Tusla referrals a ‘problem’

HIQA INSPECTION OF TUSLA’S KERRY OPERATIONS IDENTIFIES ‘PROBLEM’ WITH REFERRALS OF SUSPECTED ABUSE CASES

TUSLA’S handling of referrals of suspected abuse cases in Kerry to An Garda Síochána have been identified as problematic by HIQA inspectors, as revealed in a report published on Monday by the watchdog.

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, had itself identified referrals to An Garda Siochána as a problem in the Kerry area following its own processes of audit and investigation, with the agency insisting on Monday it had taken immediate action to address the issues.

The agency is now working with An Garda Síochána to deal with all the issues identified by both Tusla management and the HIQA inspectors who visited the Kerry area over five days in November. Inspectors spoke with social workers and staff as well as four children and seven parents in receipt of Tusla services.

In its capacity and capability inspectors found the agency in Kerry ‘partially compliant’ in

– performing its functions in accordance with relevant legislation, regulations and national policies

– in its systems of reviews and assessment of the effectiveness and safely of child protection and welfare service provision and delivery

– the support of staff and the supervision they receive to protect children and promote their welfare

It was judged ‘substantially compliant’ in the skill levels of staff in managing and delivering effective services to children.

But it was found ‘non-compliant’ in the observance of safe recruitment practices with gaps in the information held on all of the staff recruitment files reviewed by HIQA.

All 11 files did not contain evidence of ‘current professional registration’ with current Garda vetting on seven of the files, three with ‘outdated’ vetting which were over eight years old and one with evidence of garda vetting on one file.

Tusla said on Monday that all issues highlighted in his area had since been addressed: “These matters were pursued immediately and addressed, with an audit confirming that all social work staff currently active on duty in the area have current registration.”

In assessing the quality and safety of Tusla’s Kerry operations, HIQA identified the need for improvements to ensure An Garda Síochána ‘were informed in a timely manner of suspected abuse’ – on foot of three referrals of suspected abuse cases HIQA inspectors reviewed.

The inspectors consequently found the Kerry area ‘partially compliant’ in the the protection and promotion of child welfare through the ‘consistent implementation of Children First’ the report shows. Of the three referrals, one was made promptly, one had been delayed by four months and the third had not been made, and was outstanding since January 2019.

Partial compliance is a finding showing that some of the requirements of a given standard have been met, while others have not. It signifies a ‘low risk’ to children in a given area, but warns of the potential for the degree of risk to escalate if issues are not addressed ‘in a timely manner’.

Inspectors also identified delays in the amount of time it took to progress cases referred to Tusla to initial assessments.

“Inspectors sampled 28 referrals for the timeliness and quality of initial assessements. Of the 28 referrals reviewed by inspectors, three (11%) referrals proceeded to initial assessment within one week following referral. Others were delayed from periods of two weeks to six months to progress to an initial assessment commencing. The vast majority of initial assessments were of good quality although they were not completed consistently within Tusla’s timeframe of 40 days.”

HIQA found the Kerry service ‘substantially compliant’ in effective communication with children and the provision of information to children in an ‘accessible format’.

Tusla Area Manager Breda Lynch – who was appointed in July 2019 – said the report highlighted a number of areas for improvement.

“This inspection report highlights a number of areas for improvement, and indeed our own audits in recent months have also identified areas where we have shortcomings or where improvements are needed.

“We are actively working through these issues, and have taken a number of important steps to drive rapid improvement. Teams have been re-configured in the area with new staffing across all grades and improved governance and oversight.

“We are fully committed to the safety of children in Kerry and all children across the country and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure that children are receiving the best possible service,” Ms Lynch said.

The report was published on Monday in tandem with a report on Tusla’s services in the Cavan and Monaghan area.

The Kerry report showed that the parents interviewed by HIQA were largely positive about their engagement with the service, feeling ‘listened to, reassured and less stressed’.