The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published an inspection report on the child protection and welfare service operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) in the Mid-West service area.

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 for Children and Tusla.

HIQA conducted a focused inspection in Tusla’s Mid-West service area over three days in September 2021. This inspection aimed to assess 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, five were judged as compliant and one was substantially compliant.

Overall, the service had effective leadership, governance and management arrangements to provide a good quality service to children listed on the CPNS. Inspectors found that children who were at risk of significant harm had child protection safety plans in place to protect and promote their welfare.

Management was strong in promoting service improvement and had created a culture of openness and transparency for staff. The service was striving for best practice and had embedded a culture of openness which ensured a focus on the needs of children. Inspectors found that service risks were appropriately identified and managed. The service had systems in place to review and assess its effectiveness of service delivery and to identify service improvements for children and their families.

Tusla had interim national guidelines on child protection case conferencing and the CPNS, both of these had not been subject to review and required updating by Tusla. 

The scheduling of child protection case conferences was timely. Responsive decision- making at conferences ensured that children’s safety was prioritised by the service.

The area appropriately reviewed child protection safety plans and interventions. There were regular visits by social workers to monitor children’s safety and timely responses to rising risks, with actions taken to protect and safeguard children. 

Inspectors found that interagency working was embedded strongly in the area which had a strong working-in-partnership ethos with local agencies and commissioned services. 

The inspection report and compliance plan can be found at the link below.