Court orders medical intervention for teen who has showered once this year

The designated Tusla social care worker for the boy said he 'is very, very isolated in his bedroom'. 

A judge has ordered medical intervention for a teenage boy in State care after being told he has only had one shower this year.

At a Family Law Court sitting, Judge Alec Gabbett said that “is it staggering to hear” from the teenager’s allocated Tusla social care worker that the boy, who is being accommodated at a residential centre, has only had one shower in 2023.

Judge Gabbett said this is especially the case where the boy is being accommodated in a professional house where there is round-the-clock care to prompt him "to make sure he does these things".

“No parent would allow that to happen," he said. "If he was in a home setting, he would be put into the shower.” 

Judge Gabbett has directed that a GP attend the residential home to carry out a physical exam of the boy.

He said: "If he kicks and buts about that, so be it, I want someone to try and get in."

Judge Gabbett said that if the boy refuses to engage with the GP, he can come to court.

“I am not out there to force him to do anything, but this is basic hygiene," he said. 

He will get sick if he doesn't wash himself, that is the problem. He will get cellulitis at best."

After hearing that the teenager spends most of his time in his bedroom at the residential centre, Judge Gabbett said he was concerned for the boy’s mental health, adding: “He is going to lose years of his life.

"If this was my child and they were sitting home in their bedroom and it was a case of they don't come out, they go to school in the bedroom, they play video games all day, they don’t shower, they don't engage with the rest of the world, what would I be doing? 

I would be dragging the child out and bringing them to the GP."

After reading a Tusla update on the boy, Judge Gabbett said his “diet isn’t great either — popcorn, chicken nuggets, sandwiches, pizzas — not exercising”.

The designated Tusla social care worker for the boy said he "is very, very isolated in his bedroom". 

"He spends minimal time coming out of his bedroom during the day," the social care worker said. "He stays in his room, watching TV, or is on his phone and does schoolwork from there. He will not attend any appointments.” 

The social care worker said that the boy has not been seen by a GP since 2018, but did have a recent two-hour meeting with his designated ‘aftercare’ worker.

Asked by Judge Gabbett if the boy washes his teeth, the social care worker replied: “We don't know — he wears a mask at all times”.

Judge Gabbett said that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) also need to attend the home to see the boy.

He said: “He can't be left by himself in his room for the next year — not washing, not going outside. 

That is just not acceptable. We have to action this."

The court-appointed independent voice for the teen, the guardian ad litem (GAL) told Judge Gabbett that the teenager will not be able to live independently when leaving Tusla care next year.

He said: “He is a vulnerable adult, owing to the adverse effects of his neglect in early childhood, and can’t live independently and is at risk of a whole host of issues, and that is accepted.”

Judge Gabbett adjourned the case to next month for a further review and directed that the GP attend the home before then to carry out the physical examination of the boy.

He also directed that the aftercare plan be in place for the next court date on June 15.