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Dublin: Ballymun Gardai Appeal Over Missing Teenager

Gardaí are seeking assistance from the public in locating a teenager who has been missing since yesterday afternoon.

John Ward (15), from Ballymun, was last seen in Clontarf at 1pm yesterday.

He is described as being 5’ 6” in height and of a slim build. He has short blonde hair and blue eyes.

When last seen he was wearing a blue jacket, navy Adidas track suit bottoms and white runners.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ballymun Garda station on (01) 666 4400 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

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Categories Child and Adolescent Mental Health/Eating Disorders, Children's Health, Children's Rights, Drugs and Crime, General News, Missing and Exploited Children, News and politics, News From Ireland's 32 Counties, Travel, Uncategorized

Dublin: CityWide Want You To Use Your Vote To Make The National Drugs Crisis A Political Priority

4 Feb

DUBLIN’S CITYWIDE DRUGS CRISIS CAMPAIGN LAUNCH ELECTION DRUG AWARNESS CAMPAIGN OUTSIDE LEINSTER HOUSE:

Dublin’s Tree of Hope And HOME Monument:
“Attending the funerals of our young people became normal. We began to accept the unacceptable. There was also a feeling of abandonment, as people called out for State support – but none was forthcoming. While the ‘heroin pushers’ slept on satin sheets – our young people lay on cold marble slabs. The tree was a gift to brighten the dark days of Winter and also – a symbol of ’hope’ and the tree became known as the ‘Tree of Hope’.

www.citywide.ie

Ten years ago(1996), when the tree was first put up, it was a time of anger, isolation and loneliness for many people in our community (Dublin’s North-Inner-City).
A shadow had descended on our area – a dark shade of drug dealing. There were lots of deaths from drug-related causes.
Attending the funerals of our young people became normal. We began to accept the unacceptable. Our people were going through the motion (of loss) without the deep grieving that this tragedy of death requires. When people were grieving – it was in private. There was also a feeling of abandonment – as our people called out called out for State support – but none was forthcoming. The open drug dealing and the resulting deaths of our children, made people angry. As the father of an addict said – “While the pushers slept on satin sheets – our young people lay on cold marble slabs“.

The only outlet people had for expressing their feelings – was the mass meetings and marches (against drug pushers within communities) that took place, back then. This was an outlet for the expression of public anger – there was no outlet for public grief.

A number of people within our community talked about the need for such grief to be expressed – and for all of those young people who died (from drug related causes) to be remembered. We needed a symbol of hope. The idea then emerged of putting a ‘Christmas Tree’ in Buckingham Street – beside Joseph’s Mansions – which had become a ‘black spot’ for heroin dealing. The then City Manager was written to and the idea explained, he responded generously and embraced the idea.
It may now be difficult to believe, but there was a fear that ‘the tree’ would be attacked or even pulled down.
The anti-drugs people who were manning a hut which was erected at this very corner – were asked to mind ‘the tree’ 24 hours a day. They agreed to do this – but our fears were needless, as people took to the tree – for what it was meant to be, – a gift to brighten the dark days of winter and also ‘a symbol of hope’. in fact it quickly became known as the ‘tree of hope’.
The tree was and is – many things to many people, it is the human caring face of our community, it was for some – the symbol of the ICON anti-drugs slogan ‘Addicts We Care – Pushers Beware’. For others it was and is a symbol of our community taking responsibility and trying to heal itself from the pain it was suffering.

While the (anti-drugs) marches were a sign of the communities anger – directed at the pushers, it quickly became known that there were ‘many addicted pushers who needed treatment and not humiliation’. There was not one single family – that was not affected by the ‘drugs problem’ and the tree became a unifying image – where people could comfort, console and support each other.
For some people it was a ‘communal grave’ -drawing people together in their grief and hopes, a public place for sharing the loss of their loved ones.
Fittingly ‘The Christmas Tree’ becomes the centre of warmth and family commemoration in the depths of Winter.

In the warm embrace of the tree – people told each other, that it was okay to grieve. People were reclaiming the child lost through drug-addiction by being able to grieve together. The child who once gave us so much happiness – when they first walked, first talked, when they showed us their very first achievements in school – these were the times – when we shed tears of happiness – not grief.

People were asserting themselves by saying – their children might have become chaotic – through addiction, but they were also victims of drug-dealing and also long years of State neglect.
Many people will argue that despite all of the measures taken, since then, we are still playing ’catch-up’. In the past ten years, we have come a long way, but the true extent of the deaths has not yet been accurately recorded.
This is why the City-Wide Family Support Network is taking part in a pilot project, will try to create an index of our drug-related deaths.

With the setting up of the Christmas Tree, here was for the first time public recognition that – addiction not only affected the addict, but also affected the addicts whole family, extended family and whole community.

When the Christmas Tree was taken down – people experienced a sense of isolation and emptiness. Relatives of ‘our lost young people’ began speaking about the need to erect a permanent memorial. The community need for remembrance was very deep – so deep was this this feeling that the relatives asked that a temporary memorial be erected- it was a small wooden block with a hole cut out for a night candle – Although it was rather crude – it was a shrine to continue the Spirit of the Christmas Tree.
This in turn, triggered the process of selecting a permanent memorial – and after a consultation process between artists and the relatives a sculpture called ’HOME’ by Leo Higgins was picked.
When the memorial was to be cast, an invitation was sent throughout the community, open to anyone who wished to come along and bring something to remember their lost loved ones. All the objects that the families brought to the ceremony were collected and put into a rib boned box and placed in the cast. These objects included first communion medals, photographs, letters, cigarette lighters and in one families case, they even placed their child’s ashes inside.
As Bernie Howard, one of the key relatives involved in he process put it:
“It was very hard for me that day, when I went over to Leo’s Foundry – where the memorial was being put together. We were told to bring something personal belonging to our lost children. I brought a miracles medal – that my Stephen wore around his neck and a small pillbox with other holy medals. It was a very, very sad occasion. I just placed his belongings in a bag, along with the personal effects of the other children being remembered. It all went into the melt, there wasn’t a dry eye in the foundry that day. When I pass by the memorial now, I look at the flame and I know a part of my son I in it”.

With the memorial’s image of an open door and a welcoming flame, it captures what the tree symbolises for the community, a sense of hope, healing and yes, forgiveness. it is a message from this community to those who suffer from addiction, saying that, no matter how far you descended into despair, there is always a way home and the warmth of your family and the community to give you support.
So here we are 10 years on, with our Christmas Tree and our memorial side by side, still giving our message to our children, that we love them and there is hope for recovery.
The foregoing text: was delivered by a ‘survivor of drug addiction’ on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the ‘Lighting of Our Christmas Tree’ on Buckingham Street. Dublin 7th December 2006.

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Categories Child and Adolescent Mental Health/Eating Disorders, Children's Health, Children's Rights, Drugs and Crime, General News, Human Rights, Mental Health / Depression, News and politics, News From Ireland's 32 Counties, Uncategorized

Ballymun, Dublin: BREAKING the SILENCE: 1: EXCLUSIVE: State Is Neglecting Hundreds Of Homeless & Vulnerable Children & Young Adults

4 Feb

Having been involved for a number of years with vulnerable children/families, it was with relief that I read your article. It contained an understanding which is rare, as the majority of people who depend on the media for information fail to capture the truth of the matter. However, what I have read is, without doubt, as close to the core of the critical state childcare/protection is in. I look forward to meeting with you, and hope we have a positive response from those who have previously been worn down by the system.

With thanks and kind regards,

Norma Roche

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BREAKING THE SILENT TRAMUA OF DUBLIN’S NEGLECTED BOARDWALK CHILDREN IN CRISIS WHO ARE LEFT LOST IN THE WILDERNESS BY THE HSE:

A campaigning spirit and an inherent sense of natural justice, together with a steady stream of appeals, protest marches and pickets in addition to seeking and holding meetings with government ministers while also giving media interviews provided the (Breaking The Silence) campaigners with an even more profound insight into the lives of many children and young adults who have in the past and are currently still, being constantly and consistently ignored by the HSE health authorities while in the process of seeking help either for themselves or on behalf of some other child or adult in a current or emerging crisis situation.

Seeking to assert the right of children and adults who are very vulnerable and who exist in situations of serious and considerable social disadvantage and are quite often currently (when presenting to a service provider) in a very serious crisis, which demands (immediate holistic emergency actions) to provide a wide range of services combining as a single unit (of joined-up care service) to cope with the totality of a range of quite serious problems that, such a client (person in crisis) will often present with to service providers like the HSE.

Shocking circumstances are often reported to campaigners by children or young adults (in crisis) by telephone calls, personal contacts or e-mails that have also previously been reported to the (HSE) service providers but which were not responded to (by the service provider), resulting in the shattering of many lives, without anybody being around to pick up the pieces.

Drug abuse and suicide resulted because of the failures of (service providers) in many of these neglected (crisis) cases. Meetings with very many of these children (in crisis) who are depending on emergency (HSE) or hostel accommodation takes place on the Liffey Boardwalk in Dublin on a regular basis.

During these boardwalk meetings, with children (under 18 years of age) most of who, just wished that they had a regular place to live, rather than being dependant on the availability of an emergency bed in a city hostel or B&B (bed and breakfast)

Campaigners witnessed shocking circumstances amongst the boardwalk children, for example; – young children popping a cocktail of tablets (polydrug abuse) or/and their involvement in criminal activities such as, street crime and prostitution.

Many were wanted by the Gardai on foot of bench warrants while, others had been in and out of St Pat’s (Saint Patrick’s Juvenile Institution – Mountjoy Prison Dublin) or had been detained in state run (High Support Units) but now, here they were (still children) on the boardwalk as they aimlessly wandered around the city streets without either care or supervision by any of the state authorities, to make matters even worse, many of (the boardwalk children) now have children of their own in state care.

Parents often discuss (with campaigners) about their regular efforts to make contact with (service provider) professionals wishing to take up with those professionals their critical concerns about a child in crisis, only to reach the stage where they felt that they were being ‘totally dismissed’(by the professionals).

This dismissal, (by the service provider professionals) eventually brought about a feeling of very low self-esteem in the parents and as the time passed-by they felt that is was a waste of their time and efforts trying to get help (from the service providers) anymore. Many other parents never gave up trying, (to get help) but they stated that the response (from service provider professionals) was either too slow or too late.

Persons holding an elected office have an ultimate responsibility to oversee the functioning of statutory bodies like the HSE.

To be properly and respectfully heard by people who are the holders’ offices with professional responsibility for the care and wellbeing and/or authority over emergency situations is vital to vulnerable children and adults clients in crisis.

Breaking The Silence, campaigners say that what is “shattering and shocking” is the numbers of young lives which have in past years and are presently being adversely affected by the ongoing failures of state authorities to properly and adequately respond to the needs of families and children in crisis and pressing emergency situations.

The crisis situations are generally brought about by failed family and social structures, by social disadvantages such as; poor housing, a lack of education and necessary social and industrial skills, delinquency, family breakdown, addiction to and abuse of alcohol and other drugs, homelessness, mental health issues, extreme poverty and so on. Quite often, too, several of these situations may combine and co-exist in the presenting profiles of patients seeking assistance from service providers like the HSE.

Campaigners feel that the vital point that is necessary to expose is that the personal lawful, human and proper rights and needs of vulnerable children and young adults in their time of crisis and need have and are being dismissed by the state’s service providers like the HSE – and that in itself is shocking.

Destroyed, childhood innocence cannot ever be replaced and these vulnerable children and young adults, who are unable to adequately voice their own needs, require your voice as vital a support, because without an advocate their ongoing suffering, trauma and crisis will remain forever shrouded in silence.

Your participation in the (Breaking the Silence) campaign is vital, especially if have had previous personal experience with a lack of response from (service providers like the HSE) who have the responsibility to ensure that your concerns are being heard and adequately acted upon.

For children or young adults in crisis and in need of urgent (State) care at the present time and into the future, your voice can in many ways be the preventative measure that saves them from falling through the gaping cracks in our decayed childcare system.

BREAKING THE SILENCE

Breaking the Silence campaigners are holding a public meeting on Saturday February 12^th In DAYS HOTEL IN BALLYMUN FROM 2pm to 4pm

(Contact Phone Number: Stella Lamb at: 085 – 166 – 9004)

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PREVIOUS RELATED ARTICLES:

“DYSFUNCTIONAL & UNDER-RESOURCED CHILDCARE SYSTEM STINKS” SAYS FATHER PETER MCVERRY:

The social justice campaigner, Fr Peter McVerry, has said the death of 17-year old Daniel McAnaspie was the result of ‘the failure of a dysfunctional and under-resourced childcare system’.

He was speaking at the teenager’s funeral mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Finglas West.

Daniel’s body was found in a field in Co Meath last month, almost three months after he went missing while in State care.

Fr McVerry said a major contributing factor in his death was the neglect of him by the State.

The Minister for Children, Barry Andrews, has offered his sympathies to the family of Daniel McAnaspie.

He also responded to Fr McVerry’s criticism, saying while there were very serious deficits in the health system, reforms were underway.

He said 25 additional social workers were already in place and a further 175 would be provided by the end of the year.

Daniel’s body was found in a drain at Rathfeigh in Co Meath on 13 May. A post mortem revealed he had been stabbed to death.

His parents are dead and he had been in the care of the Health Service Executive since 2003.

Concerns for the 17-year-old’s safety were raised when he failed to return to his accommodation on 26 February.

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The number of children that have died while in State care or in contact with social services is likely to rise above the current figure of 188, Minister for Children Barry Andrews indicated today.

Mr Andrews said the total had a “slightly open end”, particularly with regard to young adults, and that calculating a definitive number would be difficult as some young people would have died having left care or the country.

Last month the HSE said 37 young people in care had died, up from an earlier figure of 23. On Friday, the HSE revised the figure upwards by 151 deaths to include those in contact with social services.

The new figure, it said, was based on a wider definition of deaths to include children who were known to social services, or young people aged 18-21 who were in aftercare.

The majority of deaths were due to unnatural causes (102). Most of these young people died as a result of suicide (26), drug overdoses (19), unlawful killings (12), road traffic incidents (18) and other accidents (27). A further 86 deaths were linked to natural causes or health conditions.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio, Mr Andrews said the authorities had left the category of 18-21 year olds open for a number of weeks to gather further information.

“[The Health Information and Quality Authority] and the HSE agreed there would be a slightly open end, particularly in the area of young adults where there would be difficulty being absolutely definitive because some of them would have left care.”
When questioned if he was satisfied if the 188 figure would rise, Mr Andrews said “essentially, what you have just said is correct”.

Mr Andrews said it was portrayed sometimes that there was a level of carelessness in calculating the numbers.

“This is specifically agreed between Hiqa and the HSE, and Hiqa has done a trawl of the way in which deaths like this are systematically looked at in other countries so there will be certainty.”
Mr Andrews said the Government was on target to achieve the goal set out by the Ryan Report Implementation Group of hiring 200 new social workers.

Some 25 new social workers have so far been recruited, he said, and a further 175 would be in place by the end of the year. (2010).

: campaigners would like to hear from people who have suffered similar experiences from either a personal crisis in their own lives that were ignored by (service providers like the HSE) when help was sought for themselves or when urgent help was requested (from service providers) for a child in crisis and their calls were not responded to (by the service provider/s).

Dublin: CityWide Drugs Crisis Campaign Have Launched Their General Election Drugs Awareness Campaign: UPDATED

2 Feb

CITYWIDE DRUGS CRISIS CAMPAIGN HAVE LAUNCHED THEIR GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN OUTSIDE LEINSTER HOUSE IN DUBLIN:

Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign has today announced details of the launch of their general election campaign.

The launch took place today at the main entrance to the Dail, Kildare St. It aims to put the drugs crisis back on the political agenda.

CityWide will be joined outside Leinster House by local drug projects, CE Schemes, Community Representatives along with spokespersons from all the political parties in launching their election style poster and their election special newsletter.

CityWide spokesperson Daithi Doolan says, “The drugs crisis in our communities continues. Lives are destroyed, families are torn apart and communities live in fear of intimidation and violence.

But over the past few years we have seen less and less commitment from governments to tackle this crisis.

This election is the time to make the drugs crisis a priority for politicians. Our campaign will be positive, active and community based.

We will be circulating 100’s of election style posters and distributing 1000’s of newsletters through our network of local drug projects, community representatives, CE Schemes & trade unions.

We will be organising meetings to lobby election candidates & information sessions for community groups.

The campaign is demanding that any new government work with the community in tackling the drugs crisis, appoint a full time Minister with responsibility for drugs and fully fund local drugs services.”

Doolan explained, “Front line services alone cannot solve the problems caused by drug use. In addition to these front line services, communities must be given the resources and supports to address the underlying causes of the drugs crisis. The government must work with those most affected by the problem, including communities, drug users and their families.”

In conclusion Doolan urged all parties to commit themselves to work with communities, “to reclaim and rebuild communities devastated by the drugs crisis.”

London: New Scheme Uses ‘Talking Therapies’ Rather Than Drugs To Treat Mental Illness: UPDATED

2 Feb

A scheme has been launched to use ‘talking therapies’ rather than drugs to treat more than a million people who have mental health problems.

Talking, Not Drugs, To Treat Mental Problems: Click On Image To Play Video.

Currently drugs like Prozac are the primary treatment for depression – nearly 40 million prescriptions were issued last year.

But counselling is more effective than pills at fixing underlying causes of mental illness.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the strategy will give mental health the priority it deserves.

He said: “Speak to anyone. They will know someone who has had to deal with anxiety, depression, eating disorders or other problems.

“They are so often overlooked and ignored because there is a stigma attached to them compared to physical health problems. What I would like is that stigma removed.”

Asked about the view of Marjorie Wallace from the charity Sane, who said psychiatric beds, day centres and community services were being cut to save cash, Mr Clegg said she should not “only see the glass as half empty”.

“I think this is a big big step forward building on what I acknowledge is the good work done by the previous government on mental health to lift the stigma that has surrounded mental health for far too long,” he told Sky News.

He said children in particular needed the same level of support for mental health issues as they receive for physical illnesses.

Such problems have beeen “brushed under the carpet”, he added.

Mental health problems affect one in four people and are the biggest reason for incapacity benefit claims. They cost the economy around £105bn a year.

The problems can start young – one in 10 children has a mental health problem.

Mitchell has ADHD, but his mother Vicky said psychological support had improved his behaviour.

“He was getting into a lot of trouble at school, not concentrating, not listening and so on,” she said.

“The treatment has really helped him out. He’s back in a mainstream school now.”

Mental health charity Mind welcomed the strategy, but chief executive Paul Farmer said it should be judged on results.

NEWS UPDATE:

The Government is to plough an extra £400 million into mental health provision in a bid to put it on an equal footing with physical health, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said.

£400m for mental health services Enlarge photo

Under its newly published mental health strategy, the coalition aims to treat mental health with the same priority and importance as physical health for the first time – and to combat the stigma attached to it. It will also stress the need for early intervention, to nip in the bud mental health problems in children.

Mr Clegg said: “For far too long we’ve allowed there to be a stigma attached to mental health. If you speak to people in the health service they say mental health has been treated as a Cinderella service.”

But he acknowledged that unemployment and other economic stresses could cause a rise in such problems.

Speaking on Daybreak, Mr Clegg said: “Today we are announcing that we are repealing an old-fashioned outdated law which means that MPs at the moment are disqualified from being MPs if they have a mental health problem which goes on for more than six months. It is a relatively symbolic thing because it has never been used – but it nonetheless shows that we are determined to root out that stigma.”

He said the Government was also providing more money to help veterans of conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan combat mental illness.

The cash being pumped into mental health provision under the new strategy will be extra money, he added, and would not just be shunted from another part of the health budget.

But Labour and some mental health charities cast doubt on the strategy, being launched as it is against a backdrop of cuts to other services. Shadow care minister Emily Thornberry accused the Government of being “far from clear” as to how it was going to achieve its aims.

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the charity Sane, said: “Our concern…is that this ‘therapy for the nation’ strategy could be perceived as a panacea for the whole spectrum of mental health conditions, and is being launched against a background of serial closures of psychiatric beds, day centres, occupational therapy facilities and community services.

“We expect further cuts when health service savings start to bite. There are also worries that there will be confusion when GPs, some of whom may have limited specialist mental health knowledge, take the lead on commissioning services.”

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Categories Child and Adolescent Mental Health/Eating Disorders, Children's Health, Children's Rights, Drugs and Crime, Education, General News, Health and wellness, Human Rights, Irish News. Health, Mental Health / Depression, News and politics, Older People, Uncategorized, WORLD NEWS

London: £18m Funding To Tackle Crimes Involving Knives, Guns and Gangs

2 Feb

More than £18 million will be spent on tackling crimes involving knives, guns and gangs over the next two years, Home Secretary Theresa May has said.

£18m funding to tackle knife crime Enlarge photo.

The funding announcement comes after former EastEnders star Brooke Kinsella, whose 16-year-old brother Ben was stabbed to death three years ago, highlighted the best ways to combat the issue.

The 27-year-old actress, who was appointed a Government adviser on the issue last year, called for anti-knife crime presentations for schools and more work with young children to stop them getting involved.

Mrs May said: “Brooke Kinsella has done a great job in highlighting what works and what could work better in trying to achieve that.

“Off the back of Brooke’s recommendations, we will invest money into changing attitudes and behaviour, alongside being tough on those who persist in being involved in senseless crimes.”

In her report, Ms Kinsella, who spent July and August talking to project leaders and community workers about the issue, called for more anti-knife projects in schools, more data-sharing between police, schools and other agencies and a scheme to deal with the “fear and fashion” factor of knives.

“I really believe the problem of knife crime has escalated in the past few years, and the impact it has on communities and families is devastating,” she said.

Children as young as 10 should be given anti-knife crime awareness lessons in schools, Ms Kinsella said.

“Whilst seven may be deemed too young for some of the content I experienced in the projects I visited, it seems to be the majority opinion that education and awareness needs to start at primary school level, particularly in the last year before they move up to secondary school and become more susceptible to peer pressure and influence.”

And she said more work is needed to turn prisons and young offenders institutions into “places of punishment” as they were often seen as “a holiday camp”.

Ballymun, Dublin: Doctor Calls For Full Inquiry Into Rachel Peavoy’s Hypothermia Death In “Perilously Cold” Council Flat

2 Feb

BALLYMUN: DUBLIN:

DOCTOR CALLS FOR FULL INQUIRY INTO RACHEL PEAVOY’S HYPOTHERMIA DEATH IN “PERILOUSLY COLD” COUNCIL FLAT:

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

DUBLIN City Council continued to fail to provide alternative sources of heating during the recent cold spell to tenants who refused to leave their homes in Ballymun flat complexes undergoing regeneration work, despite the earlier death of a young woman from hypothermia.

Last night the family of 30-year-old Rachel Peavoy, who a coroner’s court last week found had died of hypothermia in her Dublin City Council flat last January, said they were distraught over the death of the young mother-of-two.

Ms Peavoy died of hypothermia after the council turned off her heating in January 2010 during one of the coldest ever periods.

Social campaigner Fr Peter McVerry, www.pmvtrust.ie

who lives in the adjacent block to Ms Peavoy, said during the recent cold weather he had been approached by a woman in a similar situation seeking an alternative heating source due to the council turning off her heating system.

“There is a centralised central heating system in Ballymun which means all the flats in a complex are heated from a central boiler in the case of the regeneration. In a block of flats where there are only one or two families left the system is closed down as it involves heating 90 to 100 flats which are empty. People in Ballymun don’t have alternative forms of heating because the central heating system is very good.”

It is believed that Ms Peavoy may have been offered accommodation elsewhere in Ballymun during the regeneration of her block but had requested to stay in her home.

Fr McVerry added: “Only a week before Christmas another lady came to me who was in a similar situation, her heating had been turned off and she was frozen. People on social welfare often don’t have money to spend on new heaters and this woman came to me and I got her two heaters.”

The Dublin coroner’s court heard last week that Ms Peavoy visited her GP one month before her death to request a letter for heating costs. The inquest was adjourned until February 24 to obtain further statements about the condition of Ms Peavoy’s flat.

Cork city councillor Ted Tynan said the issue of people lacking the basic right to heat was countrywide due to people being unable to afford to pay ESB bills.

“People do not risk having their electricity supply disconnected unless they are in dire trouble with their family finances,” he said.

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Saturday January 29 2011

A YOUNG mother froze to death in her Dublin flat after the council refused to restore her heating.

Rachel Peavoy (30), a mother-of-two, died of hypothermia in the bedroom of her flat during a lengthy cold snap.

She had appealed to the council to restore her central heating as she shared the flat with her two young sons, but she was unsuccessful.

Housing Minister Noel Ahern made representations on behalf of Ms Peavoy; after she was told her heating would not be reconnected.

She was found dead in her Ballymun flat on January 11 last year. Gardai who arrived at the scene noted the flat was “freezing”.

Following the shocking inquest, a doctor has called for a public inquiry into the death of the mother-of-two.

A preliminary hearing at Dublin City Corner’s Court was told of Rachel’s appeals for help to heat her flat.

The inquest was told that less than a month before she died of the cold, the young mother had gone to her doctor and asked for a letter for heating costs.

Housing Minister Noel Ahern also made a plea to the council on her behalf. The court heard that the council told the young mother that it was ‘impossible’ to restore heating because flats around her were vacant and because regeneration work was ongoing.

The case involved “a young woman with no other system disorder” dying of hypothermia and there was “ample evidence” that the heating was not working, said Dr Ciaran Craven, who represented the family at the inquest.

Calling for a full inquiry into the death, Dr Craven told Coroner Dr Brian Farrell that the flat had been “perilously cold” on the night of the death.

He called for a full inquiry into the death.

The inquest was told Ms Peavoy suffered from back pain and had a borderline personality disorder.

Brother

She had last spoken to her mother, Celine, the day before she was found dead.

She had asked her mother to mind her two sons, Leon and Warren, and said she was turning her phone off because she could not sleep. The next day, after numerous attempts to contact Rachel, her brother Leon Peavoy and friend Jacqueline Johnston let themselves into her flat. They found her body in the main bedroom.

There was no representative from Dublin City Council at the hearing yesterday.

The inquest was adjourned until February 24 to obtain further statements about the conditions of Ms Peavoy’s flat.

hnews@herald.ie

– Alan O’Keeffe

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Saturday January 29 2011

DUBLIN City Council was yesterday accused of contributing to the death of a young mother, after the heating in her flat was allegedly disconnected in the depths of winter.

A preliminary hearing at Dublin City Corner’s Court into the death of Rachel Peavoy (30) was told that the young woman died from hypothermia and that continued appeals to turn back on her central heating fell on deaf ears.

The single mother of two sons from Shangan Road, Ballymun, was found dead in her flat not long after Christmas, on January 11, 2010.

The court heard that Housing Minister Noel Ahern made representations on behalf of Ms Peavoy; after she was told her heating would not be reconnected during the freak cold snap last January, which saw temperatures plummet well below zero.

The court heard that the council told the young mother that this was impossible because flats around her were vacant due to regeneration.

The case involved “a young woman with no other system disorder” dying of hypothermia and there was “ample evidence” that the heating was not working, council for the family Dr Ciaran Craven told the court yesterday.

Calling for a full inquiry into the death, Dr Craven told Dublin City Coroner Dr Brian Farrell that the flat had been “perilously cold” on the night of the death, a description supported by the garda who had examined the scene and noted the flat was “freezing”.

The court heard that Ms Peavoy had last spoken to her mother, Celine, the day before she was found dead.

She had asked her mother to mind her two sons, Leon and Warren, and said she was turning her phone off because she couldn’t sleep.

The next day, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact Ms Peavoy, her brother Leon Peavoy and friend Jacqueline Johnston let themselves into her flat.

Ms Johnston found the body of her friend in the main bedroom, the court was told.

There was no representative from the council in the court at the time.

The case was adjourned until February 24 in order to obtain further statements about the conditions of Ms Peavoy’s flat.

– Luke Byrne

Irish Independent

Ballymun, Dublin: Families & Friends To Form New Campaign Lobby Group For Children & Adults In Crisis

2 Feb

BALLYMUN: DUBLIN:

CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN CRISIS REQUIRE A SERVICE WHERE THEIR VOICES ARE RESPECTFULLY HEARD:

OUR CAMPAIGN AIM IS:

To establish a point of contact where any person who may have experienced lack of response from professionals who are employed to ensure that in fact each person’s concerns are heard and acted upon.

RELATED ARTICLE: Published – March 6, 2010:

Danny Talbot, who died aged 19 last summer, of a suspected drug overdose, while in the HSE aftercare system, was born into circumstances of extraordinary deprivation.

His mother, Linda Lamb, was intellectually disabled, and spent much of her life in and out of the care system.

She drank heavily, regularly went missing, and had a total of nine children by various men in both England and Ireland. All her children were placed in care.

Danny was Linda’s sixth child. She left his father, Paddy Talbot, shortly after he was born, and Danny lived with Paddy Talbot, in Dublin, along with his elder brother, Joe, who has a severe learning disability.

Reports by social workers from the time reveal that Paddy Talbot was ill-equipped to care for the boys. (The social workers’ reports are contained in extensive documentation obtained under Freedom of Information legislation by Linda Lamb’s sister, Sandra Lamb.)

On one occasion in 1999 when the social worker called, they found Danny, then aged ten, and his brother Joe, aged eleven, at home alone. On another occasion, the social worker noted that Joe was wearing just a t-shirt and that his lower body was “soiled” and there was “a strong smell of faeces”. Social workers regularly noted the poor hygiene and condition of the boys, particularly of Joe.

In October 1999, Danny’s father, Paddy, died at home, and was found by Danny. According to Sandra Lamb, Danny and Joe were undernourished and filthy. Joe was like “a feral child”; she said, infected with lice and with his body “covered in urine and faeces”.

Though there is no record of any complaints of sexual abuse at this time in the documents, Health Board documents from some years later reveal that Health Board staff assumed that the boys had been abused.

Danny was placed with a foster family, and Joe was taken in by his aunt, Sandra Lamb. Danny didn’t settle and, aged 12 began running away from his foster home. He had difficulties with his temper. At one point, in a meeting with Health Board staff to discuss care arrangements for Danny and his siblings, he got so frustrated that he punched his hand through a window and had to be taken to A&E.

Meanwhile, Danny’s mother, Linda Lamb, had had a further child, who was taken into care, and was living in B&B accommodation.

In November 2000, Linda Lamb’s sisters attended a case conference at the Northern Area Health Board to discuss her situation. Linda was then pregnant with her eighth child. She had had no anti-natal care, was homeless, and it was reported that she had “been sleeping in fields”.

Linda’s sisters said they wanted her to be sterilised, as she had “no concept at all of the needs of a baby”. Linda was not capable of giving informed consent, and they discussed making her a ward of court. This never happened, however, and Linda subsequently had another child, who was also taken into care.

Linda’s sisters sought to have her placed in a care facility with one-to-one support by the Health Board. However, she was placed instead in a series of B&Bs. In May 2006, she was the subject of an attack where, according to her sisters, she was raped and subsequently pushed into an open fire, sustaining horrific burns to her back. No prosecution was ever taken. According to Sandra Lamb gardaí told them at the time that Linda was not competent to give a statement, though she had described what had happened to her sisters.

Linda was subsequently placed in St Ita’s Hospital, Portrane. She was safe there, at least, but her sisters believed it wasn’t suitable, and again sought to have her placed in sheltered accommodation with one-to-one support. However, in April 2007, Linda suffered a brain haemorrhage while in St Ita’s, and died. Her sisters allege that she was neglected in the period leading up to her haemorrhage.

Two years later, in August last year, Danny Talbot, Linda’s sixth child, was found, dead, in a flat in Dublin’s inner city, apparently of a drug overdose. His teenage years had been marked by consistent difficulties, culminating in involvement with drugs and crime, and a brief spell in prison.

It had taken his family a year of legal action to secure a proper assessment of his care needs, which eventually culminated in an aftercare plan being put in place; the plan, clearly, came too late.

Sandra Lamb and her sisters, Donna and Debbie Lamb, said their family “has been treated with disrespect for too long now. We were dismissed as if we were a burden when we went looking for help.”

They said they were seeking a full inquiry into the circumstances of the deaths of Danny and of his mother, Linda Lamb. They said they had had no contact from the HSE since Danny’s death.

The HSE said last night they were conducting a review into the circumstances of Danny’s death, and that the family’s views would be taken on board as part of that review.

The above article was published in the Irish Independent:

We have looked seriously into the deaths of children in care following our nephew Danny Talbot’s death.

We have also looked into the question of mental health, both in adults and children, as our sister Linda Lamb died while in the care of the state also.

Over the past 6 years, we have put our case before all involved in the lives of Danny and Linda, this included meetings with government ministers, the children’s court, the coroners court and many other people we sought out to provide us with answers which were not given to us by the professionals involved in these two lives.

The media invited us to discuss our reasons for requesting answers and following discussions on television, the radio and reports in the various newspapers, the public began to contact us in reply.

We were shocked to hear from so many that they too have suffered the loss of a child or grandchild in care and are still waiting on a response from social workers involved in their case files.

We have met with many adults who have discussed extremely concerning situations where they have been ignored or treated without much respect while seeking answers about the care of their child or the death of their child while in care.

We then wanted to hear from children in care.

We have been to the Boardwalk over the last 2 years and have met so many young people who have a voice which does not seem to be heard by the professionals, as they are still wandering without a regular bed and have become involved in street-life.

We have met 13 year olds out of their heads on drugs, we have met so many on bench warrants who are currently in and out of St Pats before they reach the age of 16, and we have met young teenagers who have had children while in care and who have had to hand over their own children into the care system.

These are just a few examples of the many people we have gone out to meet over the past few years in order to get the full story from their own mouths, and what we have witnessed was shocking and is still going on today.

We have brought our evidence of meetings etc to the government and to the media.

We have also provided information regarding the many who feel worn down by the lack of help they have been asking for too many years, and the reasons that they stated were ‘I was made to feel 6 inches tall by professionals, never again’.

What is required for children and adults in crisis is a service which will ensure that their voice is being respectfully heard.

We have been continuously protesting and have discussed all our findings to government and also in a seminar in UCD, television and radio and with many people we constantly meet.

It has been agreed by each and every person that we have been contacted by and with those in government we spoke with that things must change.

However, nothing will change without serious steps being taken.

We have gathered so much information from people who have stated they feel that they have suffered so much from professionals in the past that they fear it will happen again.

We understand, as at another time this is exactly what we experienced. However, we have not given up and do not intend to lose sight of the urgent need of a service which needs to be set up a.s.a.p.

Although it sounds like such an urgent expectation, that it is exactly what it is, as the amount of children who have died while in care was actually unknown by the Minister for Children because it was unknown by HSE until they checked once, then twice and came up with the correct number on the third count.

We in Ireland should raise our hopes and beliefs and state our case to Government as a solid voice, not in detached groups here and there without a positive goal in mind. If you have an interest in change being brought about for those without a voice, we would like to hear from you.

If you would like to see a service up and running in which you can make contact with people and discuss your immediate concerns knowing that you will be respectfully heard and that your file will not remain on the shelf, we would like to hear from you.

Your response is important, as is your community; we look forward to hearing from you.

(Editor’s note: Website links and other contact information will be added to this article in due course).

UPDATE ADDITION:

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Ms Peavoy died of hypothermia after the council turned off her heating in January 2010 during one of the coldest ever periods.

Social campaigner Fr Peter McVerry, who lives in the adjacent block to Ms Peavoy, said during the recent cold weather he had been approached by a woman in a similar situation seeking an alternative heating source due to the council turning off her heating system.