Out-of-hours care - System fails vulnerable children

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) complains that the country out-of-hours emergency services for vulnerable children is “shambolic”.

State agencies are engaging in a game of pass-the-parcel, except in this instance the parcel for whom nobody seems ready to accept responsibility is vulnerable children in need of help.

In June the Health Service Executive (HSE) established an out-of-hours placement service. The contract was awarded to Five Rivers Ireland (FRI). In the first six weeks of the placement service, the gardaí referred to it on 36 occasions in relation to 45 children.

In 14 instances the gardaí were given advice about an appropriate safety service, such as acute hospitals or psychiatric evaluation, and in 14 other instances the children were referred for foster care, but in seven cases the children involved had already been placed in care, and on one occasion the gardaí refused to accept the care placement offered.

At one time gardaí sought placement for two girls – one of 17 and another of 13. One had been arrested for shoplifting. The two had already been placed in care.

In such instances the HSE and the gardaí, in consultation with FRI, are supposed “to return the child to his/ her care placement”. The gardaí notified the HSE on Friday afternoon, but the HSE did not act, so FRI was then notified after-hours, but it refused to provide emergency foster care. The 17-year-old was placed in a women’s refuge for the night, while the 13-year-old was placed in hospital, even though she was not ill, and the hospital understandably objected to keeping her in these circumstances.

On another occasion the gardaí sought assistance for a 16-year-old girl who had already been placed in care. FRI declined to provide a foster carer, so gardaí felt compelled to hold the girl overnight in the garda station. The HSE collected her at 9am next morning but within a couple of hours she went missing and was picked up by gardaí again the following day.

The HSE contends that it has established an Emergency Place of Safety service that the gardaí can access, but they insist that they could not do so in those cases. FRI has refused to comment in any way and the HSE insists it does not comment on specific cases, while Minister for Children Barry Andrews gives the same answer.

“The practice of children spending nights in makeshift accommodation in garda stations is wholly inappropriate and should not happen,” Mr Andrews insists. The HSE admits there have been seven cases in which placement was deemed “inappropriate” because the children involved had already been placed in care.

With others refusing to accept responsibility or explain their actions, what are the gardaí supposed to do? They are in an invidious position. Ultimately this should not about the gardaí or the other agencies, it should be about problem children who are clearly in need of help and guidance.