The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published a report on Coovagh House Special Care Unit. Special care units are secure residential units for children aged 11 years to 17 years. Children are placed in a special care unit by a court when their behaviour poses a risk of harm to their life, health, safety, development or welfare, and the placement is needed for the child’s care and protection. 

HIQA inspects against the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Children in Special Care units) Regulations 2017 and the National Standards for Special Care Units, which apply to special care units in Ireland.

This inspection on 5 October 2022 was an unannounced inspection, to follow up on significant risks identified on a previous inspection in June 2022. The purpose of this inspection was to assess whether the special care unit had made satisfactory progress to comply with regulations and if it was safely operating in line with their revised conditions of registration and statement of purpose. 

Inspectors observed that children had built positive and respectful relationships with staff. Children were encouraged to engage in activities and outings and were observed to interact with staff in an appropriate manner. Children spoke positively about the staff at the centre. They were encouraged to participate in, and contribute to decisions about their life and care. Children’s dignity and privacy was respected, however, one use of restraint was not in line with national guidance.

There had been positive changes with regard to staffing since the last inspection. There was a strong sense of renewed team work and a focus on practice improvement. Staff demonstrated an enthusiasm and strong child-centred approach to driving continuous improvement in the quality of the service. The provider had appropriate staffing to provide for the number and needs of the children living in the centre. The frequency of staff supervision had improved. The quality of supervision required improvement and this had been identified through service audits carried out since the last inspection. Sufficient staffing resources were in place for the effective delivery of a children’s programme of special care.

External professionals said that there had been improvements in the care provided to children. They felt that staff made great efforts to build relationships with the children which improved the day-to-day lives of the children at the centre. They were satisfied with how management responded to any incidents in the centre and were consulted appropriately about any issues. 

The accommodation had improved since the inspection in June 2022. Management were working through a number of actions to address outstanding repairs and improve the quality of the building. Inspectors saw that previous damage to the property had been repaired. Further action was required to ensure the safety of children living in the centre. HIQA had been advised of delays in the completion of this work, given issues in relation to sourcing appropriate material for replacements.  

Oversight and auditing processes in relation to the management of incidents, complaints and allegations concerning children in the centre had improved and were effective. The provider had put additional risk management strategies in place since the last inspection. This provided greater oversight and ensured a timely response to risk identified. The provider has submitted a plan outlining how it intends to come into full compliance.

The report and compliance plan are available at the link below.