Fears for teen who ‘should be in care’ but is now missing

‘Cut up and sliced by other young people’

A BOY who is supposed to be in care has gone missing and his life is at risk, the High Court has been told.

A barrister representing the 17year-old’s interest said the teen had been seen in a Dublin hospital, having been ‘cut up and sliced by other young people’ while in the city.

He said the boy, whose girlfriend is expecting a baby, had nowhere to go as he had not been given a suitable placement by the Child and Family Agency, Tusla.

Brian Barrington BL said the case was urgent, as the whereabouts of the boy were not known. ‘My client is concerned that his life is at risk,’ he told Judge Teresa Pilkington.

Mr Barrington was acting for the boy’s guardian ad litem, a person appointed to represent the best interests of a child in court during care proceedings. He said his client believed Tusla had breached its duty of care to the teen, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

And he applied for a judicial review of Tusla’s alleged failure to provide care for the boy, whom he said was a ‘habitual drug user’. ‘The child is under the care of the CFA, but there is no place for him at this time and he is missing,’ Mr Barrington said.

He said that the boy had been seen at a Dublin hospital, where he had received treatment after being ‘cut up’. He said the boy had left the hospital before his treatment could be completed.

At the time, Mr Barrington said, the 17-year-old had been living in a night shelter with nowhere to go during the day. Mr Barrington told the court that the boy’s girlfriend was expecting a baby and that the couple both used drugs. He told the court that it was the duty of the CFA to provide care for the teenager.

Judge Pilkington agreed that there was ‘grave and ongoing concern’ for the child’s needs. She granted his guardian permission to take its legal challenge.

She directed that the CFA be put on notice of the case. It will give its response when the proceedings return to court.