Teen care unit probe reveals litany of failure

GIRLS going missing in the middle of the night, stolen keys, out-of-control behaviour, self-harming, and staff who could not cope with teenagers in their care.

These were just some of an extraordinary litany of failures found by HIQA inspectors assessing the care of young people detained for their own safety at a special care unit (SCU) for troubled teenagers outside Cork city.

Gleann Alainn, which houses girls from 11 to 17 years of age on foot of a High Court order, was deemed to be “in a state of crisis” by inspectors who found “extremely high-risk behaviour” and a team of people who were not confident or proficient with child protection concerns.

The report concluded that the young people in care did not receive a “consistently good standard of effective, safe care”.

Inspectors visited the centre in October, and among pages and pages of disturbing findings were:

* Significant episodes of children going missing from the care of the SCU.

* A serious breach of security in the theft of a set of keys by a child.

* Inadequate awareness of risks and the measures needed to keep the SCU secure at all times.

* Some staff were afraid of one child and this was not dealt with appropriately.

* Children interviewed told inspectors they had experienced incidents where the staff were not in control in certain situations.

* Evidence of children presenting disturbed and extremely high-risk behaviour.

Of “grave concern” to inspectors was their finding that serious incidents of self-harm had taken place in the unit but were inadequately recorded and, in some cases, were not notified in accordance with national standards. There was serious concern they could not find out how many incidents had taken place, and that risk assessments were not being carried out.

HIQA found there were 25 “unauthorised absences” in the year prior to inspection. Keys which two teenagers had used to get out of the unit were still missing at the time the report was written.

Inspectors said the unit’s security was compromised on an ongoing basis, and expressed concern that lessons had not been learned.

HIQA also criticised incomplete and inaccurate information in relation to the absconsions and the use of physical restraints. Complaints made by staff about the care of young people were also not being recorded properly, they found.

The main reason behind the crisis was due to a poor standard of management and the fact that acting managers were not able for the duties and responsibilities they had been given.

HIQA said that, given the serious nature of the findings of the inspection, and the unit’s and the HSE’s failure to meet the required standards, it will carry out another full inspection of Gleann Alainn in January.