The overall standards of care at a children's residential centre in Dublin need to be improved urgently, according to an inspection report on the centre which has just been published.
Inspectors found only two of 16 members of staff held a recognised qualification in childcare - some had no qualifications at all - and three of the staff had been taken on without Garda clearance.
The Northern Area Health Board centre, which is not named in the report, houses five children aged between eight and 12 years. It failed to meet the national standards for Children's Residential Centres or the requirements of the 1995 Childcare Regulations, the report from the Irish Social Services Inspectorate said. It found:
Recording systems were inadequate and did not provide for sufficient accountability;
There was little evidence of direct work with the young people to support their emotional and psychological development;
One of the young people did not have an allocated social worker. The child was already waiting over 15 months for one;
Fire drills did not take place;
There was no formal programme of staff induction or supervision.
"Given the fact that only two members of staff hold a recognised qualification in residential childcare, it is essential that a comprehensive induction programme is provided," the report said.
The Northern Area Health Board said it would study the recommendations in detail when it had formally received a copy of the report. A spokesman said there had been "significant improvements in overall standards of care" at the centre since it was inspected. He said a permanent manager had now been appointed, all existing staff had been vetted by the gardaí, new fire drill procedures were in place and a new, improved record-keeping system was in use.