The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors has called for urgent action after a child was forced to spend the night in a Garda station due to lack of suitable accommodation.
The boy (15) was reported missing in north Cork on July 1st. He was found by gardaí that night near Charleville and taken to Mallow Garda station.
However, emergency mobile phone numbers supplied by the Health Service Executive (HSE) were not contactable and the boy had to be accommodated overnight in the station on a made-up bed, the AGSI said.
AGSI national executive member Willie Gleeson said today he had written
to the Ombudsman for Children Emily Logan calling on her to ensure the HSE provides a countrywide out-of-hours social worker service for children at risk.
The letter has also been sent to the Department of Health and Childrn, HSE chief executive Professor Brendan
Drumm, Barnardos, Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy and the Garda Inspectorate.
Mr Glesson also attacked the HSE for saying the Garda was solely responsible for at-risk children outside office hours.
“Gardaí are not trained to deal with children,” he said.
“Garda stations are also totally unsuitable places for accommodating children because they have to cater for many different kinds of persons, including those under the influence of intoxicants and those under suspicion for all kinds of crimes. There are no separate rooms for children and there are no facilities to feed and care for them properly,” added Mr Gleeson.
“It is time the State provided a service for its most vulnerable citizens,” he said.
The HSE refused to discuss whether or not Garda phone calls went unanswered.
It said provisions are in place to deal with emergency cases of children at risk at the evenings and weekends.
“There are a range of options as regards making contact with the HSE - including the emergency department at Cork University Hospital,” it said in a statement.
“In addition to being a centre from which other HSE professional services may subsequently be accessed, such points may act as a ‘place of safety’.”
HSE centres, certain accommodation units and care facilities are classified as places of safety.
Under the Children’s Act a child can be held in a Garda station for up to 24 hours, but this normally applies to youngsters being transferred either to or from court, or to or from places of detention.
The HSE insisted a framework had been agreed on how to organise a nationwide out-of-hours social care service but talks were ongoing on how it could be rolled out.
Trade union Impact warned the evening and weekend arrangements would not work without more staff being hired.
Additional reporting by PA