Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 477: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 81 and 102 of 14 February 2012, in which she stated that since the publication of the Health Information and Quality Authority report into Glenn Alainn, Cork, on the 2 December that one child had been restrained for a period of one minute in the period up to 14 February, if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the subsequent HIQA report into Glenn Alainn on 28 February stated that since the previous report's publication there had been three physical restraints in relation to three children; if she will provide clarification regarding the dates on which these incidents occurred and if the information provided to her by the unit for the purposes of responding to the parliamentary question and the HIQA reports were correct. [12711/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The information provided in my response to Parliamentary Questions numbers 81 and 102 of 14 February 2012 is correct. The HSE has confirmed that no child has been confined to their bedroom and one child was restrained for a period of one minute since the publication of the HIQA report.

The HIQA report published on 28 February refers to three physical restraints in relation to three children since the last inspection, which took place on 18/19 October 2012. These restraints took place on 17th and 18th of November and 1st December 2011 and were not referred to in the PQ reply which requested details of restraints since the publication of the HIQA report in December.

Special Care Units care for children who are detained by a High Court Order as it is deemed that their behaviour is a danger to themselves. In such circumstances it is to be expected that staff members will, from time to time, have to intervene physically to protect children from harm. All staff are trained in accredited methods of physical restraint, and all episodes of restraint are recorded and reviewed by the senior manager, the HSE external monitor and the HIQA inspector.