John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Children with disabilities who require residential care may be accommodated, depending on their needs, in generic residential centres, under the Child Care Act 1991 or in specialist residential services for children with disabilities.

A total of 400 children are accommodated in generic children's residential centres, under the Child Care Act 1991. Those include some children with disabilities whose needs for residential care arise out of the responsibilities of the HSE under the Child Care Act rather than because of their disability. The centres are subject to statutory inspection. The Office of the Chief Inspector of Social Services in the Health Information and Quality Authority has responsibility for this function.

The statutory framework which underpins this work is laid out in the Child Care (Placement in Residential Care) Regulations 1995. In addition, national standards for children's residential centres, set down in 2001, have been in operation and are based on the requirements of legislation, regulation and findings from research. The standards allow inspectors to form judgments about the quality of services provided in those centres. Areas covered by standards include child protection and children's rights. Currently, 227 children are placed in specialist residential centres for children of which 200 children have an intellectual disability and 27 children have a physical and sensory disability.

All services for children with disabilities are covered by the national guidelines for the protection and welfare of children, Children First, published by the Department of Health and Children. Residential centres for children with disabilities are required to ensure that there are appropriate policies and procedures in place for the identification, reporting and management of any concerns in regard to abuse of children in those centres.

In November 2007, the HSE prepared a guidance document that sets out the standards expected from all residential service providers for children with disabilities who are not placed in such settings under the Child Care Act 1991.

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