Sir, - A report by Kitty Holland (The Irish Times, September 19th) claims that services for children at risk in the eastern region are in crisis. Contrary to the impression given that the three new Area Health Boards are too busy fire-fighting to plan necessary services, we are in fact urgently developing these services.
As three new area health boards, we are very anxious to meet the complex needs for child and family services in the region. We are already implementing recommendations on service delivery and the organisation and management structures required to achieve this which were made in a number of reports which we commissioned. The Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, has approved this development.
While all three boards welcome open and constructive public debate, we would ask that it be informed, balanced and fair. We regret that Ms Holland's report failed to include statements issued to her by the boards which made it clear that all cases of suspected child abuse referred to them were immediately investigated and assessed.
The boards had stated clearly to Ms Holland that urgent cases were followed up immediately and other cases were prioritised for further follow-up on the basis of need and urgency. They are followed up by social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists or other clinicians on the basis of need. It was emphasised to her that there were therefore no cases of child abuse referred to the three Area Health Boards in the eastern region awaiting initial assessment and response.
The article was factually inaccurate in stating that children who are out of home are regularly accommodated in bed and breakfast. If on occasions it is necessary to place an older teenager in bed and breakfast for a short period he or she is accompanied by a member of staff.
The Loft (referred to in the article), which is part of Focus Ireland, is funded by the three area health boards specifically to provide a drop-in-centre for out-of-home young people in Dublin. It is one of the facilities which provide services where care placements have broken down. This is a major new partnership initiative agreed between Focus Ireland and the health boards to address the needs of out-of-home young people.
In regard to the young person who had been a resident in Newtown, his programme of care was examined in detail by the High Court. The complaints about this programme which were made by the parents was rejected by the court, which found his care in Newtown satisfactory.
The childcare study referred to in the article was carried out in 1996, not 1998. Additional funding in excess of £30 million core funding has been put into the childcare service in the past four years.
There are approximately 250 social workers posts in the area of childcare in addition to the other multi-disciplinary staff who provide services in this field in the three area health boards. In recent years additional support services have been made available to them. In common with all agencies we are experiencing difficulties in recruiting staff, including social workers, so not all posts are filled.
It is unfortunate that the article failed to make any reference to the comprehensive programme of early intervention and childcare development services currently being undertaken by the three boards. This includes additional emergency placement services including residential services; new multi-disciplinary youth work teams which will work with young people at risk in a number of prioritised communities; improved access by young people to psychological and psychiatric services; additional family centres to provide therapeutic support for vulnerable children and their families; and youth at risk and family support services to provide additional domiciliary and community support for families.
This month, the three area health boards embarked upon a major recruitment campaign to staff these projects and we received in excess of 1,600 applications. The boards encourage front-line staff to raise and address concerns and issues with us and we have put in place a new structure which includes staff, union and management representatives to facilitate this consultative process.
We know that providing services for children and young people at risk is a highly demanding challenge for us all. We are fully committed to address this challenge and to developing our services. We are also committed to recruiting highly qualified and talented people and working in partnership with other agencies. We believe that the best way to achieve this is in a spirit of positive engagement with services, staff and most importantly with the children, young people and their families. - Yours etc.,
Maureen Windle, Chief Executive, Northern Area Health Board, Swords, Co Dublin;
Pat Donnelly, Chief Executive, South Western Area Health Board, Naas, Co Kildare;
Michael Lyons, Chief Executive, East Coast Area Health Board, Bray, Co Wicklow.
Kitty Holland writes:
Repeated requests for an interview with one or each of the childcare managers in the Eastern Region were denied. The boards' statements did not say "urgent cases were followed up immediately", but: "urgent aspects of referrals [were] responded to".
A number of health boards in the State said bed and breakfast accommodation was used, while Dublin social workers I spoke to said vulnerable children were regularly so accommodated.
In regard to Billy, the young person who resided at Newtown House, the Minister of State with responsibility for Children, Mary Hanafin, has ordered an inspection of the unit following complaints from his parents. It began on Monday.