The South Eastern Health Board has been criticised for not appropriately vetting all staff working in one of its children's residential centres. An inspection of the unit in the Carlow/Kilkenny area found Garda clearance had not been obtained for six of the staff.
It also found that Garda clearance for half of the centre's 32 staff was only obtained after they began employment, while no reference of any description was obtained for five staff.
Failing to get Garda clearance and references for staff working in health board-run centres for children is in breach of the national guidelines for the protection and welfare of children. The criticism of the SEHB unit is contained in a report from the Irish Social Services Inspectorate (ISSI) which inspected the centre in June.
The centre, a high-support unit housing four boys, is not named in the report to protect the identity of the young people living in it. It was established in 1997 to care for boys aged 12 to 18 years with specific behavioural difficulties. The unit also offers a regional service for the Mid Western Health Board and Southern Health Board.
The ISSI report called on the SEHB to immediately carry out Garda checks on staff who had not already been vetted. "The inspectors were not satisfied that appropriate staff vetting procedures were in place. The centre was unable to produce references for five members of staff or Garda clearance for six members of staff," it said.
"This situation is unacceptable. Staff vetting procedures are an important component of safeguarding and child protection. References and Garda clearance must be obtained for all staff working in the centre prior to commencement of duty."
However, the report commended staff and management for the manner in which they cared for the young people "in a warm, open and respectful manner".
It also said that while some improvements could be made, the centre substantially met the requirements of the National Standards for Children's Residential Centres.
However, it noted that one young person in the unit was without an allocated social worker for eight months. This was because the social work department had been unable to fill vacant posts. It said the young person concerned felt disadvantaged and the situation should be rectified.
The SEHB, in a statement, said all children in the centre now had a social worker.
It also said that Garda clearance was not required for three of the staff at the time they were recruited. "In the case of the other three staff members, two files were not to hand for the inspection team and one refers to a student placement," it said.
"Regarding the five references, at the time of inspection two files were not to hand which contained the references for two people. A third person was a student on placement. The other two remaining staff members are a teacher, and an administrative staff member who was a former permanent staff member who had returned to work on a part-time basis."
The board said the unit was originally established at short notice to cater for the needs of one individual. "The board then decided to develop the centre. This explains why some of the references were dated after employment commenced while the appointments were being formalised. This also explains the delay in having Garda clearances secured for these staff members. The references and Garda clearances were being pursued simultaneously with the establishment of the new service."