Sir, - It was with disbelief that I read in your edition of July 26th that the State is to bring an appeal to the Supreme Court against the orders of Mr Justice Peter Kelly in relation to the provision of special care and high-support units for troubled children.
In recent years, Mr Justice Kelly has performed an important role in highlighting this country's scandalous neglect of the care needs of at-risk children, and has used his office to try to ensure that the State meets its responsibilities to these children. Throughout this period the State (through the Department of Health and Children and the Eastern Regional Health Authority) has consistently fought of these cases.
God only knows the hundreds of thousands of pounds which have been spent on legal fees and the considerable staff resources that have been devoted to trying to defend the indefensible. Hardly a day goes by but another case of an at-risk child is covered in your paper. Last Monday alone there were 19 such cases heard and the indications are that this trend is likely to continue and increase. It is therefore essential that the number of care places is increased to meet the needs of all of these children. Yet it seems that the legal advice available to the Minister is to challenge this and to deny the existence of a problem. Traditionally, Ministers have taken this advice and in so doing have done nothing to enhance their reputations. In view of the scale of this problem now and the availability of resources to tackle it, surely the Minister for Health & Children should reject this advice and not waste any more time or money on legal challenges.
Mr Martin should be very mindful of the fact that the more the State delays, the longer these damaged children needing care are being detained in mental hospitals, in prisons, in the care of security guards, or left to their own devices on the streets. Providing an adequate number of care places is a basic prerequisite of any childcare system. What is equally necessary is that resources are made available to prevent these kinds of problems occurring in the first place. That means substantial funding for family support services to help families to function well and meet the needs of their children. Currently these services are almost non-existent.
Mr Martin would be well advised to drop this outrageous appeal, provide the necessary units and concentrate on stemming the rise in family dysfunction by investing in proper family support. - Yours, etc.,
Roisin Shortall TD, Labour Party Spokesperson on Education and Children, Dail Eireann, Dublin 2.