A care home for four troubled teenagers, forced to relocate from Limerick city to rural Clare because of past residents’ involvement with Limerick feuding families, cost more than €1 million last year.
A report in today’s Irish Examiner also reveals that the costs at the site in O’Briensbridge are set to be even higher this year and have already come to nearly 600 thousand euro from January to June.
According to a report in today’s Irish Examiner running costs of Eden Villa residential centre in O’Briensbridge, came to €1.06m last year.
The HSE relocated the unit from Limerick City to South East Clare in December 2009 as the previous location became increasingly unsuitable
The latest HIQUA report on the centre stated that at the time of the previous inspection in 2009 there were concerns about some young people’s involvement in feuding between families in the city and associated violence with this.
16 staff are currently employed at the HSE centre to care for four teens aged between 12 and 17 This is down from 12 last year – while 16 youths attended in 2009.
Admissions halted for a month last year following the discharge of a young person involved in a serious incident outside the centre.
HIQUA revealed there were 118 significant incidents in 2010 including assaults and serious threats to staff while young people were absent, at risk and misusing drugs and alcohol.
The report added that it was a difficult period for the centre and it reached crisis point when one person was involved in a serious assault outside of the centre and was immediately arrested.
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