THE VAST majority of minors who were recorded as missing from State care in 2009 were Chinese.
The HSE has said it is “increasingly concerned” at the increase in the number of children who were reported missing from State care between the latter months of 2008 and summer 2009, all of whom were of Chinese origin.
Chinese minors made up 36 of the 47 cases of children who recorded as missing last year, meaning that 77 per cent of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in Ireland in 2009 were of Chinese origin.
Those who have gone missing predominantly present themselves at Irish ports in the evening and weekends.
After a brief initial assessment by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), they are referred to the out-of-hours social work service.
This service places the children in care and refers them to the dedicated social work service for unaccompanied minors.
However, a large number go missing before the dedicated social work service has a chance to conduct an age assessment. As a result of this, inter-agency co-operation between the HSE and the GNIB has been intensified.
The number of children missing from HSE care declined sharply in 2009, which the HSE puts down to the increase in inter-agency efforts over the course of the year.
A joint national protocol on children who go missing from care has also been agreed between the Garda and the HSE.
Intensive meetings took place last year between the HSE, the GNIB and local gardaí to adopt this protocol in terms of application to separated children who go missing.
Measures for implementation agreed
- Collaborative interviewing at Irish ports between social workers and gardaí
- Fingerprinting of persons presenting as under age at the ports, for tracking purposes
- Planned Garda surveillance of those at risk of going missing from the point of presentation at Irish ports to the initial placement period in hostels
- Monitoring of the notification system of missing persons to local gardaí to be closely monitored by Garda inspectors
- Joint training of HSE staff and Garda/GNIB staff in relation to children at high risk of going missing
- Sharing of photographic evidence between the HSE and gardaí