An inquest into the death of a teenager, who was in the care of the State when he was murdered in 2010, has been told of the pressures facing the Health Service Executive in finding suitable residential care placements for young people.
Daniel McAnaspie had more than 20 care placements in the 15 months prior to his death as his life became "increasingly chaotic," the inquest in Trim, Co Meath, has heard.
The teenager, originally from Finglas in Dublin, had been known to care services from birth and was in the care of the State after losing both his parents at a young age.
The inquest was told that while Daniel had struggled to fit in with the rest of his family at times, his family had always been there for him.
He was stabbed to death at Tolka Valley Park near Blanchardstown in February 2010. Two months later, his badly decomposed remains were found in a deep drain on a farmer's land in Rathfeigh, Co Meath.
A second man, Trevor Noone, also from Blanchardstown, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for his role in Daniel's death.
Social care worker Avril Connolly told the coroner for Co Meath, Nathaniel Lacey, that Daniel was a "charismatic boy" but he came into care as an "orphaned soul" in a world that he was unable to navigate by himself.
The inquest was given a timeline of the meetings and interactions Ms Connolly had with regard to Daniel's case between March 2009 and his death in February 2010.
At least three applications had been made to the HSE care committee to seek a secure-care place for him during that time period, all of which were refused.
Social care worker tells of 'firefighting'
Ms Connolly said that she had been "firefighting" from her first interaction with Daniel and was eventually dealing with his case on a daily basis.
She said that she was very aware that Daniel was in need of "secure care" as he was a danger to himself and had previously self-harmed, but she added that he was also at risk from others because of drug taking and his involvement in criminal behaviour.
A young person who is deemed to be at such risk to themselves or others, as to need therapeutic residential care, may be detained in secure care by the High Court.
The coroner reiterated that yesterday the inquest had heard that while there are currently 24 secure-care beds in existence in the State, just 15 are available at any one time due to staffing difficulties.
However, the jury heard it is recommended that there should be a total of 70 such beds available and fully staffed in the State.
Ms Connolly also told the inquest today why she did not recommend Daniel take part in a residential treatment programme in Sweden despite there being no secure care beds for him here.
However, before Ms Connolly could outline her reasons for this to the jury, she had to re-read a report that contained her written statement from the time in question.
Having read the report, she said her reasons related to taking Daniel away from his family.
She added that there were also no guarantees the programme would break his links with criminality.
Despite the treatment centre being located on an island, Ms Connolly said that Daniel could still have absconded from the facility if he wanted to do so.
Ms Connolly was also asked about if she is aware of the pressure that social care workers and the system are currently under.
She said she thanked God that she does not still work in the same role and if things today are similar to when she did, she could see why there is a high level of burnout experienced by workers in the sector.
Ms Connolly said she always endeavoured to do what was best for Daniel and she agreed that what he needed was secure care.
She said she requested this on at least three occasions in 2009 but all of those applications were not granted.
Daniel 'didn't have a bad bone in his body'
The inquest also heard from Daniel's Guardian ad Litem, Aileen Dunne.
A Guardian ad Litem is an independent person appointed by a court to represent a child’s best interests in legal proceedings.
Ms Dunne said that Daniel was a "beautiful boy" who did not have a "bad bone in his body."
She said while Daniel "did do criminal things," they were not "borne by any badness" and she became visibility upset when she told the inquest about learning that Daniel had been murdered.
She had stopped working for four years following Daniel's death.
The inquest heard that Daniel had been admitted into the voluntary care of the HSE along with his mother and a number of his siblings in 2004, when he was around 11 years old.
However, a full care order was later granted and Daniel’s mother died in 2007.
Ms Dunne said she had completed around 37 Guardian ad Litem reports related to Daniel’s case and she said she could not fathom why an application for him to receive secure care was never granted.
She said that Daniel was aware of his own impulsivity and made it clear to her on a number of occasions that he would prefer to be "locked up" so that he would feel safe.
Ms Dunne said that as far as she was aware, the only criteria that Daniel did not meet for this to happen was that there was not a bed available.
She said she was aware of a crisis at the time in terms of resources and the number of places for secure care.
She told the inquest that she requested that Daniel receive a psychological assessment on at least ten occasions but she could not really say why one did not take place following her requests.
When asked if Daniel should have attended the residential treatment programme in Sweden, Ms Dunne said there was a strong argument for this as they were running out of options and his family was not able to provide care for him anymore.
She said that as Guardian ad Litem, she was the voice of the child and in this case that was Daniel and he wanted to give the programme a try and his family were also in agreement.
Asked why her stance on the matter differed to that of social care worker Ms Connolly, Ms Dunne said she could only explain this as a "professional difference in opinion".
Daniel 'full of joy and plans for future'
A third witness, Conor Sludds, the manager of Finglas Community Training Centre, also appeared before the inquest.
Mr Sludds said that Daniel started full-time at the centre at the age of 15 and was full of joy and plans for his future.
He said Daniel was eager to learn to read and write and also complete his Junior Certificate.
However, the inquest was told Daniel was impatient and became frustrated when this was not happening for him and his attendance became more sporadic from November 2007 onwards.
Mr Sludds said that he would agree that the Department of Education was "slow in coming on board" when applications were made for further assistance for Daniel.
He said he would like to think that Daniel had happy memories of his time at the centre.
The inquest continues at Trim Courthouse tomorrow before coroner Nathaniel Lacey and the jury of three men and three women.
It is expected to take until at least the end of the week before a verdict is returned and it has yet to hear from Daniel's family as well as a number of other expert witnesses.
