Child 'tried to slash wrists'

Almost half of the children in care in NI suffer behavioural difficulties

A four-year-old girl tried to slash her wrists while in the care of social services in Northern Ireland, it has emerged.

Details of the incident were revealed as a new study showed almost half of the children in care in the province suffer behavioural difficulties and some harm themselves.

The report, "The Care Careers of Younger Looked After Children", published by the Institute of Child Care Research at Queen's University in Belfast, followed the case histories of 388 children in care who were all under the age of five when the project began.

Wendy Cousins, a member of the institute, said there was a high rate of behavioural problems such as temper tantrums and bed wetting among the children, while a number of self-harm incidents were also detected.

The fact that children this young are causing themselves harm is a serious concern Wendy Cousins Institute of Child Care Research

One of the most distressing incidents observed during the study involved a four-year-old girl who tried to slash her wrists. The youngster later made a full recovery.

Ms Cousins said it was rare to see instances of self-harm in children of such a young age.

"The fact that children this young are causing themselves harm is a serious concern," she said.

"The rising number of children who are suffering behavioural problems is also a worry."

She added that the majority of children in the care of social services came from extremely troubled family backgrounds.

A total of 77% of their families had a history of alcohol abuse, 74% were affected by domestic violence, 64% were touched by mental illness, half had a history of offending behaviour and 42% were affected by drug abuse.

Almost a third of young children in the study were found to have suffered neglect.

The study's authors found that babies under one-year-old were most likely to have been neglected.

They argue that while people are more aware of physical and sexual abuse of children, child neglect is more common and its dangers should be highlighted.

"Moreover, children with a background of neglect are most likely to remain within the care system," according to the report.

Institute of Child Care Research director Professor Dorota Iwaniec noted that, at the end of the study, 40% of the children were in foster care and just 22% were being cared for by their parents. Almost a quarter had been adopted.

"Children need secure loving attachments in order to help them fulfil their potential in later life and to grow up as well-adjusted members of society," Professor Iwaniec said.

The findings will be discussed at a conference of child care experts at Stranmillis University College, Belfast, on Thursday.