Forensic
Psychiatry and the Needs of Children
At the AIIP Meeting in Galway on 2nd April 2004,
the Faculties of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Forensic
Psychiatry jointly focused on the psychiatric services currently
available to children and adolescents who come into conflict
with the law in the Republic of Ireland.
The needs of many of these children are acknowledged as complex
and over recent years several cases have had a high media profile
and often reflect negatively on the various services available
to this group. Mental
health professionals fully recognise that the current forensic
psychiatric service available to children is substantially under
resourced and in need of major investment.
Without the latter, and even indeed with such intervention,
some of these children will graduate to become adult forensic
cases.
Dr.
Brendan Doody, Consultant Child Psychiatrist, Warrenstown House,
Dublin, described the services currently available to children
who present seriously challenging behaviour and come in conflict
with the law in the Republic.
In essence, the service is grossly under resourced and
the role of psychiatry in the high support setting such as the
two existing secure special care units in the country and other
high support units is a consultative one. Dr. Doody emphasised the need for active ongoing
care planning and rehabilitation, viewing placement in a high
support facility being a temporary intervention, rather than
a long term solution.
Dr.
Phil Collins, SpR in Forensic Child and Adolescent Psychiary,
Maudsley and King’s College Hospital, London, outlined
the forensic services available in the United Kingdom. His presentation highlighted the discrepancies
in services in this country and the United Kingdom, with the
latter being very well resourced, flexible and a multi tiered
service. He described Youth Offender Teams (Y.O.Ts)
in detention centres which addressed the various needs of this
group, including sub cultural and co morbid issues.
Ms.
Sarah Molloy, Solicitor, based her talk on a theme around the
“poverty of hope.” She spoke about poverty and social
exclusion, homelessness, lack of education and difficulties
accessing the already insufficient inter-agency back up services,
for this vulnerable group of children.
Key contributing factors to the problem were the fact
that three different official government departments were allocated
to look after children and this lead to lack of cohesion in
service planning and delivery. She also said that there was a lack of political commitment and
investment and described recent cut backs in expenditure, personnel
and facilities.
Dr
Helen O’Neill
Honorary Secretary
Faculty of Forensic Psychiatry
