Most missing children never found

THE vast majority of asylum seeking children who go missing from State care after arriving in Ireland without family are never found, the health authorities have admitted.

Less than one third of the 46 unaccompanied under 18s who disappeared from hostels and other types of accommodation up to the end of October this year have been located.

Just 12 of the 68 who went missing in 2004 turned up, and the whereabouts were established of only “a small number” of the total of 283 who disappeared over the past five years.

Dr Pauline Conroy, a consultant childcare expert who has produced several reports for the State on unaccompanied minors, said she was concerned at the apparent lack of concern for their welfare.

The Department said yesterday Minister for Children Brian Lenihan had met with the HSE earlier this year to discuss the provision of services to unaccompanied minors.

The HSE had at that time commissioned consultant Michael Bruton to carry out an independent review of the services and his report was presented to the Minister last month.

The extent of the problem was admitted following the release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act which showed the HSE (East Coast Area) complained to the Department about a lack of resources for caring for the children.

Correspondence reveals that officials warned the Department that at least some of those who went missing were most likely deliberately taken or lured away for sexual or economic exploitation.

Some 204 child asylum seekers who have no obvious family are currently in the care of the HSE, most after arriving here alone from Eastern European and West African countries. Many are accommodated in private hostels which do not have full-time care workers available.

The HSE said yesterday most of the children who absconded were in the 16 to 17 age bracket and it believed many had pre- planned their disappearance so as to meet up with other family members.

Dr Conroy argued however that money and manpower was not available to ensure such children were supervised and supported or to look for them when they went missing.

“The gardaí are concerned, as are the social workers, that they do not have the resources to follow up all the cases that they would like to follow up.”