The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published a report on Crannóg Nua Special Care Unit. Special care units are secure residential units for children aged 11 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.

An announced inspection of the special care unit was carried out over four days in August 2023 to monitor compliance with regulations. Of the eight regulations assessed, the provider was found to be compliant with four and substantially compliant with four.

The inspection found that children were provided with safe and good-quality care. Children’s views about living in the special care unit were generally positive, and all said that they felt safe there. Some children expressed frustration at delays in identifying onward placements.

There were effective management systems in place which ensured children received safe and consistent care that was child centred and appropriate to their individual needs. Risk was well managed. There was a comprehensive programme of training available to staff. All staff received formal supervision which was of good quality. However, improvements were required with regard to the frequency of supervision. Not all staff had up-to-date training in fire safety.

While the centre had adequate staff numbers to care for the six children in residence at the time of the inspection, there were not enough staff to service the centre at its full capacity of 12, as outlined in the statement of purpose.

The provider had written policies, procedures and care practices in place which were being reviewed at the time of the inspection; however, this review process had not been completed within the time frame required by the regulations. Overall, staff demonstrated good knowledge of the day-to-day policies and procedures that underpin their work.

Children were provided with good-quality care during incidents of challenging behaviours. Safeguarding measures in place were effective and child protection concerns were reported appropriately and promptly.

Following the inspection, the provider submitted a satisfactory compliance plan to address the areas identified for improvement.

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