Independent body should inspect crèches, says children’s charity

A NEW body should be established to oversee inspections of crèches and childcare facilities, Barnardos claimed last night.

The charity’s director of advocacy, Norah Gibbons, said the Health Services Executive was overstretched and needed more powers to tackle the kind of problems facing children and their parents as revealed in yesterday’s Irish Examiner.

She said: “Maybe a valid question to ask is if the HSE is the best place for inspections or should it be left to an independent and answerable body that could carry out standardised inspections across the country.”

Barnardos made its comments as Minister for Children Brian Lenihan said the Government would consider allowing the Social Services Inspectorate to take over inspection of childcare facilities in the longer term.

He said: “We have the Social Services Inspectorate who have looked at child detention centres and is now extending its remit to nursing homes for the elderly.

He said it was an option that might be considered “down the line”.

Mr Lenihan said he was satisfied the HSE inspectorate had followed up complaints satisfactorily.

He added that he was working on revised childcare regulations that would be adopted in a matter of weeks and that the childcare sector could not be “professionalised overnight”.

But Fine Gael spokesman on childcare David Stanton said yesterday’s Irish Examiner report outlined shocking findings about how some crèches are run.

The story, based on information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed how more than 300 complaints were lodged against crèches in 2003 and 2004.

It revealed how one worker was sacked after a child’s hands were tied behind its back and how two toddlers were allegedly found in the middle of the street opposite a pre-school.

“Managers of crèches must know that they can be shut down immediately if failing standards of care,” Mr Stanton said.

Labour’s spokesperson on children, Senator Kathleen O’Meara, said Mr Lenihan needed to tighten regulations over the sector, while Dan Boyle, of the Green Party, called for the immediate establishment of a childcare inspectorate.