Increase in violent children entering care system

A growing number of young people displaying extreme violence and other difficult behaviour are entering the care system, the chief operations officer of the Child and Family Agency has claimed.

Fred McBride also said Tusla was in discussions with the HSE about putting together a proposal for a youth mental health facility that could reduce the number of Irish children in care sent to overseas facilities for treatment.

Mr McBride made his comments following a damning report by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) into the country’s largest special care unit, Ballydowd.