Centre ‘unsuitable’ for care of troubled young people
The old building has narrow corridors and staircases that make supervising the young residents difficult and prevent staff from physically dealing with violent behaviour, according to an Irish Social Services Inspectorate report.
The report also notes that the building, sited right on a city street, lacks natural light and has no outdoor recreation area apart from a very small back yard leading from the kitchen.
The Inspectorate said the use of the building for its current purpose should be reviewed.
The inspectors, who carried out a three-day visit to the centre in the South Lee Community Care Area of the Southern Health Board in July, also said the functions of the centre should be reviewed.
While staff were doing a good job of integrating the unaccompanied asylum seekers with the Irish teenagers, inspectors found some of the carers were stressed, fearful for their own safety and defensive about some of their practices.
One in ten of the residents had been discharged against their own wishes and the wishes of their social workers because of a “limited repertoire” of sanctions available to staff to deal with bad behaviour.
It was found that, in some cases, deciding to expel a young person was a “disproportionate response” to the breach of regulations involved, and in other cases it was discovered that no official prior warning had been given to the young person and that discharges happened without alternative care arrangements in place.
Despite some reservations, the inspectors concluded: “Care staff relate to the young people in an open, positive and responsive manner” and care practices took into consideration the social, cultural, religious and ethnic identities of the residents.
