HIQA launches consultation on the development of overarching national standards for the care and support of children using health and social care services

Date of publication:

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is undertaking a consultation to inform the development of new Overarching National Standards for the Care and Support of Children. The standards will aim to ensure that no matter what health or social care service a child is using that there is a consistent response to their needs, and that services will work together to support children in an integrated way.

Rachel Flynn, Director of Health Information and Standards said: “HIQA is now holding a scoping consultation to give people an opportunity to identify key areas that these overarching national standards should address and to provide examples of good practice. Interested parties are invited to share their views and the key stakeholders who should be consulted when developing the overarching national standards”.

Ms Flynn added: “As these standards will apply to all children’s health and social care services, we want to hear from children and young people using services, their families, advocates, staff working with children and young people, and policy makers”. “These standards have the potential to improve the experience of all children using health and social care services, by promoting clarity, consistency and continuity within and between services, and to focus services on the child first, rather than on the individual service needs”.

“These standards, written from the perspective of a child, will help health and social care services to plan for and deliver high quality child-centred services. At the end of this scoping consultation, comments will be collated and used to help inform the development of the overarching national standards”.

The deadline for receipt of submissions is 5pm on Wednesday 23 September 2020.

Ends.

 

For further information please contact:

Marty Whelan, Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement 01 814 7480 / 085 805 5202 / mwhelan@hiqa.ie
For further information on the consultation, please contact the consultation team at standards@hiqa.ie or call 01 814 7700 and ask to speak to a member of the Standards Team.

Notes to the editor:

  • These Overarching National Standards will support the achievement of high quality, consistent and integrated care and support for children, which are national priorities set out in the Programme for Government 2020 and the Slaintecare Report.
  • A series of focus groups is planned with children and families, as well as staff delivering health and social care services to hear their experiences and gather their views.
  • Regular advisory group meetings will take place with policy makers, service delivery bodies, advocates, and young people and families with experience of using health and social care services.
  • In the coming months, HIQA will conduct a public consultation on the draft overarching national standards, which will be available for comment for a period of six weeks on our website.