2022 was another challenging year for many children’s services across the country, according to our annual overview report of the inspection and regulation of children’s services.
We conducted 54 inspections throughout the year, and found improved levels of compliance against national standards and regulations in children’s services. However, areas requiring further improvements were also identified. We found that staff vacancies and insufficient availability of appropriate alternative care placements for children, remained a challenge for Tusla. This impacted on the timeliness and quality of service provided to some children.
Inspectors also found instances of good practice by staff across children’s services during the year. Staff routinely advocated on behalf of children and young people and encouraged them to participate in decision-making about their support and care plans. Children and young people were also regularly consulted by social work and social care staff during assessments and in their day-to-day lives.
Hearing the voices and experiences of children and young people is always at the centre of all inspection activity carried out by HIQA. Children and young people offer unique insights about the quality of services and it is crucial to listen to them. With this in mind, we also published a children’s version of this overview report, which provides a summary of inspection findings specifically for children and young people.
One hundred and eighty children met with or provided their views to inspectors and the majority were positive about the service they received. Some key messages from young people and children included that: they felt safe, well cared for and supported; they felt welcomed and involved in their care placements; and their understood their rights and had exercised their rights.
Inspectors also spoke with parents and foster carers about their experiences. The majority of parents across services spoke positively about the care and support given to their children. However, some parents and foster carers raised the impact that frequent changes in social workers had on children.
The full report and findings can be read here.