EPIC’s Opening Statement to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Drug
Use on Care-Experience

EPIC has worked with young people who have faced multiple placements, early school leaving, mental health crisis’s and homelessness – and in the face of these challenges, they have become mature, empathetic adults that are changing lives in our care system today.
It is important to reiterate, as other presenters to this Committee have before, that drug use is a societal issue. It is not a consequence of being in care.

Problematic drug use and addiction are often a response to trauma and in particular, a response to the feelings of loss and abandonment. For some, substance use can become a form of self-medication for mental health issues.

For those in care, responses to unresolved trauma can lead to placement breakdown, which can deepen feelings of loss and abandonment, and spiral into further drug use and more difficult care experiences.

Challenges can extend beyond illegal drugs. EPIC’s National Advocacy Service has worked with young people using legal drugs, such as ‘spiced’ vapes, over the counter painkillers and prescription drugs, believing they are safe or less harmful. For some young people we work with, these substances – in combination with underlying health difficulties – has resulted in hospital admission.

EPIC provides services across the care system, including working with children and young people with the highest support needs, such as those living in Special Care. Many of these young people report that substance misuse has contributed to them being in these facilities.

Some reported getting caught up with drug dealing while living in the community. Young people have described feeling ‘physically sick’ at the thought of doing this, yet unable to find a way out.

We are outlining these experiences because we believe that Ireland can do better for care-experienced children and young people. There are ways forward – improving services for those actively in addiction, more diversion options available to the courts, and innovation in the prevention of addiction in the first place.

There is a gap in the data available on care-experienced young people within addiction services and the justice system. Collecting this data using the National Drug Treatment Reporting System could be further explored to allow for more targeted responses and allocation of resources.

One of the main issues seen by EPIC Advocates is the lack of appropriate detox and rehabilitation services for young people in care. While services like this for young people in general are limited, the services that exist are not appropriate to the needs of care-experienced young people.

In the absence of these services, Special Care is being relied upon as a detox service, which puts further pressure on already stretched resources

Similarly, with the absence of appropriate diversion options for young people engaged in drug activity, the system can turn to Oberstown, undermining its position as an option of last resort.

Young people with care-experience can have a dual diagnosis, which means that they may have a moderate to severe mental illness at the same time as a substance use disorder. Treatment options must address both. There are currently very limited services for children and young people experiencing dual diagnosis, particularly outside Dublin.

There is a need for bespoke drug, detox and rehabilitation services designed specifically to meet the needs of care-experienced children and young people. There is also a need for simple drug information sessions, relapse prevention and creative methodologies to explore substance misuse in an informal way. Counselling may not be appropriate for care-experienced young people, as they may not feel able to talk about their experience, and they may respond better to youth work methodologies.

Prevention must begin with education. Both the key adults and professionals – and children and young people themselves – need greater awareness of the types of drugs available, their potential effects, and the risks associated with their use. This knowledge can help professionals to offer support, and empower young people to make informed choices and seek help early.

Finally, we would like to draw the Committee’s attention to upstream services, such as the Geelong Project , pioneered in Australia and a related project now seeing success in Wales . This youth homelessness prevention intervention is named, though not progressed, in Ireland’s Youth Homelessness Strategy.

Care-experienced young people and professionals consistently tell us about the need for early intervention. During adolescence, when family situations can start to deteriorate, young people may internalise this trauma and believe it is their fault. This can be the starting point for later issues, including substance use.

Upstream models work by engaging with schools, where early signs of family breakdown are identified through a survey. This is followed by the offer of support to the family/caregivers and the child.

Given the intersectionality of care-experience, homelessness and addiction, we believe a model like this has the potential to be a transformative intervention, and it should be pursued.

Every child in care and young person leaving care deserves the chance to thrive, free from stigma and harm. Addressing substance use and addiction through a trauma-informed lens means ensuring that these children and young people can get the support they need.
To achieve this, Ireland must invest in specialised drug, detox and rehabilitation services for care-experienced youth, collect better data to understand need, and innovate intervention pathways.