'Life has gotten worse since coming into care' - HIQA publishes latest reports on Tusla centres

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published reports on four children’s residential centres operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) across Ireland.

Inspectors conducted unannounced inspections of four centres in Tusla’s Dublin North East, Dublin Mid-Leinster and South West regions between September and November 2024.

The inspections focused on the leadership and management of the service, the care and support that children received and how their rights were promoted. Each centre was assessed against the National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres (2018).

Inspections of two centres in Dublin North East and South West regions were follow-up inspections and both were found to be compliant or substantially compliant with all standards inspected.

These follow-up inspections found that good progress had been made to address the non-compliances identified during previous inspections earlier in the year.

In both centres, children received good quality, safe and effective care and spoke positively about staff, saying the felt listened to and supported by them.

The centre in Dublin North East was compliant with nine standards and substantially compliant with three standards. It had strengthened its governance arrangements; however, it required further improvement in risk management.

The centre in the South West was found to be compliant with six standards and substantially compliant with three standards. 

Although there had been actions taken to improve the maintenance and safety of this centre, progress to relocate to another premises had been slow, despite being identified as a priority.

Overall, inspectors found that the service had improved in its capacity to provide a safe and effective service to children residing in the residential centre since the previous inspection.

The care provided was tailored to children’s individual needs. This was evident through the observations of the inspector and by talking with staff and the management team, an external professional and the children residing in the centre.

Children told the inspector about what it is like to live in the centre. They liked the children’s meetings as they could tell staff about things that they wanted.

Children also knew how to make a complaint if they wished to do so. The children were also engaged in supports specific to their needs.

Other positive things children said were "I like it here", "staff are good…I get on with them", and "they listen to me and help me".

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Inspections of two centres in the Dublin Mid-Leinster region found mixed levels of compliance. In both centres, children were treated with dignity and respect, and their rights were supported and promoted. Children received care and support which met their needs, including their development needs.  

One centre inspected in October 2024, was found to be compliant with six standards, substantially compliant with four standards and not compliant with one standard. While the leadership and management within the service was effective, some aspects of governance at provider level required improvement.

Tusla did not always act promptly to address identified issues, such as the need for additional staffing and renovations required to the premises. While the building was clean and spacious, it required extensive works internally and externally.

The report revealed also revealed that the centre had experienced some challenges in the 12 months prior to inspection including, significant events, staff shortages and changes in manager and these challenges impacted on all young people.

The inspector spoke with two young people about their experience of living the centre and the third declined to meet with the inspector.

They spoke positively about aspects of living in the centre, they also found some aspects challenging.

They said comments such as "I feel safe now, but I didn’t always", "Life has gotten worse since coming into care", and that it was "Hard to make friends".

The inspection of a second centre in the Dublin Mid-Leinster region took place in September 2024 and found the centre to be compliant with five standards, substantially compliant with two standards and not compliant with four standards.

While the centre was well maintained, governance and oversight required improvement to ensure prompt and effective responses to address risks, in particular safeguarding risks.

The centre had experienced significant challenges in the months prior to inspection. These included escalating instances of behaviours that challenged from young people, changes in management and staffing shortages resulting in an over reliance in agency staff, which all impacted on the provision of safe and effective care in the centre.

At the time of inspection, the centre had experienced a period of increased stability as instances of challenging behaviour had reduced and the availability of staff had been improved. Fire safety measures required some improvement to ensure all children participated in a fire drill as required.

Tusla has submitted a compliances plan to address any issues identified. The inspection reports and compliance plans can be found on www.hiqa.ie.