HSE’s record of failure - Young girls left at risk

FROM the incarceration of psychiatric patients to the plight of young girls at risk of becoming involved in prostitution and victims of trafficking, the HSE has an appalling record of failure in caring for vulnerable people on the edges of society.

The scale of the problems confronting young girls has come to light in an inspection report on private residential child care centres obtained by the Irish Examiner under Freedom of Information legislation.

For hostels to be unsuitable and ill-equipped is bad enough. For supervision to be inadequate is shocking. Exacerbating the problem, many hostel staff lack training in Children First, the national child protection guidelines.

This flies in the face of HSE statutory responsibility to “promote the welfare of children in its area who are not receiving adequate care and protection”. Its failure to adequately look after the welfare of young girls at risk is outrageous. What makes this scenario even more alarming is that it was highlighted repeatedly by inspectors of this dysfunctional agency.