The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published two inspection reports on children’s residential centres.

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 the Child and Family Agency (Tusla). HIQA monitors Tusla’s performance against the National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres and reports on its findings to the Minister. 

Announced inspections of two statutory children’s residential centres in the Tusla South region were carried out in April 2021. Of the eight standards assessed during each of these inspections, both centres were found to be compliant with six standards. They were substantially compliant with the remaining standards.

Both centres were found to have appropriate governance and management structures in place to monitor practice and oversee the delivery of care to children and young people. Management and staff were committed to the continuous improvement of the safety and quality of the service to ensure the best possible outcomes for children. Improvement was required in one centre with regards to providing regular supervision to staff, while in the other centre there was no formal on-call arrangement in place. Both centres required improvement in the management of centrally held staff files, however, staffing resources were found to be adequate.

There were systems in place to effectively manage risk in both centres. 

Children and young people who participated in these inspections spoke positively about their placements and felt cared for and supported by staff. They received care which promoted their rights and respected their diversity. In both centres, care was provided to children and young people in partnership with family members and professionals. Children and young people’s views were sought, listened to and acted upon. They confirmed that staff treated them with dignity and respect. They were supported to develop their capacity to promote their own wellbeing and in making decisions about their lives.