Tusla welcomes findings of HIQA Inspection Reports on two Children’s Residential Centre’s in the Dublin North East Region

Tusla has acknowledged the release of two HIQA inspection reports on a children’s residential centre in the Dublin North East Region.

The first report emphasises the centre’s adherence to all seven standards, which is a testament to the continuing improvement in and quality of care provided there.

The second report, which assessed the centre against eight standards, found the service to be compliant or substantially compliant against all but one of the standards inspected.

Overall, in their inspections, HIQA found the service to be child-centred and of high quality. The report highlighted the centres’ commitment to actively promoting children’s rights and offering programmes of care that are responsive to their age and understanding, while reflecting their individual and diverse needs. Moreover, the service was deemed to create a safe and nurturing environment that encourages children to manage their feelings and emotions effectively while having fun.

Positive comments made by young people at both centres include:

– “It’s cool! Change absolutely nothing, great place to come to.”

– “Calm, feel safe, you can share and trust adults.”

– “Helping me to be more confident, came out of myself.”

– “Staff are there at night to help you if you need it. They try and help you out with a problem if they can’.

– ‘The house is kept really tidy, they make good food, and I help with the washing up. Everything is perfect’.

– ‘Staff are nice and helpful and kind. I like everything about the place’.

Mark Yalloway, National Service Director (interim) of Residential Childcare Services at Tusla, expressed his appreciation for both reports and their findings. He acknowledged both centres’ commitment to providing high-quality care and creating a positive experience for the children. He stated, “It is clear from the reports that children felt safe and supported and had positive relationships with staff. Our teams are committed to supporting the individual care needs of each young person, promoting their rights, and helping them to reach their full potential.

“We note that there are areas in need of improvement, and we have a plan in place to work alongside HIQAs recommendations”, he concluded.

One inspection report noted that improvements were required in the use of restrictive practices within the centre. A restrictive practice is an action taken by social care staff that can limit the rights of a child or young person and is implemented as a temporary measure to ensure their safety or the safety of others. Most restrictive practices in the centre were in place on the basis of a risk assessment, recorded in the centre’s restrictive practices log, and were regularly reviewed. However, use of restrictive practices will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that any future restrictive practices are only applied to those young people identified to be at risk.

Tusla recognises the importance of external oversight and high-quality regulation by bodies like HIQA, in delivering quality, timely, and appropriate interventions and services for children and families. The agency continues to strive for improvement and is dedicated to maintaining consistently high standards within the continuous program of regulation. While we acknowledge the ongoing work that needs to be done, in the main Tusla is buoyed by and welcomes the positive findings in these reports.