FEARS that a provision in the Children's Bill on its way through the Oireachtas could disrupt attempts to work with children in trouble with the law were expressed at a care workers' conference at the weekend.
The Bill removes the right of special schools to refuse to accept juveniles referred to them by the courts. The rule could mean children being moved out to make room for arrivals from the courts, Mr Patrick O'Dea, of the welfare and probation section of IMPACT, told the 25th annual conference in Killarney of the Irish Association of Child Care Workers.
Mr Paul Murray, of the Department of Justice, said judges would [have the power to postpone sending a child to a special school until a place was available. Therefore, the problem of a revolving door should never arise. His remarks were greeted with some derision.
Mr Paul Bailey, of the Irish Association of Care Workers, said it was unrealistic to expect children in care to observe strict curfews when they were home for the weekend, as the Bill proposed. Parents would not be able to enforce this if they had the skills to look after their children in the first place, they would not be in care.
Plans to establish a counselling service for past victims of abuse in care have been delayed by legal complications, Ms Frances Spillane, of the Department of Health, told the conference. Legal difficulties had been referred to the Attorney General last September and were expected to be clarified later this month.
She was replying to a question from Ms Bernadette Fahy, who grew up in the Goldenbridge orphanage during the period described in the Dear Daughter documentary on RTE.