THE NUMBER of cases of children at risk of abuse or neglect has reached “unmanageable” and “dangerous” levels in many parts of the country, according to unpublished Health Service Executive (HSE) records.
Internal reports on the state of child and family services show that social workers are not able to respond to thousands of cases of suspected abuse or neglect.
In addition, family support services - seen as vital to helping prevent children entering the care system - are poorly developed or almost non-existent in many areas.
Childcare managers on Cork’s northside, for example, have warned HSE management that caseload numbers have become so high as to be “unmanageable”, with about 300 cases of suspected abuse or neglect waiting to be allocated a social worker.
In Laois/Offaly, childcare managers said waiting lists were “dangerous”, posing a risk to potentially vulnerable children. The manager commented that it had “ceased to operate an adequate service”.
For those already in the care system, senior social workers say many continue to be at risk.
In Dún Laoghaire, records show significant numbers of highly vulnerable children have had multiple failed care placements as they never received proper residential care or support. In addition, the area has lost dozens of residential care places in recent years. “This lack of places is unsustainable,” the report notes.
In the same region, childcare managers expressed concerns over the standard of hostel accommodation for separated children seeking asylum and the high number of young people disappearing from care. These unpublished reports were used to compile a heavily-edited national report into the adequacy of child and family services in the HSE for 2007. Later reports are not yet available.
Not every area said it was faring badly, however. In Mayo, for example, care managers said they did not have any children on waiting lists and that it was implementing national guidelines on how to handle abuse concerns in full.
Dublin West, which has some of the most deprived areas in the State, said that while it was not possible to staff child protection services “to optimum levels”, it was giving priority to the most urgent cases.
Under the Child Care Act (1991), health authorities have a duty to protect children who are not receiving adequate care and protection.