Dublin District Court extended an interim care order (ICO) for a teenager who had recently arrived into the State alone from a war-torn country in Africa.
It was noted that since the last court date a social worker had been allocated who was present in court to give evidence.
The social worker said the boy had initially been placed in emergency accommodation on his arrival, but he had since moved to an approved and regulated placement. The judge said he was glad to hear it.
Although he had perfect English and was ready for mainstream school, so far it had been difficult finding a school placement for the teenager. For the moment he was attending a Youthreach programme which would continue until a full-time education placement had been found. He was actively interested in education and reading and was going to the library by himself. He loved soccer and had been signed up for a soccer camp. Although he had not made many friends as of yet, it was hoped that once a school placement had been found this would change.
In terms of tracing his family, the court was told the teenager did not want contact with his family at the moment, so there had been no attempt to communicate with anyone from home as of yet. The social worker said they would look at the position down the line if the teenager wanted them to, but they had to respect his current wishes.
The teenager had applied for international protection and legal aid had just been confirmed so the hope was that this would be progressed as soon as possible.
The ICO was extended for 28 days.
