Local police are conducting an investigation and the institution has launched an internal probe into the case of a 14-year-old girl who fell from the roof of a children’s home in Pécs (Southwest Hungary) earlier this month, police and the Directorate General for Social Affairs and Child Protection (SZGYF) told MTI on Monday.
14-year-old girl on the roof of the children’s home
The incident was first reported by Telex.hu news portal on Sunday. The SZGYF said the girl was returned to the institution by police officers late on July 11 after she had been absent without permission for more than ten days. As it later turned out, the girl removed the screws securing the safety chains of the skylight of a kitchen and climbed out onto the roof of the building, MTI wrote.
By this time, a staff member of the children’s home had noticed the girl’s disappearance, but since she could not find her in the building, she asked for help from police officers. One of the residents reported seeing someone on the roof, prompting police to alert paramedics and begin a search of the surrounding area. It was during this sweep that they discovered a girl lying on the ground. She was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital, while officers carried out an on-site investigation.
According to the Directorate-General, an internal inquiry into the circumstances remains under way. The Baranya County Police Headquarters told MTI that the Pécs Police Department is examining the case במסגרת criminal proceedings.
The Directorate-General noted that standard upper-floor windows at the home had already been secured against opening prior to the incident. The girl was able to escape only after breaking a safety chain. As an immediate measure, a non-removable fixing has now been installed on the window, while a specialist will implement a permanent solution using a bespoke fastening method.
Systematic problems
Officials also pointed to “serious systemic issues” raised by the case. When police returned the girl to the children’s home that evening, a single night-duty supervisor was responsible for ten children. The institution, they stressed, can only employ a qualified educator alongside supervisory staff during daytime hours.
For years, the system has struggled with single-person night shifts. The home currently has only limited, temporary scope to deploy two staff overnight in severe crisis situations as an exceptional measure.
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Further difficulties stem from the increasingly acute mental health conditions of children entering care. A shortage of specialists, inadequate pay, and the regular aggression directed at staff by residents all place significant strain on daily operations, the statement said.
This is compounded by a severe lack of places, particularly for children with special needs, alongside a growing administrative burden and increasingly complex bureaucratic procedures, the Directorate-General added in its response to MTI.
If you missed our previous article: 14-year-old girl falls from roof of children’s home in Hungary after climbing through skylight
