The father of an at-risk and extremely disturbed teenage girl with a borderline personality disorder appealed to a High Court judge yesterday to direct the Minister for Health and Children to come before the court and say exactly when a high-support place would be available for his daughter.
The girl has been in a State detention centre since April because there is nowhere else available. A psychiatrist has recommended she be placed in a high-support unit with appropriate therapeutic facilities.
Mr Justice Kelly said he could no longer tolerate a situation where disturbed children were left in uncertainty regarding whether and when appropriate facilities would be available for them and said he would consider asking the Minister to "once and for all indicate when such children will get proper facilities".
These facilities were available as a matter of course in England and he had been told by an experienced social worker that only once in 20 years was that person aware a child had been kept in an inappropriate place, and then just for 2 1/2 days. The contrast between that and the "nonsense" he had to deal with here when it came to children's rights and welfare was "startling".
The judge said the Children's Bill was still before parliament. He noted that the Dail was going into summer recess on Friday. "When will the legislation be put into effect and when will the facilities be provided?" he asked.
Earlier, when asking the judge to bring the Minister for Health and Children before the court, the 15-year-old girl's father said: "If problems are desperate, surely to God they should be dealt with. If there is an unwillingness to deal with this, at least have the Minister state that is the case."
The girl's mother also voiced deep concern about her daughter's plight. "We feel let down by the health board. We already went this path for our son and were told there was no place for him. Now there's no definite place for our daughter.
"We feel very annoyed and let down. We're here for the welfare of our daughter and are told there's nothing for her, she's being thrown from Billy to Jack. God love her, she's uncertain herself what's going to happen."
The parents were speaking after counsel for the health board responsible for the 15-year-old girl's welfare said he could not say when a high-support place would be available for her. Mr Francis Griffin said there would be no place before the end of August. Other children were waiting on places, too.
The judge said the girl needed some certainty about a placement. He would list the matter again for July 25th when meetings regarding the matter would have concluded. He wanted to be told then when a high-support place would be available and would not take no for an answer. If the health board could not say when a place would be available, he would consider asking the Minister for Health and Children to "once and for all" indicate when such children will get proper facilities.
The tragedy was that these parents, who were unquestioningly dedicated to their daughter and attended every court hearing, were going through this situation for a second time. They showed an understandable level of frustration and disappointment at being, yet again, let down.
One of their sons had years ago exhibited behaviour similar to that now shown by their daughter and they came to court seeking help but their son was held in facilities substandard to his needs.
