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Concerns over out-of-State care for young people

The cost of detaining four young people in Northampton is €12,582 per week, per child, Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald said.

CONCERNS HAVE BEEN raised over the State sending children in its care abroad for care treatment that they currently cannot get in Ireland, and whether this situation will change.

Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald was asked by Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin about the issue in the Dáil yesterday.

Special care

The Minister said a small number of young people have “highly specialised needs arising from severe behavioural difficulties, due to their childhood experiences or in some cases as a result of injury, accident or disability”.

She said that for a small number of people, the HSE has to make arrangements for them to cared for in facilities outside of the State.

This is done on as infrequent a basis as possible and only where such placement is considered to be in the best interest of the child.

Regarding the cost of this, Minister Fitzgerald said:

as of 21 September 2012, eight young people were detained in out-of-State secure placements. Four young people are in St Andrews, Northampton at a cost of €12,582 per week, per child; two young people are placed in Kibble, a specialist facility in Scotland, at a cost of €6,685 per week, per child; and two young people are placed in Boystown Nebraska at a cost of €2,017 per week, per child.

Behavioural

Minister Fitzgerald told the Deputy that sometimes for certain children the best possible care can be provided in overseas specialist centres.

I assure him also that the social workers are in contact with those children and the services are in constant contact with the providers. We have experience of children doing extremely well in these units, and returning back to Ireland and doing well, either independently or with their families.

She said the reasons why these services are used is because we don’t have them in Ireland, and that there are very complex care and behavioural needs involved.

She added that she believes that the country’s special care facilities, high support units and detention services in this country “represent an area that needs attention”. The Minister said she has an examination underway of how these services are being organised “because I am not satisfied with the organisation or national planning in their regard.”

Today, Deputy Ó Caoláin said he questioned whether children could be placed in care in the North of Ireland, or if alternatives to children being sent abroad were being considered, but said there is “no evidence that that is being pursued”.

He raised concerns over whether it would become standard practice to send children abroad if they cannot receive appropriate care in Ireland, and that “it becomes the habit rather than… looking at what might be done or the alternatives”.

I don’t want us to get into the groove or rut of just repeating established practices

The deputy said he believed that “there shouldn’t be a situation in my view where we do not at least aspire to cater for all possible eventualities presenting in terms of care need”.

Read: Experts weigh in on Children’s Referendum>

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    Mute David cotter
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    Apr 12th 2020, 2:01 PM

    Bernie…Bernie come back ..we’re sorry don’t leave us with this muppit….

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    Mute SFAnkleTapper
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    Apr 12th 2020, 2:10 PM

    @David cotter: if it was Bernie v Trump…then Trump would definitely win…. he’ll probably win anyway but Bernie would make it a certainty.

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    Mute Corporate capitalism is killing us
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    Apr 12th 2020, 2:17 PM

    @SFAnkleTapper: Trump would disagree with you. He’s on tape as saying Sanders would have beat him in 2016 and a lot of Trump voters would have voted for Sanders also.

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    Mute Benedict XVI
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    Apr 12th 2020, 2:23 PM

    @SFAnkleTapper: What on earth are you talking about? Every single recent poll has Bernie Sanders and Biden both beating Trump in a general election. Not even Fox News has Trump winning.

    https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/

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    Mute SFAnkleTapper
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    Apr 12th 2020, 2:52 PM

    @Benedict XVI: would they be the same polls that had Hillary as a shoe in? Btw I’m no Trump supporter.

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    Mute SFAnkleTapper
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    Apr 12th 2020, 2:54 PM

    @Corporate capitalism is killing us: your actually using Trump as a basis for a credible story….

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    Mute Macus Mc Mahon
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    Apr 12th 2020, 3:00 PM

    @SFAnkleTapper: Biden is a bumbling clown who needs to retire, check his gaffes on YouTube. Bernie would be far stronger them sleepy Joe.

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    Mute David A. Murray
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    Apr 12th 2020, 3:01 PM

    @SFAnkleTapper: Biden’s greatest strength is that it is Trump he is going to be running against. Trump makes Biden’s weaknesses less blatant and Biden is a clear contrast to the type of president Trump is. If it was Biden competing against any other candidate, then I wouldn’t bet on Biden. But with Trump anything is possible (both for Trump and against Trump).

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    Mute Morning Gus
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    Apr 12th 2020, 4:14 PM

    @Benedict XVI: Don’t believe those polls and don’t be taking it too serious. You are most likely going to be disappointed when the results come in.

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    Mute Tom Doyle
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    Apr 12th 2020, 5:00 PM

    @SFAnkleTapper: Even though it hurts me to say this,i agree with you in saying that Biden has a much better chance than Bernie.Where I won’t agree with you is dissing the polls that Benedict put up,Trump is not up against Hillary this time.Also,he’ll struggle in the Rust Belt..

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Apr 12th 2020, 6:47 PM

    @Corporate capitalism is killing us: brilliant, Trump saying that was to try to further divide a very fractured democrat party not an actual acknowledgement that he could have lost.

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    Mute david lydon
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    Apr 13th 2020, 7:09 AM

    @David cotter: Bernie is from Ireland? Or do you watch the West wing too much

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    Mute Patrick Paul
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    Apr 12th 2020, 3:15 PM

    I thought Democrats where bad when they selected Hillary Clinton as there presidential candidate 4 years but they’ve really outdone themselves this time round

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    Mute David Shiels
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    Apr 12th 2020, 2:05 PM

    America always gets the politicians it deserves.

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    Mute Kevin O' Brien
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    Apr 12th 2020, 2:17 PM

    @David Shiels: This is a recurring theme for you, am I right? For the record, I like Joe Biden. I would have preferred Bernie.

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    Mute Ale Ceaser
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    Apr 12th 2020, 2:17 PM

    @David Shiels: Like us? Haughy, Cowan, Ahern, Adams etc.

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    Mute Macus Mc Mahon
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    Apr 12th 2020, 3:06 PM

    @Kevin O’ Brienhttps://youtu.be/-rUvUxynOgk

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    Mute Kevin O' Brien
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    Apr 12th 2020, 5:46 PM

    @Macus Mc Mahon: ok

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    Mute Macus Mc Mahon
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    Apr 12th 2020, 3:09 PM
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    Mute Kath Noonan
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    Apr 12th 2020, 6:06 PM

    Sanders making a habit of giving up. His voters must be p*ssed off at this.

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    Mute Gerald OBrien
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    Apr 12th 2020, 11:14 PM

    The only way Biden will win is if he has a decent vice president nomination or if the trump brigade give up on their chosen one. Biden has completely lost the left and continues to put his foot in it further.

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    Mute Mark Reid
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    Apr 13th 2020, 1:22 AM

    @Gerald OBrien the left have lost themselves

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