A LACK OF l and step-down placements, mental health concerns, unaccompanied minors and parental neglect mark the latest volume of reports published by the Child Law Project today.

These are cases where the State sought orders to take children into or keep them in care.

The Child Care Law Reporting Project was founded in 2012 and examines and reports on judicial child care proceedings. It provides information to the public on the operation of the child care system in the courts with the aim of promoting transparency and accountability.

• Read more here on how to support a major Noteworthy project to examine if children are falling through the cracks of the care system.

This year’s report contains a significant number of cases (six of the 30) where severe mental health difficulties were the core concern.

The cases include two young girls involuntarily detained due to self-harming behaviour and anorexia. Two other cases concerned children in care who needed mental health services to support them to deal with childhood traumas which had led to their care admissions.

Other concern children who are presenting with complex needs including mental health issues, disabilities and addictions.

One of these concerned a boy currently detained in a youth detention centre. He would be effectively homeless if released as Tusla had no suitable residential placement for him.

The secure care committee had refused to admit him to secure care and the judge directed the committee to give reasons and, if his admission was still refused, to attend court to explain why. That particular case is continuing.

CEO of the Child Law Project, Dr Maria Corbett, commented: “In a number of cases within this volume, CAMHS and the HSE disability services come in for sharp criticism in how they have responded to referrals and requests to assess and support children in care.

“Despite acknowledgement of the need for interagency cooperation, cases involving child protection, mental health and disability continue to result in situations where children slip through the cracks.

“In two separate cases of teenage boys with complex needs their placements broke down due to property damage and assaults on staff, for which the boys concerned are facing criminal charges and the CFA is struggling to find new and appropriate placements that can meet their needs.”

The volume also contains a special report with a summary of the weekly ‘call over’ list of matters for hearing held in the Dublin Metropolitan District during a ten-week period in late 2021, demonstrating the range of issues concerned.

Regarding the call-over report, Executive Director of the Child Law Project, Dr Carol Coulter, said: “Our overview of 739 cases listed for hearing over a ten-week period in Dublin provides a snapshot of the scale and complexity of child care cases coming before the courts in the capital. It adds further weight to the mounting evidence for the urgent establishment of a dedicated national Family Court.”