Latest news with #vulnerablechildren
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Inside crisis-hit special care: ‘They are not monsters. They are ordinary kids that have gone through difficult things'
It was an 'affront to the rule of law', said Mr Justice John Jordan in the High Court recently, that beds were not available for three vulnerable children in need of immediate placements in the special care system. One of the three without a place in the most secure form of care was a teenager who was 'free falling' and whose father believed would die without a place. Another was a self-harming child who attempted suicide after being 'drawn into a life of criminality' and had been 'subjected to sexual exploitation'. Children and young people deemed to be at such a risk to themselves, or others, as to need therapeutic residential care may be detained in this system by order of the court. READ MORE Mr Justice Jordan, who hears the weekly special care list, was told only 14 of Tusla 's 26 special care beds were open – down from 15 weeks earlier. Today, 15 are operating. He described the system as being 'in crisis', adding: 'This dysfunctional system is getting worse. It is an indictment of the State that those special care beds are not available.' Mr Justice John Jordan oversees the special care list in the High Court. Photograph: Áras an Uachtaráin As recently as June 19th, Mr Justice Jordan said it was like 'winning the All-Ireland' to hear, for the first time in more than six months, every child with a special care order had a placement. Last Thursday, however, the 'no beds' list section was back. The parents of a vulnerable teenager said they were 'at their wits end' due to no placement being available for their child despite an order being granted the previous week. There were 'significant concerns' for the child who was described as being suicidal and had 'overdose tendencies', said Sarah McKechnie, barrister for Tusla. 'It is my understanding a bed won't be available until in or around August 25th.' In an online post, the child's mother said the teenager was in hospital following a suicide attempt – the latest of many. She said she would refuse to allow the discharging of her child from hospital in an attempt to keep them safe. Special care remains in the spotlight as a system in crisis. There are 26 beds across three centres, but they have never all been in operation. One of the centres, Coovagh House, is in Limerick. The other two are in Dublin – Ballydowd in Lucan and Crannóg Nua in Portrane. The Crannóg Nua special care unit for minors in Portrane, Co Dublin. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien The numbers involved are small; just 0.2 per cent of the 5,761 children in care need special care. However, the service attracts trenchant criticism for its limitations given the risks faced by those who need it. Tusla, arguing in 2023 for higher pay rates to recruit more special care workers, told the Department of Children 'the current crisis in ... capacity has the potential to lead to a fatal outcome for a child who cannot access special care'. In recent weeks, The Irish Times was granted unprecedented media access to the largest special care unit, Crannóg Nua. Adjacent to the St Ita's Hospital campus, and behind 20-foot high fences, the facility is bright and modern, located on a landscaped campus. However, just five of the 12 beds are open. During the visit, social care workers, kitchen staff, the on-campus school principal and management talk about how the facility works. There were glimpses of three children, all of whom were calm, during and between activities with their support workers. A notice board in the dining area of Crannóg Nua special care unit for minors in Portrane, Co Dublin. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien Once an order is made, gardaí get involved to 'ensure [the child is] brought safely to the service', says Tusla. Each child has an en suite single-bedroom – which they may personalise with posters or photos – though there is little to no privacy. They are locked into bedrooms at 10.30pm and can be checked on through a hatch, explains Aisling Byrne, social care leader. She shows the common area, laundry room and kitchenette. Dotted around are safety pods – industrial-strength beanbags on to which children are brought when being restrained. An innovation of Crannóg Nua, the pods have reduced injuries to children and staff given restraint used to mean two staff bringing a child by force to the ground. The school at the heart of the campus is led by Jacqui McCarron. She shows small classrooms where the Junior Certificate curriculum is followed, including art, woodwork, home economics, PE and core academic subjects. Jacqui McCarron, principal of the school at Crannóg Nua special care unit, stands next to a 'cubbie' unit, a multi-sensory calming booth. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien 'We have the opportunity to work intensively with them, see what's working,' she says. 'They make progress and that is powerful for their self-esteem. You wouldn't believe how much completing the Junior Cert means to them. It is probably the only academic success they will ever have.' The profile of the children is undeniably difficult, says William O'Rourke, assistant national director of alternative care. Typical histories include 'self harm and suicidality, substance misuse, sexual exploitation, violence or aggression towards and from others, property damage, mental health presentation and antisocial or criminal behaviour'. 'We are seeing more and more sexual exploitation, emerging mental health issues, emerging personality disorders,' he says. Special care offers intensive therapeutic interventions during a total break from the child's environment. William O'Rourke, Tusla's assistant national director for alternative care. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien 'Their lives may be so chaotic in the community and they don't actually see this until they come in and stabilise,' says O'Rourke. 'We can see what's happening to them truly when they come to a service like this. 'Take the risks away and you are then dealing with the person. It may be the first time they are being seen for who they are, and not just as them in their circumstances.' He adds that 'the kids generally settle within days' and engage with staff and education and develop positive relationships. 'It is a really positive intervention when you remove the risk and hopefully identify what they need.' From 2013 to the end of last year there were 269 admissions to special care, some of which were repeat. The annual high was 33 children in 2014. Last year there were 14 – seven boys and seven girls. There has been no longitudinal study on long-term outcomes of the system, O'Rourke says, though one is 'being commissioned' by the Department of Children. Crannóg Nua staff have an optimistic yet realistic approach. 'There is no quick fix,' says Oisin Mulchrone, deputy social care manager. 'They are coming from very challenging circumstances, some with family dynamics that are probably quite entrenched in challenges. It is hard to move away from that.' Mulchrone says he 'couldn't imagine working anywhere else'. Oisin Mulchrone, deputy social care manager, at the sticker-festooned door of a service user's bedroom at Crannóg Nua. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien 'You see young people moving on and you want to see them doing well. People do this because they want to make a difference for the young people. It's not for the faint-hearted sometimes, but the good greatly outweighs the bad.' For James (18) special care was 'probably the calmest time' in his life, says his mother Martha (not their real names). By the time an order was made, James, who was 15 at the time, had more than 35 care placements in the preceding four months. Explaining his background, Martha says James was a 'clingy' and anxious toddler. He was diagnosed with ADHD at six. 'He had no friends . . . He had an SNA (special needs assistant) from junior infants to fifth class.' While in fifth class, James was expelled. His parents tried home schooling but his behaviour deteriorated. He was violent towards his siblings and parents. An incident at home resulted in gardaí being called and his parents reluctantly agreed to voluntary care. 'We thought he would finally get the help he needed,' says Martha. Unable to find a foster placement due to his behaviour, Tusla contracted private providers to accommodate James in what are known as unregulated special emergency arrangements (SEAs). 'He was shipped around B&Bs, hotels, holiday homes. He spent nights in Garda stations, hospitals, care-staff's cars,' says Martha. 'He could be in Drogheda one night and the next night in Cork. He could be three nights there and then to Monaghan.' She added: 'There was no stability, no care plan. He was being transported in taxis, his belongings in black plastic bags, living on takeaways.' In his final weeks in SEAs, James was 'out of control', she says. 'He ransacked his placements; broke into staff cars; there were altercations with the guards. He accumulated criminal charges at this time too, something he never had before going into care.' Before entering special care, James was assessed by a social worker with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAHMS). She noted: 'Difficulty in engaging [him] at a time of extreme distress . . . significant recent trauma in number of recent placement moves and removal from family home likely to explain significant dysregulation at this time'. The gymnasium at Crannóg Nua special care unit for minors in Portrane. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien Special care was the last option for James, says Martha, and agreeing to it was 'very distressing'. 'It took [James] about 12 to 16 weeks to settle. He was full of frustration, stripped of all liberties, feeling punished. He was there more than two years. Staff didn't just see a case file or a troubled teen, they saw him – his fears, his humour, intelligence and his pain. 'They set boundaries but also built trust day by day. They listened when he spoke, even when his words came out in anger. He slowly began to trust them back.' Leaving special care was tumultuous, with aftercare planning ad hoc. James was initially offered only homeless services, but the morning he was to leave his family was told a city centre apartment with security-guards was available. He remains without access to HSE adult psychiatric care. His health has deteriorated, he lost the apartment and has slept rough. Martha is hoping he will be provided with an after-care placement. Tusla said it could not comment on an individual case but that SEAs were used when 'a regulated emergency placement is unavailable, and an immediate place of safety is required for a young person'. Their use has declined – from 170 children last December to 57 at present. Where a child spends 'an extended period' in a SEA, 'there is increased oversight of the arrangement with additional supports'. James's case epitomises problems in the wider care system that lead to 'additional pressure' on special care, says Terry Dignam, co-founder of Children's Residential and Aftercare Voluntary Association. He points to an 'ongoing crisis in CAMHS', the decreasing availability of foster carers, a lack of residential placements, an 'over-reliance' on private providers and that almost 100 high-support beds were 'stripped out of the system' in 2014. 'We need far more early supports for families. If we had a properly functioning care system, with high-support beds to take in some of the kids falling into crisis, we wouldn't have such a reliance on special care,' he says. 'We would have fewer children escalating to that level because we would have the interventions earlier.' The key obstacle to opening all 26 beds, says Mark Smith, Tusla's director of special care services, is recruiting and retaining staff in what is seen as the toughest job in social care. To have 20 beds open, five more than the current 15, would require 35 additional staff, he says. Opening all 26 would require an additional 77. There are currently 110 whole-time equivalent (WTE) social care staff in the three units. A classroom in the Crannóg Nua school. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien The sanctioning of a new grade of special care worker last year was 'a significant victory for Tusla', Smith says. The top pay rate on this grade is €68,169, on a 23-point scale closer aligned with that at the Oberstown child detention campus. Two new staff are employed on this grade, with five at 'varying stages of recruitment', underlining continuing difficulties. Staff retention is improving, however. In the year to May, it stood at 84 per cent, up from 76 per cent a year earlier. Solving the special care crisis, says Dignam, is not only up to Tusla, which 'gets a lot of flack'. It will require 'substantial investment' by the several agencies, including the HSE, across the system, the reopening of high-support beds, and 'vastly' improving CAMHS and adult mental health services. Special care work is 'a great job if you commit to it', says O'Rourke. 'It's a job that's very, very rewarding. You see the young people here. They are not demons. They are not monsters. They are ordinary kids that have gone through some really difficult things.'
BBC News
22-07-2025
- BBC News
Young carers still being failed, Oxfordshire charity says
The head of a charity that supports young carers has said vulnerable children are being failed by the system designed to help chief executive of Be Free Young Carers, which helps more than 600 children in Oxfordshire, said a lack of permanent funding and joined-up working was putting its work at North, who also sits on Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership, estimates 90% of the victims of Oxford's historic grooming gangs were young county council children's service department was graded "good" in its latest Ofsted report, which noted "all young carers receive good support". Operation Bullfinch was a two-year investigation that ended with the jailing of seven men in 2013 for abusing six girls in Oxford, between 2004 and a serious case review found as many as 373 children may have been targeted in Oxfordshire over 16 years"The sexual exploitation gangs that happened in our city, 300 victims, 90% of them were young carers," Ms North said."Part of the findings were that we would support young carers and it isn't happening. There's us and there's nothing else." 'No safety net' Her charity receives no statutory support from the county council and is instead funded through donations, grants and trusts. It helps about 650 children in Oxfordshire, but Ms North estimates there are at least 12,000 children with caring responsibilities in the county. She said: "We're a small charity and if we weren't here, what would there be?"There is no safety net. If we disappear overnight, there is nothing else in the county to support young carers." The latest figures for Oxfordshire show children with a caring responsibility are facing a "triple threat", with young carers being more likely to be on the special educational needs (SEN) register, as well as coming from lower income together, this compounds the negative impact that caring responsibilities can have on a child's education, with 29% of young carers not meeting expected levels in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2, compared with 22% for levels continue to be affected by the end of year 11, with 51% of young carers failing to obtain 5 Good GCSEs, compared to 36% of non-young carers. "Their attainment levels at school are lower than any other category of child," Ms North said."We talk a lot about SEN in the country and in the county, but it's young carers that are below that and aren't recognised."Ms North added: "We all need to work together, whether it's schools or the county council. Everyone needs to work together to get the best outcome for young carers."A spokesperson for the council said they were "committed to the safeguarding and wellbeing of children as part of the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Partnership". "This multi-agency hub, created after Bullfinch, assesses safeguarding contacts and child needs, including risks."We are in discussions with Be Free Young Carers about the needs of young carers across the county and any possible future funding for particular projects; however, while negotiations continue, details must remain private and confidential." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Guardian
19-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
No spare time, no spare bedrooms: young Australian families under pressure are turning away from foster care
Robyn and Nick Lloyd have been foster carers for a decade, welcoming more than 30 kids into their home. There's a financial and emotional toll to being a carer; but also joy attached to providing a safe environment for some of society's most vulnerable members. Some of the foster children stay with them a few days, others for months. They cared for one little boy for two years. The Sydney couple, who have three biological daughters, have drawn on support networks during their time as foster carers, including their local Anglican church members and an older fostering couple down the street who were fill-in grandparents for some of the younger foster kids. Robyn also regularly meets with a group of about 20 carers living in the local area. But she has noticed that the group is rarely replenished with younger members, raising concerns that the next cohort of carers has gone missing. Australia's living and housing costs are so extreme that younger families – mainly millennials – who would typically represent the next generation of carers have neither the time nor spare bedroom to foster. 'I'm not seeing lots of younger families come through the carers' networks; there haven't been many under 40,' Robyn says. 'We need carers. One of the things I love about being a foster carer is being part of the village that raises them. 'These kids just need people to support them and love them.' There were 7,980 foster carer households with a child placement as at 30 June 2024, according to the most recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data. This represents more than a 10% drop in numbers in just three years, and 20% drop over the past decade. Traditionally, such a large cohort like the millennials reaching the young family stage would represent foster care potential, according to the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies; however, this is now unlikely. The association's chief executive, Simone Czech, says the number of foster carers leaving the system is high, while the number of inquiries to become carers is decreasing. 'The nature of children needing care is that it's not necessarily a role whereby you can work nine to five,' says Czech. 'In an ideal world, foster kids should have their own bedroom so that they've got their own space. That's not necessarily a requirement, but it's just that question of how much space, and time, does a household have to take on a foster child?' Australia is not the only country facing a shortage of carers, with the UK among nations also recording a shortfall between retiring and new applicants. There are extreme shortages of carers for large sibling groups, teens and children with complex needs. But Australia's intense housing problem, whereby Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane are all in the top ten least affordable global cities, creates a particular challenge to policymakers. Last year, almost 73% of Australia's 2.2 million couple families with young children had two employed parents, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. A decade ago, it was 61%. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email While some of that change is linked to choices within households about workforce participation, much of the extra work is born from financial necessity. Many industry participants say the solution to the foster care crunch is twofold. First, state governments need to invest more in early intervention, kinship and home-based care models to take the pressure off the foster system. And governments need to provide more support to slow down, or reverse, the decline in carer numbers. 'We need to stem the flow of kids needing out-of-home care, but there will always be a need for carers,' says Czech. 'Carers are worth their weight in gold, and we need more of them.' A lack of foster carers has resulted in many kids being placed in emergency accommodation, such as hotels, motels and serviced apartments, where they are looked after by a rotating roster of workers. This is bad for the children, and is hideously expensive for taxpayers, with costs as high as $2m a year for each child. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The NSW government recently banned so-called alternative care arrangements, although their use persists in other states. The NSW government also recently announced a 20% lift in the foster care allowance as it tries to arrest a slide in carer numbers. The new rate means the carer of a typical five-year-old child receives a tax-free allowance of just over $787 per fortnight, according to the state government, which is the highest rate in the country. Barnardos Australia chief executive Deirdre Cheers says the burden of living costs is hard to shift, even with the increased allowance. 'It's a really good thing, and New South Wales is leading the way there,' says Cheers. 'But the reality is that many people don't have room in their house, or they need to work one, or even two jobs to keep their own family afloat. 'We need people who are not just providing a bed, but who can be actively involved.' Victoria's allowance rates are among the lowest in the country, and it's no coincidence that the state is losing carers at a rapid rate. In 2023-24, 429 carer households left the Victorian system, and just 162 joined, according to AIHW data. Rowan Pulford, a policy adviser at the Foster Care Association of Victoria, says the cost of not investing in foster care is enormous. 'You either invest in foster carers or you spend the money elsewhere,' says Pulford, who is also a carer. 'Emergency placements and residential care are not only hugely expensive, but also incredibly damaging to the child. 'The life trajectory of those children can also be really poor.' While raising allowances will help keep some carers in the system and encourage some prospective carers to join, there's no easy fix. Many organisations are looking to retiring baby boomers as part of the answer, given they are the largest group with spare bedrooms. As a cohort, they have a high rate of home ownership, and many own their properties outright. That could be part of the solution; however, even retirees with robust bank balances are being affected by cost-of-living pressures, given many are now caring for their grandchildren as their own children grapple with intensifying work commitments. In Sydney, Anglicare has kept its number of carers stable, even as the wider sector sheds numbers. The chief executive of Anglicare Sydney, Simon Miller, says foster carers need support to stay in the system, especially in an era of cost-of-living pressures. The organisation has adopted a model tested overseas called the 'foster circle' whereby a carer's local community, which usually includes the local church, steps in to help the carer household. This can include cooking meals, babysitting and financial assistance, along with care for the household's biological children. 'This model has been hugely successful in reducing the turnover of carers and helps carers actually stick out when times are tough,' says Miller, referring to its success in the US and UK. 'We do think that it would be a really good thing if this type of initiative was adopted by the wider sector. 'As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. We think it really does take a village to care for a foster child.'
Arab News
14-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Britain launches 500 million pound fund for vulnerable children
MANCHESTER, England: Britain on Sunday announced a 500 million pound ($675 million) fund intended to help up to 200,000 vulnerable children. The Better Futures Fund aims to provide support for struggling families and give children access to better education and a safe home over the next 10 years, the government said. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his finance minister Rachel Reeves are under pressure from their own Labour Party lawmakers to provide more support for low-income families. Earlier this month, Starmer was forced to gut key parts of his welfare reform plan in order to pass legislation through parliament. 'This fund will give hundreds of thousands of children, young people and their families a better chance,' Reeves said in a statement. 'Our 'Plan for Change' will break down barriers to opportunity and give them the best start in life.' The finance ministry said it planned to raise another 500 million pounds from local government, social investors and philanthropists. Mel Stride, finance spokesman for the opposition Conservative Party, said he welcomed the new funding but said Labour's economic policies had hurt struggling families. The government is also considering whether to abolish a two-child limit on welfare payments to parents as it reassesses several unpopular policies to reverse a slide in its poll ratings.
Reuters
13-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Britain launches 500 million pound fund for vulnerable children
MANCHESTER, England, July 13 (Reuters) - Britain on Sunday announced a 500 million pound ($675 million) fund intended to help up to 200,000 vulnerable children. The Better Futures Fund aims to provide support for struggling families and give children access to better education and a safe home over the next 10 years, the government said. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his finance minister Rachel Reeves are under pressure from their own Labour Party lawmakers to provide more support for low-income families. Earlier this month, Starmer was forced to gut key parts of his welfare reform plan in order to pass legislation through parliament. "This fund will give hundreds of thousands of children, young people and their families a better chance," Reeves said in a statement. "Our 'Plan for Change' will break down barriers to opportunity and give them the best start in life." The finance ministry said it planned to raise another 500 million pounds from local government, social investors and philanthropists. Mel Stride, finance spokesman for the opposition Conservative Party, said he welcomed the new funding but said Labour's economic policies had hurt struggling families. The government is also considering whether to abolish a two-child limit on welfare payments to parents as it reassesses several unpopular policies to reverse a slide in its poll ratings. ($1 = 0.7408 pounds)
