DAVID FOLEY:DAVID FOLEY from Clondalkin in Dublin voluntarily sought a care placement at the age of 14.
He was admitted to a series of emergency hostels for homeless teens, known as “out of hours” or crisis-intervention services, in Dublin’s north inner city.
Professionals familiar with him say he was a vulnerable and naive boy who was unprepared for the sometimes brutal world of life on the street. They say he remained in a poorly managed and chaotic system which was never able to meet his needs.
He died of a drugs overdose in September 2005, three years after being admitted into care.
Yesterday’s report – which refers to David as “young person A” – says it was clear the boy was very vulnerable and had been for a substantial portion of his life.
The report shows for the first time that he had been in contact with social workers two years before he sought a placement at 14. The report acknowledges that the manner in which care services were provided left him “deprived of a sense of security” and in a chaotic environment.
This “left young person A exposed to a subculture which exists among certain young homeless people and which educates impressionable and vulnerable young people on how to avoid certain services and exploit other services to their own detriment”.
One example is that he was encouraged by others to opt out of school, which would make him eligible for a small financial payment.
The HSE report exposes “tragic systems failures”. It says there was confusion and a lack of responsibility over the handling of his case. In addition, there were “inexcusable delays” in providing essential services, a lack of case management and a fragmented approach to his care.
The case also highlights the “erroneous” approach of requiring the needs of an individual to fit within services that are available.
This led to the boy being “denied access to services which were desperately needed”.
The report adds that the HSE failed in its duty to address David’s care, protection and accommodation needs.
It recommends that a number of aspects of the emergency care system be reconsidered, such as placing all emergency cases in city-centre locations, having only residential care as opposed to foster care, or supported lodging for emergency cases.
The HSE says it has acted on these recommendations and, in future, will provide more options for children in crisis.
David Foley’s sister, Lynda, expressed anger at how his case was handled.
“If a parent isn’t doing their job properly, the HSE is quick to point the finger,” she said, “but when the HSE itself is the parent, there’s no one to take the blame. I don’t understand how they can go around pointing the finger at parents when it’s doing such a bad job.”