HSE service for children in care

A NEW assessment and intervention service for young people in special care and detention will provide on-site specialist therapeutic care and intervene in crisis cases where previous services were not adequate.

Information provided to the Irish Examiner reveals that the HSE’s Assessment, Consultation and Therapy Service (ACTS) will be a nationally directed and managed service located in Dublin with sub-teams in Cork and Limerick.

However, of about 30 staff needed at a cost of €3 million a year, just three have been recruited.

A suitable premises for the services is being identified, the remainder of staff are being recruited and the HSE believes the service will begin by the end of the year.

ACTS was set up on the recommendation of the Ryan Report in 2009, which called for the establishment of multidisciplinary assessment services for children and young people at risk, and the development of a multidisciplinary team for children in care and detention.

ACTS has a four-pronged approach:

* A national community assessment and intervention service for children at risk of coming into high support/special care or detention services;

* On-site therapeutic services to special care and high support children;

* On-site therapeutic services to the children at detention schools;

* A specialist forensic mental health team for children requiring specialist forensic input including in-reach to the children detention schools and St Patrick’s Institution and consultation for children at risk and in high support/special care.

According to children’s solicitor Gareth Noble, there is no psychiatric service for young people in St Pat’s. Mr Noble said young people there seem to rely on the “goodwill” of another service to fill the gap.

According to the HSE, young people referred to high support or special care are likely to have a substantial history of contact with local social work or justice services and have not been helped by community services already in place. ACTS should be able to intervene even while young people might be waiting for local services.

The assessment service will ensure young people deemed at a high risk of coming into high support, special care or detention have access to expert multidisciplinary assessment to identify their particular clinical and social difficulties.

They will then be directed toward services that provide appropriate intervention for them and their families or carers to avoid admission into the high support, special care or children detention schools systems.

The service will also be able to provide reports to assist the courts, the HSE and the Irish Youth Justice Service in planning for the care of individuals.