Special care unit was found mostly compliant

A SPECIAL care unit operating in Lucan was found to be mostly compliant with a Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspection.

HIQA published reports this week on the three special care units operated by Tusla, including Ballydowd Special Care Unit in Lucan.

Ballydowd was found to be compliant with 23 of the 29 regulations, and required to make improvements to fire safety measures.

Special care units are for children aged 11 to 17 years, placed there by a High Court order, when their behaviour poses a risk of harm to their life.

Inspections in June found that children received “good quality care and support” at the three centres.

Ballydowd had six children on site on the day of the inspection.

At the time of inspection, due to staffing shortages, none of the centres were operating at full capacity – a long-standing issue which had not been addressed despite efforts by management and the provider to recruit staff.

All three units were required to make improvements to fire safety measures.

In Ballydowd, children were positive about the care they received and told inspectors that they felt safe and listened to, according to the HIQA report.

It found good quality regular supervision for staff. While risk management systems were effective, improvement was required in some areas with the lack of onward placements for children and staffing issues noted.

Enhancements were required in some areas to ensure the service fully complied with fire safety regulations.