The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published an inspection report on a children’s residential centre operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) in its Dublin North East region. HIQA conducted an unannounced routine inspection to monitor the quality of the service and the level of compliance with the National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres in January 2024. The inspection focused on the leadership, governance and management of the service and considered whether children received good quality, child-centred, safe care which met their individual needs. Of the 14 national standards assessed, the service was found to be compliant with four, substantially compliant with five and not compliant with five. 

The service was child centred and young people received care which protected their rights and respected their diversity. Young people were listened to, supported to understand and exercise their rights and given choices about their care. Staff were sensitive to the trauma that young people may have experienced and the challenges for young people seeking international protection. However, not all young people had a care plan, therefore the provider could not ensure that each young person was being provided with care and support that was based on their individual identified needs.

The governance arrangements in the centre needed to be strengthened to ensure effective oversight of the service. The resourcing of the service was not robust. Half of the social care worker posts were vacant and the operation of the service relied on the use of agency staff. Staff were not supervised in line with Tusla’s supervision policy and agency staff received no supervision in their role. Improvements were required to communication systems, quality assurance systems, workforce planning and the implementation of policies and procedures to bring them in line with national policy. Safeguarding procedures to confirm the identity of visitors and agency staff also needed to improve. 

The provider has submitted a compliance plan to assist the service to come into compliance in all areas.

Note to Editor:

• HIQA is authorised by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth 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.