A “totally substandard” arrangement under which a vulnerable adolescent is being accommodated in a bed & breakfast and makes a five-hour round trip daily to school cannot continue, theThe arrangement has been described as “unsafe and unsuitable”. Although the owner of the B&B has been Garda vetted and is supportive of the intellectually disabled youth, the transient users of the facility are not vetted, the court heard.
Catherine Ghent, a solicitor representing the court-appointed guardian, last week secured leave from the court to bring applications, if necessary, against the Ministers for Health and for Children and Youth Affairs aimed at getting funding for a suitable placement.On Wednesday, Maria Dillon, a solicitor representing the HSE, said funding has been found for an alternative placement and efforts are continuing to identify a long-term placement.
Given the very serious concerns about the current situation, she had hoped to have an identified placement and a timescale for that by Friday, she said.