SIGNIFICANT improvements have been made in the governance and physical condition of the State’s three special care units for children, inspectors for the Health Information and Safety Authority have said.
However, some very vulnerable children are not able to access the State’s three secure units – Coovagh House in Limerick, Ballydowd in Dublin and Gleann Alainn in Co Cork – because they are the subject of criminal proceedings.
The units were established following a High Court order in the late 1990s, which found the State had a duty to provide care to the most disruptive children.
Last year, the authority published damning reports on the three units, which concluded children were “unsafe” at Coovagh House and there were problems at all units. In a series of follow-up inspection reports published yesterday, the authority said the Health Service Executive had met, or met in part, all but two of the 56 recommendations it made last year.
Coovagh House failed to meet two recommendations. It did not undertake a health and safety audit, which incorporated the potential for self harm, personal safety of staff and children and the availability of potential weapons in the unit.
It also did not ensure the post of acting unit manager was confirmed on a longer-term basis.
The authority recommended the two issues be dealt with immediately. It said it would also continue to monitor the Coovagh House special care unit and undertake further inspections as part of its inspection schedule.
The authority concluded many of the national standards for special care were met or met in part and children were well cared for.
It found significant work had been undertaken at Ballydowd to bring the entire campus to an acceptable standard. Interviews conducted by inspectors found significant progress was made to ensure that the service provided to young people in Ballydowd complied with the national standards.
The inspection reports also praised Gleann Alainn for evidence of a “child-centred culture and practice”.
In a briefing yesterday, Gordon Jeyes, HSE national director for children and family services, welcomed the improvement, but he said there was a difficult issue with admitting young people to special care units.
He said the courts determined that a young person who is also subject to criminal proceedings could not be admitted to a special care unit. Mr Jeyes said at least 11 young people had fallen into this category last year and this issue would have to be looked at.
Ombudsman for Children Emily Logan warned recently that the denial of special care to children who are subject to criminal proceedings has the “potential to allow significant risks to arise for the children in question”.