Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

456. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the steps that have been taken to investigate recent reports of inappropriate seclusion of children in the residential care facility in Ballydowd in County Dublin; his plans for safeguards to prevent inappropriate seclusion, physical and chemical restraint in the future in all residences for children [34657/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) carried out an unannounced inspection of Ballydowd Special Care Unit in July of this year following a concern relating to the practice of single separation. The inspection report was published on 31st 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 Tusla to undertake an immediate review of single separation that lasted for excessive periods of time. The findings have led to a change in authorisation of single separation to ensure it is for the shortest time necessary and also improved 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 meetings regarding Special Care. 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.

Other actions that have taken place include the purchase of fire & ligature proof mattresses and blankets which will be available in Safe Rooms at all times. The definitions and permissions in relation to Restrictive Practices have been clarified and limits and governance have been imposed on the use of single separation. Actions in progress include improvements in the recording and reporting processes, and a dedicated Challenge Response team is to be developed to improve resilience and provide assistance within Special Care teams. A Review is also to be undertaken of international best practice relating to restrictive practices and the design of dedicated accommodation.