Mick Clifford: Vulnerable teens are the losers in long saga of Cork addiction centre

The confidence of the HSE and the Probation Service in Matt Talbot Adolescent Services is thought to be at an all-time low after years of internal strife and closure of its Enniskeane unit

Adolescents who were struggling with drug and alcohol dependency — and their families — were the beneficiaries of the Cork charity which had stepped into a gap left by the State. Stock picture

FOR over 20 years, Matt Talbot Adolescent Services (MTAS) did vital work in the Munster area. 

Tackling the fallout from drug and alcohol addiction and dependency is tough work at the best of times. When the clientele is made up of teenagers and young people, positive interventions have a ripple effect right throughout society.