Minister welcomes National Review of Residential Care including reconfiguration of High Support and Special Care UnitsFrances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has today welcomed the decisive move by HSE Children and Family Service to close a High Support Unit in Co. Monaghan.
The closure follows an inspection by HIQA in July and August of this year where inspectors found serious problems relating to fire safety and child protection systems that were not strong enough. The HIQA inspection report was published today.
Minister Fitzgerald said “I was very concerned to learn of the risk to the safety of the children in the Unit. HSE National Director Mr Gordon Jeyes has informed me that, following the inspection, he met with HIQA on September 20th and advised them of his decision to cease all operations at the centre.
“I welcome the HSE’s decisive move to close the unit. Poor standards must not and will not be accepted.”
The Unit will no longer operate as a residential unit, and suitable alternative placements are being found for the two remaining young people. All managers and staff will be redeployed.
Minister Fitzgerald has asked Mr Jeyes for a full report into the deficits found by HIQA.
The Minister further notes that the closure of this unit is taking place in the context of a broader National Review of Residential Care including the reconfiguration of High Support and Special Care Units.
As part of these reforms, Minister Fitzgerald last week informed the Dáil of the HSE’s proposals to seek to increase secure special care provision in Ireland, with the number of places to increase from 17 at present to 35. Nine additional places are proposed to come on-stream in 2014 with the remainder envisaged to follow by end 2015. The Minister has welcomed recent improvement in the operation of other HSE special care units as highlighted in HIQA inspection reports.
The HSE is also restructuring the management of all mainstream residential and high support places under a single national management line. In addition the special assessment, care and therapeutic (ACTS) team has recently been established to provide support to children in special care
The Minister said: “Last year’s Report of the Independent Child Death Review Group highlighted the significant challenges for child welfare service in dealing with some of Ireland’s most troubled teens. The current reforms are designed to ensure that children in care with complex needs or who present with challenging or high-risk behaviour can receive the appropriate care in the appropriate setting.”
The Minister added “inspection of children’s residential care and special care is a vital component in providing safeguards to children and to steadily improving services. These inspection findings demonstrate again the importance of having a regime of independent monitoring of residential placements.”
Note for Editors:
As of September 2013 there were 6,453 children in the care of the HSE. A very small number of these (0.3%) present with specialized needs and, for their own welfare and protection, are placed in a High Support or Special Care Unit.
The Unit, established to cater for young people with a high level of need and behavioral challenge had four resident children aged between 13 and 17 at the time of the inspections. HIQA had serious concerns regarding fire safety as children had set a series of fires before and after the inspections and staff were had not been able to manage this