Mother of boy sleeping rough appeals for help

The mother of a 14-year-old boy who has been sleeping rough in Dublin for the past six weeks has appealed to her local health board to provide him with a place in residential care "before it's too late".

The woman, who lives in the area of the East Coast Area Health Board, which covers south Co Dublin and Co Wicklow, said: "For the health board to say there are not enough places is not good enough. My child is on the streets when he should be in the care of the health board."

The woman, who has other children, said that her son had been "out of control" for a number of years, and she had been forced to put him in care in March. He was placed in a residential unit in Dublin city, only to be discharged last month due to misbehaviour. Since then, she said, the teenager had used out-of-hours services before moving into a squat.

"No child should be thrown out on the streets. You might as well throw him to the lions. Dublin is a dangerous place for an adult, let alone a child."

She said she was aware that her experience was not unique and that there were strains on the childcare system. However, there was "too much passing of the parcel".

"All I get from people is that there is nothing they can do, their hands are tied or there are no places available. They need to be shaken up because, if they don't do something soon, it's going to be too late for my son.

"What's the health board going to say when my son is picked up dead, is floating upside-down in the Liffey, or has run over someone in a stolen car? What are they going to say to me then?

"I would rather for my son to be arrested and locked up than to be walking the streets. At least I'd know where he was."

It is understood that the health board is seeking an appropriate residential place for the boy. A spokeswoman said that its policy was not to comment on individual cases. However, speaking generally about childcare services, she said there was a recognised shortage of places for troubled youths, which was compounded by a lack of social workers. To address the problem, the health board had recently run staff recruitment campaigns in Australia and New Zealand.

The boy's mother said she was taking legal advice on the matter as she believed that the health board was in breach of the Child Care Act.

She said her son was far from a worst-case scenario. "He is very bright but easily influenced. All he needs is some help. He has calmed down a lot and he's worth fighting for. The consensus is that he needs residential care, not a secure unit. Without that, he's an accident waiting to happen."

The shortage in residential and secure places for out-of-control teenagers has been highlighted by a number of cases to come before Mr Justice Peter Kelly in the High Court. Earlier this year, he heard of a death, from an apparent drug overdose, of a 18-year-old Dublin mother who had repeatedly been before the court in search of suitable care and accommodation.