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06 Sept 2025

Traumatic plight of Longford family in 'midst of darkest crisis' raised in the Dáil

Taoiseach Simon Harris asked to direct CAMHS, the HSE and officials to liaise with the family

Traumatic plight of Longford family in 'midst of darkest crisis' raised in the Dáil

Traumatic plight of Longford family in 'midst of darkest crisis' raised in the Dáil

Reporter:

Sandra Malone

23 Oct 2024 6:00 PM

Longford Westmeath TD Joe Flaherty raised the issue in the Dáil of the lack of support for families in crisis where a child is battling intellectual and behavioural issues, citing a specific case of a Longford family currently embroiled in such an issue.

On Tuesday 22 October, the Fianna Fáil politician addressed the Dáil to discuss a "shattered family" that he met with this week who pleaded for help for their 16-year-old son. 

Deputy Flaherty said: "I have to raise the case of a Longford family in the midst of the deepest, darkest crisis at the moment. Over the last number of months their 16-year-old son Jacob has subjected his parents to unrelenting violence."

The Longford Westmeath TD went on to describe the damage the 16-year-old has done to the family home and car. As well as this he said that "in recent weeks his three siblings have been dispatched to relatives and friends for their own personal safety."

He said that he personally witnessed the boy attacking his father, adding: "I sat in the family home on Saturday morning. I saw that the television was smashed, I saw no photos on the walls, they were smashed, I saw holes in the walls, I saw doors kicked in."
Deputy Flaherty expressed that this case highlights the lack of supports available to families experiencing such difficulties, pointing to the flaws within Children & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and the Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT).
He said: "His mother rang CAMHS again on Friday only to be told that this is not a mental health issue but a behavioural issue and there was nothing they could do but refer him back to the children's disability network team.
"Without question, this young boy needs a period of residential care to assess what is triggering these outbursts and how best to equip the family for dealing with them."
Deputy Flaherty urged the Taoiseach to address the issue: "As a matter of urgency, Taoiseach, can you direct CAMHS, the HSE and officials to liaise with the family and ensure that young Jacob is referred for residential assessment and care?"
In response, Taoiseach Simon Harris thanked Deputy Flaherty for highlighting the issue and said that he will speak to the Minister of State Mary Butler about it. 
The Taoiseach added: "I know there was some funding in the budget to try to have better joined-up approaches between CDNTs and our mental health services. We will certainly engage with the Deputy on that."
 
Deputy Flaherty took to Facebook to express his frustration with the country's "failure to provide support for families in crisis and where a child is battling intellectual and behavioural issues."
He added: "Too often CAMHS (Children & Adolescent Mental Health Services) will say it is not a case for them and try to refer the young person back to the local Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT), who in turn have no solutions."
The Longford Westmeath TD said that no family wants their deeply personal circumstances publicised in such a manner, but this case highlights that the country needs to do better for families experiencing such issues.

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