Watchdog set to inspect children and family services

The country’s children and family services will for the first time undergo independent inspection and monitoring by Hiqa after the watchdog yesterday unveiled details of its new inspection regime.

The Health Information and Quality Authority said the measures would result in better child protection and welfare systems for vulnerable children and come a week after a Hiqa audit that showed serious shortcomings in two HSE areas.

One inspection has already taken place and others are planned, with Hiqa stating that each of the 32 local health areas will be inspected at least once every three years. The result of the first child protection and welfare inspection report from Hiqa will be published in the coming weeks.

Under the plan Hiqa will inspect documents, fieldwork and speak with social workers and stakeholders, including local gardaí, with the aim of determining whether or not a HSE area’s child protection and welfare team is discharging its duties under Children First guidelines and other statutory requirements. It will also:

* Assess if the HSE Children and Family Services has all the elements in place to safeguard children and young people.

* Establish if failure to have these elements in place poses a serious risk to the children receiving these services.

* Seek assurances from the HSE that they are safeguarding children through the mitigation of serious risks.

Hiqa said it would also highlight areas of good practice and publish its findings.

Phelim Quinn, director of regulation with Hiqa, said: “Announced inspections will enable the authority’s inspectors meet with children, their families and carers and hear first-hand their experiences of the services they are receiving. Unannounced inspections will also be introduced and will involve Hiqa inspectors arriving into HSE local health areas to assess how the service is coping with the needs of vulnerable children.

“Hiqa is inspecting HSE Children and Family Services to measure its compliance with, and encourage improvement in line with, the National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children. The authority is also assessing how the service undertakes its statutory function and its implementation of Children First guidance on the protection and welfare of children, and we will report on our findings publicly.”

Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald welcomed the announcement and said: “While foster care services have previously been inspected, now for the first time, social work services in the area of child protection and welfare will also be subject to independent inspection and monitoring.”