INFORMATION from the inquest into the death of Cork teenager Christopher O’Driscoll two years ago, as well as revelations from the Roscommon Childcare Case are hard to stomach, particularly for those who may have worked with these children and could do little to prevent what happened. Many in the social care and education sectors feel they are hitting their heads off brick walls in efforts to combat bureaucracy. The failings and inadequacies in the HSE’s social work system, as shown up in both these cases, can and must be acted upon to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
That at least 188 children died in the state’s embrace in the decade to 2010 came as no great surprise to those of us whose work intersects that of state agencies. The system currently in place to deal with children and families in crisis is over-stretched and held together with sticking plaster. A serious lack of national government funding, embargoes on recruitment, overworked social workers and a completely un-coordinated approach to dealing with root causes are at the heart of this problem.
As part of my daily work in areas of social and educational disadvantage, I know only too well the problems facing children, young adults and families. Each tale is sadder than the next, invariably involving some of the following histories: family alcohol and drug addiction; an endless cycle of family poverty; criminality; early school leaving; abuse; depression; suicide; and social depravation. We see the fruits of this cocktail every day on newspaper and TV reports or hear it on the radio. These people are crying out for help; their calls largely falling on deaf ears.
There is a belief among the earning classes that this strata of society is doing little to help itself and that ‘it’s their own fault; these are the people who have their hands out for everything and wouldn’t do a day’s work to save their lives’. As in every other grouping there are obviously such cases but the vast majority of people caught up in this net are not equipped to empower themselves and break the cycle. And when there are indications by Government of altering the conditions for single parent families, or cutting jobseeker’s allowance among school leavers, such policy is serving only to compound the cyclical nature of the problem. This is not to cherish all children of the nation equally!
The first thing that needs to be done is a complete review of social work practices. There are many good people in the system, but their efforts are being hampered by bureaucracy and a major chasm exists between the services provided by an out-dated education mechanism and our health infrastructure. There is some semblance of hope for those youngsters in the education system up to 16 but after that, there is little if no back-up supports for those who do not fit easily into the education sector or those who often get into trouble with the law. The services are also very un-co-ordinated: one hand doesn’t know that the other is doing.
In one recent case, I witnessed at first-hand how slowly the apparatus of the social care system moves. It required much prodding and poking for an initial emergency intervention, a sustained and frustrating effort thwarted by red-tape to keep that involvement going and a vain hope – rather than anything more tangible – that some sort of longer-term support would be put in place.
Such a scenario is extremely difficult for those affected but also for those working within the system. When you put years into helping and guiding a young man or woman, or family, it only serves to compound the frustration, annoyance and sadness when something goes wrong. Clearly, a new joined-up approach is needed.
I am glad to see the HSE coming out strongly and saying ‘it takes its responsibilities in relation to child protection very seriously and is committed to developing the services it provides to families and children’. I’m not sure how the Executive is going to achieve this in light of the current cutbacks and employment embargo. The Government can seem to find extra resources at will to fund the banks or help other European countries out of financial turmoil: it now needs to focus its resources in the area of child protection and social work so that the seriousness of the problems already coming down the pipeline can be capped, filtered and redirected.
Sharing of information between schools, health professionals and social workers should be a first priority and must be a key facet of any change in legislation. There is no room for bargaining here and even the most liberal of civil liberty groups would surely concur: if schools, GPs or social work teams have information that will help children, adults or families break out from the cycle of social poverty, it must be shared and used to everyone’s benefit.
The 2001 Children Act says that it is desirable to allow the education of children to proceed without interruption; that it is desirable to preserve and strengthen the relationship between children and their parents/ family member; and that it is desirable to foster the ability of families to develop their own means of dealing with offending by their children.
It is more than just desirable: it is a right. We should start by insisting on a new emergency and after-hours social work strategy for teenagers at risk. We should also ensure that all teachers and youth workers are given Children First training…another government aspiration that has some way to go.
Unfortunately, it does take high profile cases and reports to get authorities moving. The publication of the Roscommon report is the latest such report. How many more will it take to get action at the coalface where it’s needed?
