Special care unit fails to meet needs, court hears

A SPECIAL care unit for disturbed children, which was built following a 1998 High Court order to the State authorities, is not designed to meet their needs, the unit’s manager told the court yesterday.

Ballydowd Special Care Unit in Lucan, Co Dublin, was built following an unprecedented High Court order directing the State authorities to take steps to ensure the unit was open and operational by 2000. It was intended the unit would provide places for 24 children.

The court was told yesterday that in October 2000 there were only two children in the unit because defective glass and easily replicated locks had been installed and because of serious problems in recruiting staff.

Mr Justice O’Higgins was told there were only five children in the unit and that the design of the unit where the five are housed is not suitable.

The absence of such a separation area and problems of preventing children getting control of the water supply were highlighted when staff were recently confronted with a very disturbed 12-year-old boy who caused €20,000 worth of damage to the unit by flooding rooms, ripping up skirting boards, smashing doors, windows, toilets and TV sets.

The boy, who has no criminal convictions but has been in care since he was five, is to be moved to a State remand centre. Mr Justice Higgins made the decision after the move was sought by the Northern Area Health Board, supported by the Ballydowd manager and other social workers.

Ms Joni Cousins, the unit’s manager, said the unit had been built to a specialised design intended to cater for disturbed children. It was meant to house children such as the 12-year-old.

The unit’s design did not help fulfil the objectives, staff could not cope with the boy and wanted him moved for a respite period to Oberstown remand centre.

She said a second eight-bed unit was due to open in Ballydowd next month which would be more “user friendly”. She said she had only become manager some months ago and encountered a situation of “riotious behaviour” and there was a crisis at the unit.

Mr Michael Woodlock, Oberstown’s deputy director, did not believe that his facility was the most appropriate for the 12-year-old. He would be the youngest there and would be mixing with boys with criminal convictions and a history of repeat offending.

Mr Justice O’Higgins said that while there were difficulties in doing anything for the boy, the situation at Ballydowd was “well-nigh intolerable” and he directed the boy be placed in Oberstown for three weeks.