Last night a 15 year old boy spent his second night in a Garda station cell because there was no room for him at a special school in Dublin. The same boy last winter was found without footwear sleeping in an abandoned car. Earlier yesterday, the Children's Court ordered that the boy be retained at the unit in Oberstown, Lusk, but when taken there by gardaí, he was refused entry because the centre was full and so he was taken to a Garda station. Today the case came before the High Court which ruled that the boy should be freed from Garda custody.
Because of this ruling the media focus will lessen. However, the support and help that he needs will not be provided by the State. I ask the Minister of State if she knows where this boy will be accommodated tonight. Has she made any inquiries, and is she taking steps to ensure that his needs are being catered for? What steps are being taken to ensure that he does not become the focus of news headlines in a few months time because there is still no place where he can be cared for appropriately?
The case of a boy of 13, who suffers from attention deficit disorder, highlights this Government's failings. His mother sought help from the Northern Area Health Board but has not received any offers of a place. He lived rough in a park in recent months and had come under the influence of older men. His mother feared that he now was using alcohol and cannabis. There was no appropriate place nor an appropriate response from the State.
Garda stations and park benches are neither suitable nor acceptable places for disturbed teenagers. At a time of unprecedented wealth, it is beyond a disgrace that vulnerable children are treated like this. Last October when Ministers were threatened with contempt of court proceedings over their failure to find a suitable place for a disturbed girl, the Minister of State with responsibility for children appeared on practically every available media slot outlining how she would ensure proper care facilities for children at risk. Six months later, we are not much better off. More children are sleeping rough and those requiring specialist care are not getting it.
There was a recruitment drive for specialist staff to work with disturbed children, but it is only now that attention is given to the appalling wages paid in that sector. It would have made more sense to review the wage rates before the recruitment drive began.
The suitability and availability of care places remains a serious problem. Most detention places and high support units are full, and neither do they offer the most suitable care for particular problems suffered by children.
There is also the problem of the lack of sufficient inspection of child care institutions. To ensure that proper child care is administered, a well staffed inspectorate is needed to enforce the highest standards. I refer to the need to ensure adequate staff in the social services inspectorate, but, more importantly, within the health boards. The latest figures from the ERHA show that only 26% of its residential care units were inspected and a smaller proportion of such units are regis tered. Lessons must be learned from the Newtown House report.
We await the promised legislation for the establishment of an ombudsman for children. The Government attracted much publicity by announcing it would establish this office. Intentions alone will not serve the interests of the children sleeping in doorways, on park benches and in Garda stations tonight. If the Taoiseach could exercise the same vigour in tackling the problems facing disturbed children as he does towards developing a national sports stadium, there would be fewer children arriving in our courts daily. I ask the Minister of State what she is doing to cater for this 15 and 13 year old who were before the courts recently. What provision has she made to meet their urgent needs?
