Children in special care residential centre ‘living in a youth prison’
Children in one of the country’s four special care residential centres have told inspectors they felt like they were “living in a youth prison”.
The finding was one of a number of issues detected by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) in its inspections of the centres, which deal with some of the most vulnerable and troubled children in the state, and who are placed in special care by High Court order.
Two inspections were carried out at Coovagh House in Limerick, which on both occasions had three residents at the time.
In the first inspection, conducted in April, some children said they wanted to be moved from the facility immediately and “some children told inspectors they were very angry at having to stay in the special care unit as a follow-on placement had not been identified at the time the placement was due to end”.
Other concerns raised during the first inspection were that the person in charge had been in the unit only four times since his appointment; there were deficits in staff skills, including in responding to challenging behaviour, and that while smoking was not permitted, tobacco, matches, and lighters had been smuggled in.
It also said that, on seven occasions, gardaí were called to the unit to manage various situations because staff were not confident enough to do so. The first inspection found Coovagh House to not be compliant with 14 of 26 standards assessed and, by the time of the follow-up inspection last August it was still not complying with 11 of 16 standards.
During that inspection, some children told Hiqa it was “stressful” living there.
“They said it was hard being locked in their room at 9pm and it felt like they were living in a youth prison,” said the report.
Newly installed doors meant that even for a child to go to the toilet, a staff member was required to unlock a number of doors.
The inspection of the Ballydowd centre in Dublin found children felt safe and had good relationships with staff, but noted a lack of clarity over the staff/child ratio. There were five children in the unit but Tusla had applied to register 10 placements there.
The report also highlighted issues over “institutional practices”, children on outings to a shopping centre approaching strangers for cigarettes, and how “a risk that delays in securing onward placements for children could undermine the progress they had made during their placements”.
At Dublin-based Crannog Nua, home to four children, children said the staff were “lovely” and one child told inspectors: “This has saved my life.”
There was much positive practice there but Hiqa said three residential units had not been occupied since the centre reopened and “the children’s plans were of mixed quality”.
There were also difficulties there in securing onward placements for two children resident there for more than three months, meaning “a risk that this could undermine the progress that they had made during their placements”.
Placements have since been identified.
In response to the Hiqareports, Tusla said it had or was putting measures in place to improve the services and standards at the units, including upgrading the buildings, staff training, and reviews of existing practices.
