Batt O'Keeffe
Question:19 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health his views on the inadequacies in the provision of places for children in care. [23084/96]
Written Answers. - Children in Care.
Limerick East): Since 1993 a substantial programme of investment amounting to £35 million on an annualised basis has been provided for the development of new child care and family support services to facilitate the phased implementation of the Child Care Act, 1991. These development have included the creation of additional foster and residential care placements in each of the health boards.
It is the case that a small number of the children whom the health boards are endeavouring to assist are so unruly that they cannot appropriately be cared for in the existing range of residential care placements available. The challenging behaviour displayed by some children makes their acceptance by residential units difficult to obtain. These children require specialised, intensive care and support because of their level of disturbance and difficult behaviour. The boards are developing a variety of responses to try to cope with these children.
A number of the boards have developed special fostering schemes and other special care arrangements. Emergency facilities for individual children who have been found to be out of control have been established by the Eastern and Southern Health Boards in response to a number of High Court judgements directing the State to provide suitable accommodation for children who need to be detained for their own safety and welfare.
Arrangements are in hand for the planning and construction of a special care unit in the Eastern Health Board area to cater for children in need of intensive therapeutic support in a controlled safe environment. The recently published Children Bill provides a legislative framework for the establishment of these special care units.
I accept that a continued programme of investment in our child care services is necessary in order to adequately address the needs of children in care. I submitted a detailed child care programme to Government earlier this year which has been given approval in principle.