Immigrant mothers and babies to move residence after cutbacks
East Coast Area Health Board (ECAHB) said yesterday the scheme for which it gave funding was being wound down.
“We gave one-off funding of 190,000 for this scheme to Barnardos last year. We are giving 140,000 towards it this year.”
Barnardos, which had set up a family support group at the privately-owned hostel, which accommodates about 80 unaccompanied minors, said it was losing four of its very highly trained people as a result of the decision.
“The reason the scheme is being wound down is because it was directed at young mothers and their children and they’re moving out into more appropriate accommodation,” the ECAHB spokesperson said.
“Our resources are children based, not institution based, and so we tend to put money into to what suits the child rather than any building.”
The young mothers - who range in age from 16 to 17.
ECAHB, which has responsibility for all separated children seeking asylum within the eastern region, said it was committed to providing “the best possible service to this vulnerable client group”.
Earlier, Mary King of Dun Laoghaire Refugee Project claimed the health board had reneged on a promise to fund the hostel for three years when it announced funding would cease.
Ms King was speaking at the launch of the Irish Refugee Council’s report, Separated Children, which showed that by last March, 2,717 separated children were documented as being in this country.
About 40% of them were reunited with family who had already arrived. The report said 174 children did not turn up for asylum interview and their whereabouts are now unknown.
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