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Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) Press Release

Social Workers call for action to reunite children with parents

Date: 20th July 2007

From the Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW).

The Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) calls on the Departments of Health and Children and the local Housing authorities to act now to provide accommodation for the families of Roma origin whose children have been taken into care. These families, together with 16 other families of Roma origin, are living in deplorable and hazardous conditions on the M50/Ballymun roundabout in North Dublin.

At the moment three children from the Roma community living in the Ballymun area are in the care of the HSE. All three were removed from their parents by the Garda under section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991, which gives the Gardai the power to take children into care where there is immediate and serious risk to the children. Usually social workers then work with families in improving the situation that led to their children being taken into care. The IASW has learned that social workers are unable to return these children to the families of Roma origin due to the living conditions of the families in the Ballymun area, which constitute on-going serious risk to the health and welfare of these children. As a direct result of government policy, social workers are unable to assist the families in improving their living conditions due to the fact that these families are not entitled to any form of welfare or housing or access to the homeless services. This means that these children will continue to live in care for the foreseeable future and this is not acceptable to social workers.

Declan Coogan, spokesperson for the IASW said: "Social workers believe that the best place for children is with their families. Taking children into care is always the last option when everything else has been tried. Children in Ireland cannot live in situations where there is no adequate shelter, no water, no toileting facilities. We demand that dry and hygienic accommodation is provided for these families so that parents can care for their children and children can live with their own families".

Background Information:

The Child Care Act 1991 governs and regulates community care and child protection work in Ireland. It establishes the principle that it is "generally in the best interests of a child to be brought up in his own family". Social workers are firmly committed to this principle and to returning children to the care of their families as soon as circumstances allow. In the case of the children of Roma origin whose parents live in the Ballymun area, social workers are unable to adequately fulfil their statutory duties towards these children and there is no prospect of these children returning to the care of their families until suitable accommodation is provided. The Dublin local authorities and the HSE have a statutory duty to respond to homelessness crises but it seems service provision is hampered by an apparent legal loophole created by the previous government.

New legislation introduced by the Minister for Justice last year means that although the citizens of Romania and Bulgaria are now members of the EU, they do not have the same rights and entitlements as all other citizens of the EU. They can travel to Ireland without a visa but cannot work without a permit or receive any state support including social welfare, community care services or emergency accommodation. The IASW fully acknowledges and supports the efforts of the social workers in Ballymun and their collaborative efforts with various agencies including the Pavee Point, ISPCC, An Garda Sochna, Public Health Nurses, the Area Medical Officer, the Social Inclusion Manager of the HSE, the Homeless Agency, and the Reception and Integration Agency in an attempt to support the families. The IASW also fully supports of the continuing efforts of Pavee Point and other non-governmental organisations to highlight the humanitarian crisis that exists for these families.

The best standards of social work practice, legislation and the Irish constitution makes clear that it is in the best interest of children to remain with their families and they should only be removed in circumstances of serious risk and returned to the care of their families when improved circumstances allow.

Declan Coogan, Communications Co-ordinator of the IASW is available on 01 6774838 for further comment and information.

114-116 Pearse St, Dublin 2.

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