Over half the children and young people in care in the greater Dublin area have witnessed violence in the home, a new report on residential childcare has found.
The report, part of a study exploring the experiences of young people in residential care in four European countries, found 52 per cent of a sample of 50 young people had seen violence between parents or other adults at home. It was compiled by the centre for social and educational research at Dublin Institute of Technology, which used young people in Dublin for the Irish sample.
Physical abuse at home had been experienced by 42 per cent; sexual abuse at home by 20 per cent; and sexual abuse outside the home by 16 per cent.
The report concludes that these figures were "substantially higher" than other countries surveyed: 8 per cent of young people in Spain had experienced physical abuse and 20 per cent of young people in Finland. Only Scotland, with 38 per cent, showed similar results to the Irish figures.
Nearly half the parents in the Irish sample (46 per cent) were serious drug abusers while the child was living in the home.
The report finds more than 80 per cent of children surveyed had serious psychological difficulties. This presents "a worrying picture for those responsible for the care of these children".
It concludes: "Responding to the needs of these traumatised children requires new working methods and multi-professional team work." The report notes that the sample of young people surveyed was small, and this part of the research did not involve interviews with the young people but only with care workers.
The report says a key research area is the need to investigate "the safe caring of the increased number of traumatised young people in residential care". Its findings emphasised that "children are coming into residential care with more severe problems and psychological difficulties than heretofore".
It also says children are likely to have gone through several placements in care - almost 15 per cent had been in four or more placements - and warns against moving children to places that are not near their homes.
Among the report's recommendations are the need for each residential child-care centre to recognise formally parents' rights and voices; recognition of the central role of care workers and efforts to enhance their status and public image; the need for better resourcing of residential homes "to reflect the complexity of the child's needs"; and a national strategy for the sector.