Troy shocked at ‘inhumane’ treatment of children in adult psychiatric care

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Children, Robert Troy TD, has expressed his shock at the revelation that 83 children have been put into adult psychiatric units despite stated guidelines forbidding it.

Deputy Troy stated that it was a damning indictment of our child protection system.

He commented: “I read with shock revelations today that 83 children have been placed in adult psychiatric care despite guidelines from the Mental Health Commission in 2011, which forbid the practice.

“This is an obvious breach of these children’s basic human rights and it is a gross exploitation of some of our most vulnerable citizens.

“Locking children into adult institutions is potentially a breach of article 5 of European Convention on Human Rights which stipulates that someone’s liberty can only be restricted through proportionate means.

“This also calls into question the worth of the Children’s Referendum. What was the point of setting down in statute the basic rights of children if we can’t even treat our most vulnerable ones humanely. It is a damning indictment of our child protection system and should set off alarm bells in Government.

“Over the last number of weeks we have been seen and heard of how the state historically and brutally neglected the most vulnerable women and children. Unfortunately it seems we have learned nothing and continue to let children be treated inhumanely.

“Despite the new Child and Family (Tusla) being established, the issue does not come under their remit, this must be looked at immediately. It reinforces the point I have been making that the cost for an independent investigation into mother and baby homes should not come out of current budgets. The vulnerable children of today should not he made suffer for failures of the past.”