The Department of Health and Children has known since 1999 that disturbed children in the care of health boards were being placed in units run by a private security company, the High Court was told yesterday.
Mr Justice Kelly said he was astounded to learn this, particularly because he only became aware of it accidentally last week. An inspector in the Department of Education, who attends court almost daily in relation to children's cases, also knew nothing about it.
The judge said he wanted a list of the children in the care of this private concern by tomorrow. If matters remained as they were, he would have to consider releasing them. The Northern Area Health Board has until tomorrow to provide him with information regarding the number and location of disturbed children resident in premises run by Securways Ltd and Community Children's Centres Ltd. Counsel for the board told the judge it did not have the information at present, while counsel for Community Children's Centres said she believed the figure was 19 children. Mr Feichin McDonagh SC, for the State, said the Department had known of the arrangements with CCC since 1999.
Mr Justice Kelly said it was quite extraordinary that a situation could arise where disturbed children were being detained in premises exempt from inspection, because they were not run by the health board but by a private company. The matter arose from last week's controversy about arrangements for the care of a 13-year-old boy.
The judge said he was horrified to discover he had been sending children to places in which the board's involvement appeared to be visits or phone calls by social workers.
The boy was moved yesterday to a State detention centre. Experts agreed he needed a secure place with appropriate therapeutic inputs but the only such unit, Ballydowd secure unit, would have no places available for months.