The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published a report on a children’s residential centre operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) in the South West region.

In 2025, HIQA commenced a programme of inspections focused on the safeguarding of children and young people living in children’s residential centres and on how effective the leadership and management of each centre is at ensuring a rights-based, good-quality and safe service. Each centre is assessed against the National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres (2018).

This was an unannounced follow-up inspection that took place between 10 and 11 June 2026 to assess the centre’s progress following a previous inspection in February 2026. During that inspection, HIQA found that the centre was not compliant with all five national standards assessed. On assessment of the same standards on this inspection, HIQA found that one was compliant and four were substantially compliant.

HIQA found that management had taken action to ensure that a safe living environment was provided for children. There was increased management oversight, lines of accountability were more defined, and issues were addressed more promptly and their outcomes monitored. This had a positive impact on the safety, health and welfare of children in the centre.

Improvements were made in staff’s management of risk, management oversight of records, and the support provided to staff in identifying and reporting incidents. Staff and managers described a more individualised approach to information sharing for each child, which complemented the strong commitment and dedication shown by staff in meeting children's care needs. Incidents affecting children's safety were appropriately identified, reported, recorded and managed, and no significant safeguarding risks were identified. While some gaps were noted in meetings, record-keeping and the overall management of risk, these did not negatively impact children's safety, though further improvement was required to strengthen governance arrangements.

Safeguarding policies and procedures were implemented in practice, though more recently established systems lacked centre management oversight, regional management were taking steps to address these deficits at the time of inspection. A review of the quality and safety of the care provided in the centre had assisted in identifying areas of good practice and those which required actions to ensure a safe service. Some recommendations had not been implemented in a timely way to demonstrate improvements in line with the centre’s compliance plan. These were being monitored with the oversight of regional management.

Following the inspection, management submitted a satisfactory compliance plan to HIQA, which outlined plans to address the issues identified during the inspection.

Note:

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