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	LAUNCH OF &#39;SOMEONE TO CARE&#39; REPORT</p>
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	Amnesty International has launched the publication &quot;Someone to Care: The Mental Health Needs Of Children And Young People With Experience Of The Care And Youth Justice Systems.&quot; The comprehensive report gives an insight into the experiences of young people in care settings and how the system can impact on a young person&#39;s well-being. Professionals&#39; views on current gaps in mental health service provision in Ireland are also outlined. The report is holistic, in that, it further highlights Ireland&#39;s international human rights obligations, provides an economic analysis of the Irish care and youth justice systems and illustrates best practice in service provision in various other jurisdictions.</p>
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	In the report, young people identified three main issues to be addressed for children in the care system: the need to be understood, the need for better services and the need for child-centred care.</p>
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	The report made eight key recommendations including: ensuring the voice of the child is listened to, developing a national strategy to address the mental health needs of children and young people in care, providing a common assessment framework of children and young people&#39;s mental health needs, ensuring stability for children in care, providing adequate and equitable access to services, developing mandatory protocols for inter-agency working, providing professional training programmes on psychological well-being and providing legislation to ensure protection for children leaving care, detention and homeless children.</p>
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	Speaking after the launch of the publication, Director of EPIC, Jennifer Gargan made the following comment: &quot;This report again highlights how the system is failing and further traumatising children and young people in care. The key recommendations in this report are vital in achieving better outcomes for young people. An implementation plan is now required in order to ensure that all of the relevant stakeholders work together in order to provide services effectively and efficiently in a child-centred manner.&quot;</p>
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	The needs identified by young people (such as the need to be understood and the need for better services) in this report as well as the recommendations made, particularly on the importance of stability, reflects EPIC&#39;s experiences of working with young people in care and findings from the most recent EPIC research publication &#39;My Voice Has To Be Heard: Outcomes For Young People Leaving Care.&#39;</p>
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	<a href="http://www.waterford-today.ie/waterford-lifestyle/20239-who-is-caring-for-children-in-care-20239.html">http://www.waterford-today.ie/waterford-lifestyle/20239-who-is-caring-for-children-in-care-20239.html</a></p>
