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 Louth Meath 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 and Tusla.

HIQA conducted a risk-based inspection of the child protection and welfare service in Louth Meath over three days in April 2022. The inspection focused on the management of child protection and welfare referrals, from the point of receipt of the referral about a child, to the completion of an initial assessment and the aligned governance arrangements in place to ensure a safe, effective and timely service delivery to these children. Of the five standards assessed, four were found to be not compliant and one was substantially compliant. 

Overall, this inspection found that the service had clear governance arrangements in place. Experienced and committed managers and staff with the required skills and knowledge were in place to manage referrals. High-priority cases were allocated and immediate risk to children was responded to appropriately. However, there were delays in responding to the needs of children and families requiring a child protection and welfare service and measures implemented to address delays were not effective. 

The area was not in compliance with Tusla’s standard business processes in relation to the timelines for completing preliminary enquiries or initial assessments, and safety planning was poor. Caseload management and case supervision required improvement and children’s records were not adequately maintained. There were gaps in the monitoring and oversight of waitlisted cases, including the quality of safety planning. Despite contingency plans and staff retention initiatives, there was a shortfall in resources to meet the demands of the service.

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