Devlin Kavanagh case....who is to blame?

bigpink

Whos to blame here?
Ita a harsh thing to say but sometimes some people unless you lock them up24/7 will commit sucide.i seen people get all the supports etc but still did it

I think its unfair for the family to blame someone,everyone should be to blame then

If people are given a chance and still nothing changes what do you do then? http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0630/blog-30june2011_primetime.html

bigpink

He rang his mother after missing and partying for a few days to come get him...she didnt have a car fair enough,he said get your partners jeep i cant Devlin,get granny i cant Devlin

Jesus if your kid was in that bad a way ud find a way to him

Kiera

I watched it with my Mam just now and both of us couldnt get over how the mother couldnt help her own child. I know i'll get slated for that but i just dont get how she couldnt have done more. The poor child wanted his mother to help him and i feel she should have tried harder with him. It seemed like all he wanted was for his Mam to help him and not be thrown back into care over and over.


Its very very sad

Penitent man

The dramatic change in him after the move home from America was strange. You'd have to wonder would it have made any difference if they remained there. Very sad for the family.

7sr2z3fely84g5

its here- http://www.herald.ie/national-news/my-son-devlin-could-have-been-saved-if-he-received-the-proper-support-2626821.html

THE suicide of teen Devlin Kavanagh in State care shows how the voice of the child was "stifled" by bureaucracy, children's rights campaigners have said.
Devlin Kavanagh (14), from Castledermot, Co Kildare, hanged himself just a few miles from his home on December 5, 2006.
The teen died after he was told he would have to return to the Ballydowd secure care home in west Dublin.
He previously told his mother that he would kill himself if this happened.
Devlin's mother Orla Kavanagh Doyle and her husband Mark believe that if their son had received the correct support, he may have been saved.


Mrs Kavanagh Doyle said that before to 2005 they lived “a normal family life” before her son displayed symptoms of depression and self harming.
But on the night of his death she became increasingly concerned for her son's safety when he took her car and disappeared.


However, although she claims she called the garda station at 11pm and 1am, officers said that they had no recollection of the call.



Devlin was discovered the following day hanging from a tree less than one quarter of a kilometre from where his mother originally thought he was.
In November 2006, the HSE became aware of the sexual abuse of Devlin but it took five weeks before his parents were informed. In December of that year Mrs Kavanagh sought a care order from the High Court so her troubled son could be taken into the care.
Devlin’s father Mark Doyle told the Herald the family had waited four years for the report. “He wasn’t a statistic, he was a child,” he said.
Warnings
Children's Rights Alliance CEO, Jillian van Turnhout, said all sections of the State organisations have a responsibility in the case.
“We need to learn why the warning bells were not heard,” she said. The voice of the child was not at the forefront of the investigations.
“We need to ensure an interconnectivity of the different arms of the State – in education, justice, social services.”
The tragic case of Devlin is one of 10 damning investigations by the Ombudsman for Children.

biko

A series of reports last year revealed that 188 children had died while in the care of the HSE during the previous decade. Among the names of the 188 children is that of Devlin Kavanagh from Castledermot, Co. Kildare. Devlin was fourteen years old when, in December of 2006, he took his own life. As is the case with most children in the care of the HSE, Devlin had had a troubled existence, although his difficulties had only really started during his early teenage years. After dropping out of school and starting to experiment with drugs and alcohol, he also began to self-harm. His behaviour pushed his parents Orla and Mark to breaking point. They felt unable to deal with what had become a family crisis, so they turned to HSE services for professional help.
In the following year, numerous efforts were made through the Social Worker Department and the Community Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Naas and Athy to help Devlin. Though never landing in serious trouble he continued to attract the attention of the Gardaí. As a child protection measure he was subsequently placed for three months at the state’s secure care facility in Ballydowd outside Dublin.
On his release, things did not improve significantly. Fearing that his behaviour left him at risk, the HSE requested the High Court to issue a special care order for Gardaí to take Devlin back to Ballydowd. However, with the prospect of returning to Ballydowd, he then went missing. He showed up home four days later, feeling depressed. Before the Gardaí could reach him, in a small Co. Kildare village he carried out his threat to kill himself rather than be taken back into secure care.
Devlin’s story is a complex one; as frustrating as it is tragic. His parents, unhappy with the care provided to Devlin by the HSE, asked the Children’s Ombudsman to conduct its own investigation, the findings of which were published earlier this year. In it, the Ombudsman makes numerous criticisms of the HSE's performances, as well as making a list of recommendations to ensure that this type of situation does not happen again. Tonight, Frank Shouldice tells Devlin’s story, with solicitor Catherine Ghent joining Richard Crowley afterwards in studio.
There is nothing that can bring Devlin back to his family but it is the State’s response to the findings of this report that will tell whether the name of Devlin Kavanagh becomes another number in the list of children who have died in the care of the State. His parents would wish otherwise and have participated in this programme hoping his case can be a catalyst for change in the way that this country protects its most vulnerable.

From After Hours to Humanities

booboo88

bigpink wrote: »

He rang his mother after missing and partying for a few days to come get him...she didnt have a car fair enough,he said get your partners jeep i cant Devlin,get granny i cant Devlin

Jesus if your kid was in that bad a way ud find a way to him

Kiera wrote: »

I watched it with my Mam just now and both of us couldnt get over how the mother couldnt help her own child. I know i'll get slated for that but i just dont get how she couldnt have done more. The poor child wanted his mother to help him and i feel she should have tried harder with him. It seemed like all he wanted was for his Mam to help him and not be thrown back into care over and over.


Its very very sad

My son Devlin could have been saved if he received the proper support

At the risk of sounding heartless, he may still be alive had he had some support from his mother?? no?
why was he put into care?
all he was asking for was his mother to come get him, and she couldnt, why couldnt she? i'd like to see her answer that question, considering she's blaming the hse.

nicechick!

booboo88 wrote: »

At the risk of sounding heartless, he may still be alive had he had some support from his mother?? no?
why was he put into care?
all he was asking for was his mother to come get him, and she couldnt, why couldnt she? i'd like to see her answer that question, considering she's blaming the hse.

Like any parent I'm sure she's made mistakes along the way but not many of us are not equipped with the skills/knowledge to deal with mental health particularly your own child. Heartbreaking! I'm sure she'll regret much in her life particularly with in regards to her own son but I assume she came to breaking point and sought the help that she thought he'd get.

I actually think she made a brave & proactive decision to seek the help of the HSE she could no longer help her son she sought for him to get the professional help he needed though if only she knew there is little or no services available to support the youth and there mental health issues here.

It highlights the very failures of a system that doesn't work resulting in the needless death of this young boy and others. I'm sure fault lies with both the parents and the HSE but I would strongly criticise the HSE as for me I would like to think that if they had or should provide the adequate care and professional support to those parents and there child.

Nolanger

He lived in the USA for a few years and then moved back to some kip in Kildare. Yet 'experts' still can't figure why he didn't fit in and had behavioural problems?

booboo88

Nolanger wrote: »

He lived in the USA for a few years and then moved back to some kip in Kildare. Yet 'experts' still can't figure why he didn't fit in and had behavioural problems?

could have been the drugs he was dabblin in?