Abuse, alcohol and neglect are common factors

Abuse, alcohol and neglect were common threads in the family lives of 112 dead children who had been monitored by the health services.

The report into the deaths of children said in a large number of cases the problems they ultimately fell victim to began very early in their short lives.

Background files show a third of children who died of unnatural causes between 2000 and 2010 suffered from physical or sexual abuse.

Almost 36% were the victims of neglect. Thirty had experienced domestic violence, but only half had been taken into care.

Overall, the children who died were more likely to have come from families where there was abuse of alcohol or drugs than they were to have misused the substances themselves.

Seventeen children had alcohol problems and 37 deaths were children from homes where alcohol abuse was an issue.

The report said anybody reading the case histories would be struck by the impact of alcohol on the terrible circumstances that befell these children.

“Alcohol contributed to children being exposed from their earliest age to poor parenting, neglect, abuse and psychological trauma.

“Some of these children never recovered and went on themselves to engage in problematic alcohol and substance misuse,” it said.

The report said while the problems went “well beyond the single issue of alcohol”, tackling other aspects of a case was made a lot more difficult when alcoholics were involved.

In 68 cases, children died of unnatural causes but, while the social services were aware of their circumstances, they were not taken into care.

The early lives of the children who died of unnatural causes shows some differences between those who were in care and the 68 who were known to the HSE.

Of those known to the HSE, but not in care, they were more likely to have suffered because of poor family circumstances.

Of those who died in care, 47% used drugs, compared with 11% of those who had not been in care. Similarly, 40% of the children who were in care or released from care had been engaged in criminal activity. The figure was 16% for those known to the HSE.

In 14 cases children died in aftercare from drug-related issues. But in only 13 cases had HSE files recorded histories of drug use among those who died in after care.

Neglect

Litany of shame: 2000-2010

* 196 cases reviewed, 112 unnatural deaths.

* 36 children died in HSE care — 17 of unnatural causes.

* 32 young people died while in aftercare — 27 of unnatural causes.

* 128 children and young people died known to the HSE — 68 unnatural causes.

* 30 drug-related deaths.

* 28 suicides.

* 16 unlawfully killed.