Gaping holes exist in Bermuda's system of support for troubled teenagers and battered women, a conference on violence was told yesterday.

This was blamed partially on helping professionals' refusal to allow others on "their turf'' and Government's failure to provide enough funds for its social services and to make critical law changes.

Bermudians came out in force -- numbering more than 300 -- on day two of the week-long "Blow the Whistle on Violence'' conference.

Among the gaps claimed by those who spoke out were: A lack of integration and networking among Bermuda's social services, volunteer help agencies, education professionals and Police; The non-existence of a complete register of services available for troubled, abused or abusive youths and adults; The fact there is no mandatory reporting system for domestic beatings; There is no safe haven for runaway teenagers in need of help, not punishment; and A shortage of funding for resource agencies such as Teen Services and for Government departments such as Probation Services.

During a panel discussion involving more than a dozen support agencies, Principals Association official Mr. Livingstone Tuzo noted: "One of the gaps we encounter daily is that if a child is in residential care -- is picked up or incarcerated -- the school does not know. We are the last to know so when we get involved it is very, very late.

"I feel all of us should communicate better. We are all very turf-orientated in this Country and because of this a lot of people go `missing'.'' Probation Services officer Mr. Melvin Simmons said that due to an increased workload and staff shortage, his hands were often tied in saving kids from going through the cracks.

Probation Services had not been able to take any new cases since last August and as a result some juvenile offenders were simply "floating'' in the community, he said.

Mr. Simmons added that despite the new prison, there was a lack of treatment programmes for sex offenders "so that when they are released they tend to be worse''.

Mrs. Dianna Taylor of Child and Family Services said it was often the case her agency was also "left in the dark'' about a problem child until it was too late. She urged relatives, friends and neighbours to call in with details -- not "hints'' if there was a child in need of help.

If they were a teenager, her agency would refer the person to Teen Services.

But a Teen Services representative interjected to say her agency had recently -- due to Budget cuts -- lost its only male counsellor "so we are not able to meet the needs of a segment of the population''.

Education Ministry officer Mr. Dean Furbert said many young people today were desperately in need of mentors -- "people who commit themselves to them as if they were their own child''.

The Big Brothers and Big Sisters programme, however, did not offer support to those over the age of 15, it was noted. A representative added the organisation was also lacking male volunteers to be big brothers.

Paediatrician Dr. June Hill said there seemed to be no place on the Island for the youth to go as a "refuge''; if they were running from a parent or drug dealer out for revenge, for example.

"There's no non-judgmental place where they can catch their breath, have a few good meals and rest,'' she said.

Dr. Muriel Archer suggested Bermuda create a protected Christian home such as Covenant House in the US for runaway youths.

Another woman in the audience said those who were being battered did not known what support services existed and needed to be made Violence debated aware of where they could get help and get away from abusive partners.

Police community relations officer Insp. Roseanda Jones acknowledged "gaps'' existed in the Police system in dealing with domestic violence.

However, officers called to a domestic dispute were trained to refer battered women to one of the helping agencies or the Physical Abuse Centre shelter, she said.

Court restraining orders against abusive men were not a "simplistic'' means of tackling the problem, she pointed out.

Some gave powers of arrest, but others did not. A restraining order might not allow Police to enter a home to find a perpetrator if he defied it, she noted.

And Police could not arrest a person in a domestic situation unless a serious assault had occurred.

King Edward VII Memorial Hospital Emergency Room director Dr. Edward Schultz said although he often saw cases where a woman had clearly been beaten, his hands were tied in calling Police or Physical Abuse Centre counsellors if she refused to allow him to.

"Many refuse to allow us to report the incident to Police or notify anyone for fear he will come after them,'' he said. And for reasons of confidentiality he had to abide by their wishes.

Psychologist and Independent Sen. Norma Astwood, who delivered the opening address, said she believed major gaps existed in the social services system due to the lack of accessible information on what services were available and by the lack of social science research and data to base treatments and services on.

"Certainly violence is a learned behaviour, but a violent background does not necessarily lead to violence,'' she said.