‘No comment’ on whether woman’s children will be taken into care

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has refused to reveal if the children of a Polish woman, who has been charged with ill-treating her three-year-old daughter, will be put back into care.

A member of the Roma gypsy community, Ms Paczkowska, of 55 Killeen Woods, Oakpark, Tralee, is charged with ill-treating a child in her care, at the same address, in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering, or injury to the child's health, on August 2-3 last. Her three-year-old daughter subsequently died.

It has now emerged that her other three children, were returned to her care, more than a week ago by a relative, against the wishes of the health services which wanted them to be accommodated elsewhere.

Aged between 12 months and 10 years, it is believed the children had been in the care of their grandparents, who have returned to their home in England. The children have now moved back in with their mother.

Ms Paczkowska was charged, under Section 246 of the Children's Act (2001) the first of its kind to be brought. Ms Paczkowska has since made a number of remand appearances at Tralee District Court and is due to come before the court again tomorrow.

The health and welfare services had decided that her three children should be kept in temporary care. But, the HSE yesterday declined to say if any attempts were now being made to remove them from their mother's home. "We don't comment on individual cases," a HSE spokesperson said.

Tralee gardaí also declined to comment, saying it was an issue for the health services.