Health boards pay out €85m for 600 children in care

HEALTH boards paid out €85 million last year to keep just 600 children in residential care, new figures have revealed.

One health board is paying out a staggering €19,000 a week for “special arrangements” for a single child.

The money, paid by South Western Area Health Board (SWAHB), covers the cost of 24-hour care by at least two staff.

The South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) is paying €50,000 a week to meet similar arrangements for five children. It also pays €98,000 weekly for 14 children in high support care and €19,200 weekly for three children in special care.

The Southern Health Board (SHB) is using the services of private British childcare company, Fresh Start Ltd, for one child, despite having 51 vacancies in its own residential units, including two high support and one special care unit, neither of which are half full.

Fresh Start head of care Gary Kiernan said the weekly cost of its service is €10,500.

The Mid-Western Health Board also confirmed the weekly bill for specialist care for one child is €10,000.

The use of special arrangements is contrary to the recommendations of the Irish Social Services Inspectorate, the governing body for the inspection of residential child care centres. It has called for all health boards to review this type of care.

ISSI chief inspector Michelle Clarke said special arrangements can have their place but can be misused.

“Our concern would be that because the child is effectively alone, with the exception of staff, special arrangements are not helpful towards developing normal relationships.

“We would also want to make sure private companies operate to the same level as health board residential centres”.

The SWAHB defended the arrangement saying it was “due to the unique and particular requirements of a specific child”, and that it was “a short term emergency placement”.

John Byrne, co-ordinator of the Irish Association of Social Care Workers, criticised the use of special arrangements when many State residential care centres, built at enormous expense, are half-empty.