Disabled adults at risk of abuse in care homes

UP TO 7,000 intellectually disabled adults are at risk of abuse because there are no independent inspections of the care homes they live in, disability groups warned yesterday.

Nor are there any inspections of care homes for disabled children, despite calls from the Irish Social Services Inspectorate (ISSI) to amend the legislation to allow them to take place.

Namhi (National Association for the Mentally Handicapped of Ireland), the coordinating body for more than 160 disability-support groups, described the absence of inspections as "a serious problem."

"It has always been the view of namhi that something must be done, knowing what we know and given such a vulnerable group. They have to be protected," said the association's general secretary, Deirdre Carroll.

ISSI chief inspector Michèle Clarke said they had been waiting for about a year for the Department of Health to amend legislation which would allow the ISSI to inspect health board-provided residential centres for children with a disability and which would also allow the health boards to inspect the voluntary sector.

The Child Care Act 2001, which was meant to address the issue, failed to do so.

A statement from the Health Service Executive (HSE) said further legislation was needed to bring inspection of specialised residential settings for children with disabilities within the remit of the ISSI.

"It's important that it happens; it's really about protecting vulnerable children and research shows they can be at a particular disadvantage, especially when their disability inhibits communication. I think all children in residential centres should benefit from safeguards and the security of inspections," Ms Clarke said.

The HSE statement said there were procedures for the reporting of any concerns relating to child protection and welfare.

Namhi estimates that approximately 225 children with an intellectual disability are in residential care. However, respite facilities for disabled children are not inspected either.

The number of adults is far higher approximately 3,462 live in community group homes and 3,444 live in residential centres. The National Disability Authority (NDA) spent more than two years drawing up National Standards for Disability Services which looked at the area of inspecting adult centres.

These Standards were presented for approval to the Government last October but a statement from the Department of Health said they have been passed over to the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA), which has yet be set up.

"We need some form of legislative base and we need controls put in to see what happens if there isn't compliance," Ms Carroll said.

The Brothers of Charity, the largest provider of services for intellectually disabled people, said it was in favour of independent inspections.