Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 July 2014
74. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 580 of 21 January 2014, if he will provide a progress update report on the plans to increase special care provision in Ireland to 34 beds by 2016; and the budget allocation for the capital development programme to increase special care provision in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016. [27946/14]
View answerThere are three Special Care Units in the country which are operated by the Agency under a single national governance arrangement. They are Ballydowd in Dublin for girls and boys, Gleann Alainn in Cork which is for girls only and Coovagh House in Limerick for boys only. These Units are inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority, who reported positively on the level of care being provided in the three Special Care Units in the most recent inspections undertaken in 2013.
At any one time approximately 0.3% of all children in care are detained in the three Special Care Units.
As part of the Child and Family Agency's commitment to develop a comprehensive continuum of care services to meet the divergent and complex needs of all children in care, Crannóg Nua High Support Unit, Portrane is to be redesignated to function as a Special Care Unit. An upgrade of current buildings, with an additional new build residential unit, will be required to provide secure care. In excess of €1m has been allocated to progress national special care development projects for 2014 and discussions are under way regarding further significant amounts required in 2015 and future years.
The Agency has advised that eight additional special care beds will be provided at Crannóg Nua by the end of June 2015 and a further four beds will be provided there by the end of October 2015. Refurbishment work at Gleann Alainn Special Care Unit, due to be completed by May 2016, will bring the total special care capacity to 34 beds. These timescales refer to the current indicated Building Programme and may be subject to change.
