A safe haven

High Court judge Justice Avason Quinlan-Williams ordered that a 14-year-old boy be removed from the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital and placed in the care of the Children’s Authority on October 12. The boy, who was diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome, was then taken away from the hospital, in which he was raped by an adult patient, and transferred to the authority’s Child Support Centre.

But what exactly is the centre?

According to the authority’s communications department, the Child Support Centre is not a children’s home but a space that provides temporary care for children who have been determined to be in imminent danger and require emergency accommodation at a location that is secure, child-friendly and professionally staffed.

The staff includes a number of multi-disciplinary professionals, including a doctor, caregivers, social workers and a psychologist.

The authority noted that the Children’s Authority Act, Chapter 46:10, allowed for any social worker or police officer, who determined that a child was in immediate risk of being harmed, to remove that child from those circumstances and alert the authority. The child’s situation would then be assessed and placement options considered.

At full capacity, the centre accommodates 20 children. Since it is temporary, children only stay at the centre until long-term accommodation is found. The long-term option chosen would be “in the best interest of the child” and could include family members, a fit person, foster care, adoption or a community residence.