The underlying problem is a shortage of social workers who are qualified and willing to work in specialist care units
Minister for Children, Roderic O'Gorman, who has been told by officials that the special care system “may no longer be fit for purpose”. The Government is mulling a complete overhaul of the system by which children at risk of serious harm can be placed in secure accommodation on foot of a court order. There are 26 beds in the secure special care units dedicated to housing these children but only 15 are currently operating.
The underlying problem is a shortage of social workers who are qualified and willing to work in special care units. Turnover is high and retention is a serious problems. Some 174 staff working in special care have left in the last three years while 168 have been recruited.Rose of Tralee: ‘Roses at Mass. Roses going on the merries ... Time is frozen, you could say’
These figures reflect the very demanding nature of working with traumatised and often violent children and the refusal to date of the Department of Public Expenditure to sanction additional payments for staff who work in these centres. Individuals who are attracted to a career in social work face significant barriers. Finances, lack of housing, and the wider cost-of-living crisis are obstacles facing those considering social work as a profession. So is the requirement that trainee social workers complete 1,000 hours of unpaid placements. Many colleges cannot fill all the places on their social work courses as a result, according to the school of social policy at UCD.
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