Father Peter McVerry has called for the appointment of a minister for children and an ombudsman for children. He also wants an independent board which would give its "full attention" to homeless young people and those at risk of homelessness. A ministry of children would unify the different responsibilities that are now divided between three Government Departments, he said.
An ombudsman for children, "with the power to investigate individual complaints by or on behalf of children", should be appointed as a matter of urgency. Writing in the January issue of Reality magazine, Father McVerry said: "About 400 young people under the age of 18 become homeless each year in the Dublin area and an unknown number in other cities and towns of Ireland."
He acknowledged there was no longer either political apathy or lack of resources where the issue was concerned, and said the reason the problem remained was that the childcare system itself was incapable of delivering the required services.
There were three problems with the current system, he said. Social workers were so overworked that they must prioritise cases, often leaving less urgent ones aside.
There were "too many managers" with "adequate anecdotal evidence to suggest that the listening skills of those in middle and senior management are not very good. The frustrations of social workers on the ground are not addressed," he said.
And attempts to co-ordinate the work of the three Government Ministers who had responsibilities in the area had been "dismally unsuccessful", he said.
