Pregnant teenagers in an area of Dublin's north side were afraid to attend antenatal services for fear their babies would be taken into care, according to a book published today, writes Padraig O'Morain.
Shyness, nervousness and fear of going alone also deterred the girls from using the antenatal services. One girl feared her partner would be charged with statutory rape because she was under 17.
The findings are included in Child Protection and Welfare: Innovations and Interventions, published by the Institute for Public Administration.
The book, by Dr Helen Buckley, is based mainly on studies conducted by students undertaking the Postgraduate Diploma in Child Protection and Welfare in Trinity College Dublin.
Potential causes included maternal depression, marital disharmony, crime, inability of parents to meet their own needs or those of their children and lack of resources in the area.
The book suggests that the response of health board child protection workers to children at risk is inadequate.
"The object of assessment in cases of child neglect has tended to be parents, not children, and the work that was done was determined by the structures and services that were available rather than the needs of the children," it says.