Family drug and alcohol abuse key concern for child services

The latest Review of the Adequacy of Child Care and Family Support Services revealed that the top area of concern for welfare services in 661 families was because of drugs or alcohol abuse.

This was closely by parent separation, absence or disharmony in home, as a result of which 527 families were being monitored.

Neglect was the main reason for children being taken into care.

Dr Siobhán Barry, clinical director of St John of God Community Mental Health Service, said the link between alcohol abuse and child abuse was well established, and seemed to be getting worse.

"People who abuse alcohol are more risk of abusing physically as they are uninhibited, have not got a full grasp on reality and are more likely to lash out," she said.

"The risk of neglect, too, is much greater."

Dr Barry said people who had been abused themselves as a child would tend to have a higher use of alcohol in adulthood and the cycle could begin again.

The child care report showed an overall rise in the number of reports to social work departments from 18,438 in 2004 to 21,040 in 2006.

These were divided between child abuse reports and child welfare reports.The number of child abuse reports increased slightly from 8,724 in 2004, to 9,461 in 2006.

After a screening process of the 9,461 child abuse reports, 4,063 had ongoing child protection concerns after initial assessment.

At year end, of those 4,063 cases, 1,797 were confirmed as abuse, 365 were unfounded, 1,023 had an inconclusive outcome and 878 were having ongoing assessment.

The report notes that the HSE West has the lowest rate of children in care — but it also has by far the least number of families and residential facilities.

As of December 2006, the HSE West, which covers Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Galway, Mayo, Limerick and Tipperary and Clare, only had 65 residential places.

This was in comparison to 156 places in HSE South and 165 in HSE Dublin North East.

In 2006, 12 children were placed in care outside the country.

Source: Jennifer Hough, Irish Examiner, 03/02/2009