Police report arson and robberies involving children in state care

Police have reported arson, robberies and other serious offences involving children in state care, as parliament on Monday heard that overcrowding, staff shortages and gaps in specialist services remain unresolved. The issue was discussed by the House human rights committee, which had given the relevant authorities a month to explain what action they would take to address problems in facilities housing children under state protection. Committee chairman and Akel MP Christos Christofides criticised services that had failed to answer questions submitted during the previous meeting, warning that further delays would not be accepted. “If we come to the next one and talk about theories, I will interrupt and tell the people that no work is being done,” he said. Christofides said the committee would reconvene before the end of the year to assess progress and seek a meeting with children in state care to hear directly about their experiences. A police officer told the committee that a study on juvenile delinquency had been prepared, but said the incidents in question were being recorded as criminal activity rather than delinquent behaviour because they included arson, robberies and other serious offences. Social welfare services director Maria Kyratzi said efforts were under way to develop more specialised, multidisciplinary support for adolescents and children in protection facilities. The proposals follow concerns raised at an earlier meeting about overcrowding and inadequate staffing in existing facilities. A proposal by Deputy Social Welfare Minister Tina Pavlou to create secure therapeutic facilities for children with more complex needs was also discussed. Kyratzi said discussions had begun on how the proposal could be implemented. Several participants argued that smaller, family-style facilities would offer children a better quality of life. The health ministry said it was setting up a working group to improve information-sharing between services, with the aim of creating a single digital record for each child. Participants also raised concerns regarding severe understaffing in mental health services.