An extremely vulnerable teenage girl, who has been the victim of sexual abuse, is to be kept in the care of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, after she turns 18 in a few weeks, the High Court has decided.
The Agency sought the temporary order on the grounds that she requires ongoing care and attention, and due to its concerns about her capacity to make decisions for herself.
Mr Justice Charles Meenan heard that the teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has engaged in what was described as risky sexual behaviour and is also at risk of self-harm and suicide. The order is to remain in place until an application is made to make the teenager a ward of court.
Barrister Mary Phelan, counsel for the agency, said the girl has been in care for some years after Tusla had discovered she had been neglected and subjected to physical abuse.
Ms Phelan said the teenager had also claimed to have been sexually abused and her allegations had been found to be credible by those treating her.
Ms Phelan told the court that the girl no longer has any contact with her mother, and while still in touch with her father, he was unable to care for her. She had been assessed by medical professionals and had been found to be impulsive and suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Counsel said there were concerns about the girl's ability to make decisions for herself which had prompted the pending application to make her a ward of court. In recent months she had been sexually assaulted by someone she met through the internet.
Ms Phelan said the teenager was currently staying at a residential unit and generally gets on well with the staff at the facility. Various educational supports and services, with which she has engaged, had been provided for her.
Judge Meenan, who described the girl's situation as a particularly tragic one, heard the Agency's application to keep the girl in its care was being supported by her father and a guardian ad litem who had earlier been appointed by the court.
The judge was satisfied the girl would now get the level of care she required and that it would not stop when she turned 18.
The matter was adjourned to a date in the new October law term.
