BY AMY ROSE HARTE
JUVENILES in Donegal who refuse to return to their detention centres on time are causing havoc for the county's Gardai.
Members of the force in Letterkenny are being called out up to 12 times every week to track down juveniles who insist on straying from their residential facility. According to a well-placed source, the same youths are going missing because staff at the HSE facilities are not obliged to prevent them from leaving past a certain hour. It means Gardai are being asked to seek out the youths on an almost daily basis.
Although the HSE-run facilities have rules, they don't have a 'locked door' policy, meaning the youths can come and go as they please. The policy is being regularly abused by certain youths who sometimes fail to return for 48 hours - until they are tracked down by Gardai.
The source told the Donegal News that the Letterkenny Gardai are getting "a couple of dozen" calls each month from staff at the residential facilities who are concerned for their safety.
"They are reporting the same kids who go missing over and over again. The majority of times they are found by Gardai drinking at a friends house, or around the town, but it might a couple of hours to find them. There are rules in place, but there are no preventative measures to stop them from leaving. It's a waste of Garda resources," the source said.
There are two mainstream residential children's units being run by the HSE in Donegal. One acts as a short-term home for children aged 11 to 17 years old. The other provides a home for children on a long-term basis, within the age range of 11 to 18 years old. Both units are populated by children who find great difficulty in living with a family or where their needs are so complex that they cannot be matched with a foster care placement.
A spokeswoman for the HSE confirmed the facilities weren't 'locked' and acknowledged that Gardai were notified when children leave without permission.
"On occasions where a young person decides to leave the premises they sometimes do so without permission. Where a young person is absent without permission and when staff is unable to locate them then they have to notify the Gardai, particularly if there are concerns about the continued safety of that young person."
She added that the residential staff and social work staff appreciate the close working relationship with the local Gardai and the interest the Gardai extend to these children.
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