‘Services cuts make teens vulnerable to problems’

TEENAGERS vulnerable to problems with drugs and self-harm are in danger of being left behind due to pressure on the public finances, a conference heard yesterday.

The Crosscare Teen Counselling service, the social care agency of the Dublin Archdiocese, hosted the Croke Park conference which heard from psychologists and social workers from around the country.

In her closing remarks to the conference, Crosscare director Mary Forrest said the Government needed to ensure it did not repeat past mistakes and push services for vulnerable adolescents further to the margins.