The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published two inspection reports on children’s residential centres operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) in the South region.
HIQA is authorised by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth under Section 69 of the Child Care Act, 1991 as amended by Section 26 of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2011, to inspect children’s residential care services provided by Tusla. HIQA monitors Tusla’s performance against the National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres and advises the Minister and Tusla.
HIQA conducted both of these unannounced inspections in January 2023.

Inspection 1 

This inspection was a routine inspection to monitor the quality of the service and the level of compliance with the standards. The inspection assessed eight of the national standards and found that seven standards assessed were compliant and one was not compliant.

Young people experienced care and support in the centre which respected their diversity and protected their rights. Staff treated young people in response to their individual needs. Young people were aware of and were encouraged to develop their understanding about their rights as appropriate to their age and ability, and their dignity and privacy was respected and promoted. Young people were encouraged to develop their independence while being supported by staff. Any restrictions to privacy were appropriately assessed, were developed in line with individual young people’s care plans and placement plans and were reviewed on a regular basis.

The centre had effective leadership, governance and management arrangements in place and there were effective systems in place to manage risk. Staff were aware of the lines of accountability and delegations of duties were clearly recorded. Actions were taken to ensure that the centre continued to improve the safety and quality of the service. 

The centre effectively implemented safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures. Managers and staff had appropriate knowledge of their responsibilities and took action in line with Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017). Young people were also supported to develop their understanding and skills for their own protection, and told the inspector that they felt safe living in the centre.

The premises remained unsuitable and this impacted on the quality of care provided to young people. There had been delays in addressing this issue which remained unresolved at the time of the inspection. Following the inspection, management submitted a satisfactory compliance plan to address this deficit in the quality of care for young people in the centre.

Inspection 2

This inspection focused on the leadership and management of the centre and the quality and safety of care provided to young people. The inspection assessed eight of the national standards and all eight of the standards assessed were compliant.

The leadership and governance of service delivery was good. This was a well-run centre, with a suitably skilled and experienced staff and management team in place. The management team and staff in the centre clearly understood their roles and responsibilities for keeping young people safe, promoting their rights and meeting their individual needs. Policies, procedures and risk management systems were effectively embedded within care practices. This helped to ensure a shared approach to improving outcomes for young people and provided a clear structure for the identification, management and ongoing monitoring of risk.  
  
The staff team delivered a high standard of child-centred care and actively sought to help young people feel safe and valued. They sought to build open and supportive relationships with the young people that recognised their individual needs and potential. Young people’s complex needs were well managed from the point of admission to dealing with significant events. Staff worked closely with other professionals to plan for and ensure young people’s specific needs were being met and took timely action to promote their safety and welfare.

The inspection reports and compliance plan can be found at the link below.