The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published a thematic inspection report on the child protection and welfare service operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) in the Midlands service area. Thematic inspection programmes aim to promote quality improvement in a specific area of a service and to improve the quality of life of children and families receiving the services. 

HIQA is authorised by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth 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 and advises the Minister and Tusla.

HIQA conducted a thematic inspection of the child protection and welfare service in the Midlands across four days between 8 and 15 March 2021. This themed inspection aimed to assess compliance with the national standards relating to managing referrals from receipt to the point of completing an initial assessment. Of the seven standards assessed, four were compliant, two were substantially compliant and one was partially compliant.

Overall, inspectors found the leadership and management of the duty intake and initial assessment service supported the delivery of a good service to children and their families. Managers at all levels provided strong support and oversight of the work of front-line social work teams. Children and their families reported positively on the help they received, and were satisfied with the level of contact, timeliness and quality of support they received from social workers.

Front-line duty and assessment staff were child centred in their approach and clearly recorded the views and experiences of children. Staff ensured that safety planning was monitored and risks were recognised, and that children and their families could access additional support when they needed it. However, improvements were required in the timeliness of preliminary enquiries and initial assessments. Further work was needed to ensure children did not have to wait for a service at the point of initial assessment. 

The service area’s approach to service planning and governance was effective in identifying and delivering continuous service improvement. Service managers were well informed about organisational pressures and tracked progress being made through well-developed systems of risk management, audits, supervision and caseload review. The area had made improvements in the completion of notifications to An Garda Síochána, but delays remained evident and a small number of cases did not have notifications as required.