Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 20: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the recent Health Information Quality Authority report into the Gleann Alainn residential unit in Cork; and the actions she will take to ensure that practices of locking children in their bedrooms from 7.30pm and unnecessary use of restraints are ended. [40368/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Under the Child Care Act, 1991, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has a duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care or protection. The policy of the HSE is to place children in care settings, preferably in foster care, as close as possible to their home and community. The vast majority of children in care are in foster care and residential care.

However, some children have highly specialised needs arising from severe behaviour difficulties. The HSE has in place a network of special care and high support facilities for children with specialised care needs. This includes three designated special care units at Ballydowd in Dublin, Coovagh House in Limerick and Glenn Álainn in Cork. The units were established to provide an individualised programme of support through the provision of a time-limited, therapeutic intervention in a secure environment. The unit at Gleann Alainn is designed to provide secure residential care for up to seven girls aged between 11 and 17 years on admission. The children are detained under a High Court detention order on the basis that they pose a serious risk to themselves or others.

Special care units are inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority's (HIQA) Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) in accordance with the Child Care Act, 1991. The units are inspected annually against the Child Care (Special Care) regulations 2004 and the National Standards for Special Care (2001). The most recent inspection of Gleann Alainn was undertaken by HIQA in October 2011. At the time of inspection there were six children detained.

The inspection found that some practices were of a poor standard, such as locking the children in their individual bedroom sections by 7.30pm. The HSE has produced a management plan to implement HIQA recommendations and implementation of this plan is subject to follow up by HIQA. I understand that HIQA has signalled its intention to conduct an early follow up inspection of Gleann Alainn in order to ensure action has been taken on the issues in its October inspection. I have written to Gordon Jeyes, National Director of Children and Family Services, HSE underlining my concern in relation to the HIQA findings and asking him for details of the actions being taken to ensure the standard of care in Gleann Alainn is improved to a safe and acceptable level in line with HIQA's recommendations.