Mr. Wayne Stanley:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to present to it today. For those who do not know, EPIC is an independent children's rights organisation that works with and for children in State care and care leavers up to the age of 26. The central pillars of our work are the provision of an independent, human rights-based advocacy service, our youth engagement and participation programme and our commitment to knowledge exchange. That is about taking the experience of the young people that we engage with and communicating it to stakeholders. That is why today is such an important opportunity for us.

I am joined by my colleague Ms Fiona Murray, the head of our advocacy service. She has worked for more years than she would like me to say, caring for young people. She is a fountain of knowledge. I hope the committee can take advantage of that.

While those in the room will be aware, it is important to put on record that most young people in the care system have positive experiences. Even where experiences are difficult, young people are resilient and successful. EPIC has worked with young people who have faced multiple placements, early school-leaving, mental health crises and homelessness - and in the face of these challenges, they have become mature, empathetic adults that are changing lives in our care system today. That is always important to remember. It is also important to reiterate, as other presenters to this committee have done, 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 – have 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 always 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 at a particular instance as they may not feel able to talk about their experiences and may respond better to youth work methodologies.

Prevention can begin within education. Key adults and professionals as well as 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, I would like to draw the committee’s attention to upstream services which is often talked about in the context of preventing homelessness, particularly youth homelessness. The Geelong Project has been pioneered in Australia and a related project is now seeing success in Wales. It has been recommended by a subgroup working on Ireland’s youth homelessness strategy. It is being examined but has not been progressed and is something the committee might look at as a mechanism for getting in early to work with and support families who are finding themselves in conflict.