A new high-support therapeutic centre specially designed to meet the needs of young people with severe emotional and behavioural problems has been opened.
Describing it as "an innovative project realised through the collaborative efforts of four health boards," the Minister of State for Children, Mr Brian Lenihan, said the 12 places in the Rath na nÓg centre in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan bring to 120 the number of such places available nationwide.
The high level of intervention and support will help to meet the needs of troubled youngsters. It will also mean that health boards will no longer have to send children abroad to get specialist help.
Rath na nÓg, which was opened last week, is built on the site of the former Army barracks in Castleblayney.
Four health boards co-operated on its development - the North Eastern, the Midland, the North Western and the Western.
According to Mr Aidan Browne, assistant chief executive officer of the North Eastern Health Board (NEHB), the co-operation of the four boards allowed "intensive input into the project; skilled staff are hard to get, so it made sense to pool resources and have a unit for the top half of the country." It is not a place of detention and will not accept children who have been dealt with by the courts as criminals.
"We will work with these children so they learn behaviour that is socially acceptable is as rewarding as that which is socially unacceptable; some children tend to get a buzz out of what is negative behaviour so the challenge to staff is to give different behaviour incentives," Mr Browne said.
When fully operational, the centre will have 50 staff with special skills including child and adolescent psychiatry.
The centre will accept children aged from 12 to 17 years and six children will be placed in the first phase. The centre will cost €3 million a year to run.
"We are providing a safe environment for some of our most troubled young people and I want to acknowledge the co-operation of the local community in relation to the centre," said the chairman of the NEHB, Mr Declan Breathnach.
Completion of phase one, which provides six beds, cost just under €8 million.
As part of the second phase there will be recreational facilities whichwill be made available to the local community.
At present, 24 staff are employed in the centre.