Children's services publication statement 5 July 2022

Date of publication:

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published two  inspection reports on the child protection and welfare service operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) in the Sligo, Leitrim, West Cavan and Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary service areas.

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 inspections across both service areas in March 2022. These inspections assessed compliance with the national standards relating to the management of children who are at ongoing significant risk of harm and who are placed on Tusla’s Child Protection Notification System (CPNS). 

Of the six standards assessed during each of these inspections, the Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary service area was found to be compliant with three standards and not compliant with one standard. The Sligo, Leitrim, West Cavan area was found to be compliant with one standard and not compliant with three standards. Both service areas were found to be substantially compliant with the remaining two standards.

Overall, HIQA found variances in the service provided to children listed on the CPNS across the two areas. In Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary children received a good quality, safe service and the social work service provided effective leadership, governance and management arrangements. However, the inspection of Sligo, Leitrim, West Cavan, found that although governance and management systems were established, the effectiveness of these systems varied. Monitoring and risk management systems needed to be strengthened to provide a consistent, safe service to all children listed on the CPNS. 

The inspections identified risks in both areas. There was an absence of suitable placements for children who required them in the Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary service area. Despite the area escalating this risk, it had not resulted in the provision of the necessary alternative care services to children active on the CPNS. There was also ineffective child protection safety planning for some children on the CPNS in Sligo, Leitrim, West Cavan. Risks were identified relating to seven children, but these children had not all been visited to ensure their safety. Visits to other children were not carried out in line with the frequency required by their safety plan. Appropriate assurances were provided to inspectors regarding the effective implementation of the safety plans for these children. 

Both service areas had local policies and procedures in place to guide staff, to ensure a timely service and to keep children on the CPNS safe. These were in place as the interim national guidelines on child protection case conferencing and the child protection notification system had not been reviewed since 2018.  

Both areas supported and promoted multidisciplinary involvement and cooperation to ensure that the needs of children were met in a timely way. Children listed on the CPNS in the Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary service area had robust child protection safety plans to keep them safe. Child protection conferences and reviews were appropriately facilitated in Sligo, Leitrim, West Cavan, but not always convened within the appropriate time frames for children. 

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