GP159 Children brought to the emergency department under section 12: a ten-year review. (June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Aisling, MO'Riordan; Byrne, Niamh Swannick; Haider, Abrar; Mahomed, Husnain; O'Reilly, Peter; Gallagher, Siobhan; Murphy, Anne-Marie
• Is Part Of: Archives of disease in childhood. Volume 104:(2019)Supplement 3
• Page Start: A95
• Page End: A95
• Publication Date: 2019-06
• Subjects: Children -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Infants -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 618.920005
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2019-epa.223
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-9888

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Under Section 12 of the Child Care Act (1991) a child may be removed from the care of their family where a member of an Garda Síochána believes 'there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child'. In these circumstances where a foster placement is not readily available the hospital may become a de facto place of safety to which children are brought. Aim: We carried out a retrospective review of all children, under the age of 18, attending the Emergency Department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) over a 10-year period, from January 2008 to December 2017, to evaluate the demand placed on the service and to look at any changes in the demographics of this population. Results: There were 174 cases where a child was brought to the ED, under a Section 12, in this period. This included a total of 165 children, from 135 families. There was approximately an even distribution of ages, <1 year 20%, 1–5 years 24%, 5–12 years 22%, 12 – 16 years 26% and > 16 years 8%. There was no significant pattern of change in age distribution over time (figure 1 ). Conclusion: This report shows that there is a significant burden placed on the ED by children brought under Section 12 for a place of safety. In most cases the children were in good health and the hospital was not an appropriate environment for them. in this study there were higher numbers of children requiring a place of safety during the economic recession. The fall in numbers may reflect the recent improvement in the economy. A prospective study is planned to look at all section 12s in our department with a view to appropriate planning of services and provision of care.