Over 40% of child detainees at risk of abuse and neglect

Data on teenagers at the country’s main children detention campus has found that more than half were in care or known to the care system, and more than 40% were considered to be at risk of abuse and neglect.

The data was published this week by the Oberstown Children Detention Campus and relates to the first three months of this year, when 69 young people were detained at the facility in Co Dublin, ranging in age from 14 to 17 years.

The information on those detained at Oberstown shows that many had a difficult upbringing, had a range of personal problems including issues with drugs and mental health, and were at risk and also posed a risk to others through challenging and sometimes violent behaviour.