IMPACT criticises adverts for childcare workers

Recruitment of unqualified care staff for Ballydowd special care unit in Dublin could lead to more violence there, a trade union leader warned.

IMPACT assistant general secretary Mr Gerry Dolan complained yesterday that advertisements for a recruitment open day at the unit today did not require those attending to have formal childcare qualifications.

However, the South Western Area Health Board said this approach to recruitment, while "novel" was "not unusual". Only those deemed suitable to work and train in Ballydowd, who had secured Garda clearance, would be recruited and all attending the recruitment day were told to bring a CV and relevant qualifications.

The board said it was confident it would have Ballydowd operating fully in the coming months. Its target was to have 54 staff by the end of this year.

Ballydowd, located at Lucan in west Dublin, was built on foot of a 1998 High Court order to care for extremely disturbed children. It has been besieged by problems and a report last week from the Social Services Inspectorate said difficulties over recruiting and holding staff worsened over the past year.

The unit, intended to cater for 24 children, has just three who are being cared for by 29 staff. Some of the buildings have had to be refurbished because of damage by violent youngsters and because they did not meet their particular needs.

Mr Dolan accepted the board was under pressure from the courts and politicians to have Ballydowd operating at full capacity.

"To move in haste is a recipe for disaster," he said. "The only safe solution is to have properly trained staff in sufficient numbers."

Mr Dolan said the board had had difficulties holding on to staff at Ballydowd. There were administrative difficulties, staff were not paid proper rates, contracts were not finalised and morale was low, he said. A qualifications structure agreed last year between IMPACT and the Department of Health for residential care services must be applied to Ballydowd, he said.