Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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481. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on whether HIQA should have the power to enforce its recommendations in childcare services. [28871/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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HIQA plays a vital role in ensuring that standards and regulatory requirements - across all domains of the wider health family, including social care services for children - are being met. Its independence in this regard is one of its key strengths.

The Health Act 2007 allows for HIQA to register designated centres - which can incorporate all children's residential centres - run by Tusla, the voluntary sector and private companies. I am glad to say that work to enable the commencement of the relevant provisions is well underway, with regulations at an advanced stage and Standards awaiting formal sign off. I am hopeful that the new registration model will be effective shortly.

What this will mean is that all new and existing children's residential centres will need to meet national standards and regulations in order to be registered to operate by HIQA. Additionally, HIQA can seek the de-registration of any children's residential centre from the District Court where they form a view that regulations are not being complied with. The commencement of the relevant provisions will bring children's residential services in line with nursing homes and disability residential services.

At my request, HIQA recently undertook a statutory investigation into Tusla's management of child abuse referrals. I received their report in recent weeks and a key recommendation made was that my Department, with the assistance of HIQA, would undertake an international review of best practice in the regulation of children's social services in order to inform the development of a regulatory framework for these services in Ireland. This work is commencing, and the findings of the review will inform the policy direction for regulation of children's preventative and protective services provided in the community.