Sir, - I was amazed and annoyed to see Father Peter McVerry's unjustified attack on social workers ("Social workers too busy and widely distrusted, Minister told", July 27th).
Fr McVerry is clearly wrong to say that social workers are not trained to deal with young homeless people. That's exactly what they are trained to do and, in fact, the people he is attacking are doing more than anyone else to help our most vulnerable young people.
He is also wrong to suggest that youth homelessness can be dealt with in isolation from other problems that exist before and after a teenager becomes homeless. For example, in the most difficult cases, homeless youngsters may have also experienced varying levels of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. It is not simply a case of putting a roof over a head, difficult though that may be at times.
Social workers are working within a system that has failed young people; a failure that social workers have been pointing to for years and which the Minister for Health has recently acknowledged.
There are too few social workers and other professionals in place. There are too few appropriate accommodation places available for homeless young people. Attacking those who are trying to deliver a decent service against the odds does nothing to change that. Fr McVerry's recent attacks on child care professionals have caused distress to individual social workers dealing with the issue of youth homelessness, as well as to social workers in general. That does not help young homeless people.
The Minister for Health and the Eastern Regional Health Authority have recently instigated a root and branch overhaul of youth homelessness services. We hope this will create the structures, and release the resources, to enable social workers to deliver the range and level of services they have been calling for over many years.
The root problem is that the system has failed, not the professionals who have to deliver the services within that system. Fr McVerry would do well to work with others to improve youth homelessness services rather than attack those who are doing the most difficult job. - Yours, etc.,
Sean McHugh, Assistant General Secretary, IMPACT trade union, Nerney's Court, Dublin 1.