Care order granted for girl, 13, who wanted to kill herself after physical abuse by mother
A judge today granted an emergency care order concerning a 13-year-old girl who said that she wanted to kill herself after being hit by her mother.
At a special sitting of the Family Law court in Ennis, Judge Patrick Durcan granted the eight-day emergency care order for the girl after a social worker for TUSLA told the court that the child would be at serious risk if the order wasn't granted.
TUSLA was making the emergency care order application and the social worker said that emergency powers were invoked in January to put the girl into care temporarily after the girl's mother hit her then.
The social worker said that at that time, the girl had disclosed that her mother had been hitting her and she was very down "and she told us that she was thinking of killing herself".
The social worker said that the girl spent only one night in foster care at that stage as the mother promised the Social Work department that she would work around her issues “and the child was happy to go back at that time”.
However, the social worker said that emergency powers were again invoked by the authorities on Thursday after the teenager disclosed that her mother was hitting her again.
The social worker said that the girl reported on Thursday that her mother punched her three times in the chest as she was about to go to school Thursday morning.
The social worker told the court that the girl was again "down and despondent" over what occurred.
The TUSLA official said that she tried to make contact with the mother but was not successful.
The social worker said that it is in the best interests of the girl that the emergency care order be granted.
Judge Durcan granted the order for eight days.
