A child who has asked to be detained in special care has drawn up a “kill list” of care staff, including diagrams on how they would carry out the killings, the High Court heard on Monday.
The teenager, who has made multiple suicide attempts, is among six young people Judge John Jordan has ordered be taken into special care but who cannot access beds. He made his order in this case seven weeks ago, with orders in four others made before Easter and one on Monday.
Children aged between 11 and 17 years can be detained in special care, the most secure form of care, by the High Court where their behaviours are a threat to their own lives or to others.
However, just 15 of the State’s 26 special care beds are operating due to serious challenges faced by Tusla in recruiting and retaining special care staff. Seven staff are needed for each bed.
Paul Gunning, barrister for Tusla, said the teenager was “another no beds case” and was making “very worrying threats to harm” the care team and their father. The young person had “submitted a notebook with a kill list, including diagrams on how” they would go about carrying out the threats, he said.
Donal Ó Muircheartaigh, for the child’s court-appointed advocate, said the young person’s behaviour was “tremendously, tremendously concerning” and involved “ongoing suicidal ideation, ongoing self-harm”.
“Things are escalating considerably. This is a child who needs to be in special care today,” he said.
The judge, describing the situation as “ludicrous”, said the teenager wanted to be placed in special care because they were “afraid of what might happen” otherwise.
“Not alone does [the child] need to be in special care, but a special care order has been in existence since March 2nd,” he said.
“This is a ludicrous situation once more. Responsibility for complying with an order rests with [Tusla].”
He said it appeared “the stark reality, the grim situation of life and possible death for these young people” was not being heard by the agency.
In another application, granted by the judge, Sarah McKechnie, barrister for Tusla, told the court an “exceptionally vulnerable” teenager, who had “experienced several challenges” in early life, was involved in the sale of “illicit substances” and was being “exploited”.
Plenary proceedings had been issued against Tusla alleging failure to comply with an order that a young teenager be detained in special care, the court heard.
Brendan Hennessy, barrister for the child’s mother, said an order made on March 16th had not been complied with.
The child was repeatedly absconding from placement, was involved in vandalism and had recently been collected from a garda station at 2am by carers. In the past week, the court heard, the child was involved in an incident in which a deodorant aerosol was set alight.
Maeve Cox, for the child’s court-appointed advocate, said the child “desperately needs to be placed in special care as a matter of urgency”.