of the event.

Karen, who was 15 when she died, had been told just before she died that she would have to wait some time for the psychology service.

The psychology services had advised by letter: “Due to increasing demands on the service there is a considerable wait for the first appointment.”

Another girl who died by suicide, Zoe, had been in care. She had been on a waiting list for psychology services for so long that she was taken off it.

The mother of three had been on a waiting list for psychology for seven months and, by the time a place was offered, she had become involved in a women’s group with a voluntary agency.

In respect of the death of Aoife, who took her life shortly after her 19th birthday, the report found no direct link between the quality of service and her death.

However, no social worker had been allocated to her case and, before she went into care at the age of 15, a total of 18 social workers had been involved in her case.

Helen Buckley, the chairwoman of the National Review Panel, said a more integrated mental health service was required if children are to get the care needed.

Currently, the HSE manages the psychology service.

Dr Buckley said the Government had to tackle mental health provision.

“Tusla could have its own mental health service for young people, the HSE’s current service could be better resourced, or a special service could be established for young people in child protection,” she said.

The review also noted there were a number of children whose cases had not been allocated to a social worker or who had numerous social workers.

Karen’s case had been managed by the duty system in the area and was not allocated to an individual social worker so that the family met different social workers each time a concern arose.

Dr Buckley said four social workers were allocated to Karen’s care over a five-month period.

However, eight social workers were involved in Zoe’s care over nine years.

Dr Buckley said that some families became very frustrated because their children had numerous social workers. “When we spoke to the families they were very angry,” she said. “They and their children had to tell their story over and over.”

The report also found 13 social workers were involved with a boy called Donal who was in care, and died in a road traffic accident.

In Donal’s case, no action or inaction on the part of the HSE children and family services contributed to his death. However, the review found the social work department was slow in responding to his mother’s frequent requests for help with him.

As the case was felt to be one of child protection, not child welfare, it led to a delay in allocating a specific social worker, the completion of a needs assessment and, his listing on the child protection notification system.

Aoife’s mum was problem drug user

Aoife, who was described as a very caring, engaging, and capable young woman, died by suicide shortly after her 19th birthday.

As a young child, she had been referred to the local social work department because of parental neglect and an erratic school performance.

Her mum, Rita, had been a problem drug user for years and also suffered very poor health.

Aoife was the youngest in the family and became a young carer to her mother.

She was taken into voluntary care at the age of 15 when her mother died. By that point, some 18 social workers had been involved with the family but her needs had never been formally assessed.

Aoife was assigned an aftercare worker when she was 18 years old. She had a row with a relative she was staying with and was asked to leave.

She died by suicide shortly before her 19th birthday.

While Aoife received a good service before her death, it was felt that her needs were never met when she was a young and vulnerable child.

Karen told helpline about dad’s abuse

Karen, who died by suicide when she was just 15, did not have an allocated social worker so the family met different workers each time a concern arose.

Her case was not considered a high priority for a long time and, sadly, Karen died shortly after a decision was made to allocate her to a newly appointed social worker.

Critically, the review found limited direct engagement between the social work department and Karen.

Karen needed help in dealing with issues of conflict between herself and her parents.

At one stage, Karen madea call to ISPCC’s Childline alleging physical abuse by her father.

However, she was not seen by a social worker until three weeks after she made the call to Childline.

There is no record of any medical assessment being sought in relation to the alleged abuse and no social worker met with Karen’s father about the incident.

While weaknesses in practice were identified, no link was found between the quality of services and the girl’s death.

Zoe moved around after mum died

Zoe, a young mother of three, had been in care for several periods of her life.

However, months before she died by suicide, her case was closed by the social work department.

Her mother had had an alcohol problem and Zoe had been her carer from a young age.

Her mother’s partner physically abused Zoe and her siblings, who were in care for a time before being returned to the couple.

When her mother died, it was decided that she could continue to live with her mum’s partner. Zoe did not want to stay with him but did not want to be in residential care either.

She started to move between various houses and had three children before the age of 18. Her second child died from congenital complications.

Zoe, an energetic young woman who made friends easily, was receiving support from staff at the emergency accommodation in which she was staying before she died.

The review found no connection between the quality or availability of services to Zoe and her death.

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