The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published an inspection report on the child protection and welfare service operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) in the Mayo service area. 

HIQA conducted a monitoring inspection in the Mayo service between 7 and 11 July 2025. Of the six standards assessed against the National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2012), two standards were compliant and four standards were found to be substantially compliant.

There were effective leadership, governance, and management structures in the service area and staff were committed to providing a safe, responsive, and child-centred service to children and their families. Staff and management within the service area demonstrated a commitment to delivering a good quality child protection and welfare service that was responsive to the needs of children. Immediate risks to children were responded to effectively, and children accessing the service were kept safe. The culture of the service promoted child-centred practice, and promoting the voice of the child throughout the service was a priority.

There was a high number of vacant social work posts, resulting in a shortage of permanent staff in the service area during the 12 months prior to this inspection. As a result, there were significant delays in the completion of paperwork. However, despite the delays in completing written records, the service area was responding to child protection referrals in line with Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017) and children and their families were provided with a timely, effective and responsive service. HIQA found that improvements were required in the timeliness of some notifications of suspected abuse to An Garda Síochána.

Staff supervision was mixed and improvement was required in the recording of supervision sessions. Staff told inspectors that they received regular supervision and were satisfied with the support they received from their managers. Though not all staff had a personal development plan on file, HIQA found that the personal development plans that were in place were of good quality.

Communication with children and families was of good quality. Inspectors found that children were listened to and their voices and wishes were reflected in case notes, interview notes, intake records, initial assessments, and safety plans. 

Note:

• HIQA is authorised by the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality under Section 8(1) (c) of the Health Act 2007 to monitor the quality of services provided by Tusla to protect children and promote their welfare. HIQA monitors Tusla’s performance against the National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2012) and advises the Minister and Tusla.