Direct Provision centres not suited to long-term stays, says Ombudsman
The Ombudsman has said that people living in Direct Provision centres need to be given more support to work and resettle in their own home.
The report highlights communication issues between residents and staff, and a lack of cooking facilities as some of the main issues.
Based on visits to the centres over a year, Ombudsman Peter Tyndall says they are not suited to long-term stays and some improvements are needed.
"Direct Provision centres were fine for their purpose, which were very short stays, and they're not really suited to the much longer stays that many people have found themselves with," he said.
"So as a consequence I think we need to see much better efforts at resettlement.
"We'd like to be able to see people be able to work, as the courts have found they should be able to."
