Parliamentary Question: Juvenile Offenders

27th March 2003

72. Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science if the number of abscondences has decreased taking into account the low level of bed usage in respect of the Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre and the consultants report of July 2002 which found the centre to be in acute crisis. [8615/03]

73. Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science if there is still a high turnover of staff and if the staff sickness rate arising from assaults is still high in respect of the Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre in view of the consultant's report of July 2002 which found the centre to be in acute crisis. [8616/03]

74. Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether it is appropriate that the St. Michael's Remand and Assessment Unit should amalgamate with St. Lawrence's in view of the fact that the former has been successful and the latter is in crisis, in respect of the Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre and the consultant's report of July 2002 which found the centre to be in acute crisis; and his views in respect of the appropriateness of mixing remand and long-stay young people. [8623/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey): I propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 73 74 together.

Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre is one of the five children detention schools under the aegis of my Department, which provide residential accommodation for children under 16 years who have been convicted of an offence or remanded in custody by the courts.

As the Deputy is aware, my Department commissioned an independent inspector, Mr Mike Laxton, an internationally recognised expert in the field of residential childcare, to carry out an inspection of the Finglas Centre. The focus of this inspection was an examination of the centre's systems and procedures and standards of care. Mr. Laxton examined and inspected the operations of the centre by reference to draft standards that were drawn up by my Department in consultation with the centres themselves and social services inspectorate. The inspector completed his work in July 2002. He submitted the report to my Department and referred it to the chairperson of the board of management and to the director of the centre. The report of the inspection is available on my Department's website. The report found that there had been significant staff turnover for the past number of years and that there had been high staff sickness rates. In relation to absconding rates the report found them not available as a consequence of different approaches adopted in calculating these rates in the two units within the centre. The report did recommend the amalgamation of the national assessment and remand unit into the care and education unit.
In September 2002 my Department received the views of the board of management. My Department has consulted with the appropriate staff unions about the future of the centre. My Department has retained Mr. Laxton to monitor the progress of the Finglas Centre in relation to the issues identified in the report and my Department is considering those recommendations that fall within its remit.

I am aware of ongoing difficulties at the centre and I can assure the Deputy that my Department is committed to addressing all the issues facing the Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre.