Principal details case of appalling child neglect in court

The Child Care Law Reporting website today published a case which highlighted a serious case of child neglect. The case, in which all parties remain anonymous, details the neglect suffered by two young girls, with firsthand accounts given by the girl’s school principal.

The principal, who became concerned for her pupils in October 2013, spoke in court about the children’s social isolation as well as the apparent lack of concern on the part of their mother.

Commenting on the student’s appearance during this time, the principal recalled a particularly bad case of head lice suffered by one of the girls, saying: “It looked like her whole head was moving. I could see spider-like creatures moving. I could see hundreds of them moving down her neck.”

Fearful for her students, the principal approached their mother and when that didn’t elicit an improvement in the girl’s health and well-being, the principal contacted both the social services and the gardai.

The children were immediately taken into care upon being discovered in appalling conditions at home. The girl’s mother suffered from drug abuse issues and their father only became aware of his daughters’ experience two weeks before the court hearing.

Thankfully, the two girls have improved significantly since being taken into care. Referring to one of the girls, the principal revealed that the change in her former student was astounding, saying: “She was so settled, working so well, so confident, she actually put on weight, she looked so well, she could be a child for the first time in her life, she didn’t look stressed or worried.”