High Court extends detention of 'most vulnerable child'

The High Court has further extended the detention of a 14-year-old boy with a history of violence and inappropriate sexualised behaviour who has been at a special care facility for children since the weekend pending his proposed transfer to a special unit in Scotland.

The HSE is making arrangements to transfer the teen to a specialised secure unit in Scotland because it has both the facilities and staff that can cater to the boy's particular needs. A social worker has described the teen, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, as the "most vulnerable child" he has ever worked with.

Last Friday Mr Justice George Birmingham granted the HSE orders directing the Gardaí to arrest and detain and convey him to Ballydowd Special Care Unit in west Co Dublin. The teen has been held at the facility since Friday after he left the hostel he had been staying at.

The HSE sought the detention orders because the youngster poses a risk to both himself and to others.

Today Felix McEnroy SC for the HSE told the court that the boy's proposed transfer to Scotland was not ready to proceed. Counsel, in applying to continued the boy's detention at Ballydowd, said that it was hoped that the required steps to complete the move will be done shortly.

The HSE, counsel added, would then apply to the High Court for an order that would complete the move.

The HSE said it had fears that the boy make take alcohol and drugs and make get involved in criminal activity. The boy has engaged in such behavior in the past and there were concerns for his health.

The teen comes from difficult family background and had first come to the HSE's attention several years ago.

He has been in more than a dozen placements in both Ireland and the UK. None of those placements had meet his needs. No facility in the state is able to provide the boy with the security he needs.