Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 September 2015
704. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the steps he has taken to address the issues identified in the HIQA report on the Ballydowd special care unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31284/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) carried out an unannounced inspection of Ballydowd Special Care Unit on 10 and 15 July 2015 following a concern relating to the practice of single separation. The Inspection Report was published on 31 August 2015. In Ballydowd Special Care Unit, single separation means the removal of a child to a separate locked room for as short a period as possible during times of challenging behaviour which poses a significant risk to themselves or others.
The inspection report indicated that decisions to initiate single separation generally complied with national guidance and that children's Guardians ad Litem and social workers were informed when they took place. However, it found that the practice was used for excessive lengths of time in a small number of cases, record keeping and notification to senior management was inadequate and there was a poor response to complaints made by children regarding the events.
Following on from the inspection HIQA requested an immediate review of single separation that lasted for excessive periods of time. The outcome of the review led to an improvement in authorisation of single separation to ensure it is for the shortest time necessary and also enhanced recording and information sharing. Incidents of single separation that are longer than three hours are to be escalated to senior management and improvements have also been put in place to have single separation in Special Care reviewed as part of the national significant event notification system.
Restrictive practices and children's rights has been placed as a standing item for Tusla Managers. Significant issues are also to be reviewed with a focus on rights. An action plan, approved by HIQA, to address the standards identified as requiring improvement and at significant risk was published with the report. It noted that the majority of the actions had been implemented at the time of publication. The remainder were due to be completed by the end of Q4 2015.
I am conscious that some of these children have very serious emotional and behavioural issues that can manifest themselves in the most challenging of behaviours. I believe that overall staff endeavour to provide the best possible care.
