Emergency care order for girl (13) who felt suicidal

A judge on Friday granted an emergency care order for a 13-year-old girl who said she wanted to kill herself after being hit by her mother.

At a special sitting of the Family Law court in Ennis, Judge Patrick Durcan granted the eight-day emergency care order for the girl after a social worker for Tusla told the court the child would be at serious risk if it was not granted.

A social worker with Tusla said emergency powers were invoked in January to put the girl into care temporarily after the girl’s mother had hit her.

The social worker said that at the time, the girl had disclosed that her mother had been hitting her, and she was very down “and she told us that she was thinking of killing herself”.

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The social worker said the girl spent only one night in foster care at that stage as the mother had promised the social work department she would work around her issues, “and the child was happy to go back at that time”.

However, the social worker said emergency powers were again invoked by the authorities on Thursday after the teenager disclosed that her mother was again hitting her.

‘Down and despondent’

The social worker said the girl reported on Thursday that her mother punched her three times in the chest as she was about to go to school that morning.

The social worker told the court the girl was again “down and despondent” over what occurred.

The Tusla official said she tried to make contact with the mother, but was not successful.

The social worker said it is in the best interests of the girl that the emergency care order be granted.

Judge Durcan granted the order for eight days.