The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published an inspection report on a children’s residential centre operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) in the Dublin North East area. 

HIQA conducted this unannounced inspection to monitor the quality of the service and the level of compliance with the National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres over three days in May and June 2024. The inspection focused on the leadership and management of the centre and how effective they were in ensuring that a rights-based, good quality and safe service was being provided to the children. Of the 12 standards assessed, the service was compliant with eight and not compliant with four.

Children living in the centre received care and support that promoted their rights and respected their diversity. The centre was clean and appropriately decorated. The centre’s layout was suitable for providing safe and effective care for the young people, and for meeting their needs. Placements of children in the centre was informed by their identified needs and a positive approach to the management of behaviour was promoted. Appropriate safeguarding measures were in place and children’s education needs were being met. Children’s records were kept up to date, securely stored and shared. There were appropriate numbers of staff employed in the centre with regard to the number and needs of the children. 

The governance and management systems required improvement to ensure an effective oversight of the quality and safety of the service. All identified risks had not been effectively managed. The oversight of delegated duties by the managers needed to be strengthened to ensure that tasks assigned to staff were being completed to the required standards. In addition, the medicines management system was poor and not in line with the best practice. Aspects of fire safety practice, works to the premises, and staff supervision and appraisal also required improvement. 

The provider submitted a compliance plan to address the four standards that were deemed non-compliant. 

Note

• 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.