Lack of inspections leaves thousands in care vulnerable to abuse - groups

DISABILITY GROUPS:DISABILITY GROUPS have warned that hundreds of children and thousands of adults in residential care are vulnerable to abuse because of the Government's refusal to introduce independent inspections or care standards in the sector.

At least 400 children are in residential centres. A further 28,000 adults are in residential settings which are not subject to standards or inspections.

Independent inspections and standards for such residential centres have been discussed at Government level for the past decade.

However, last week the Minister of State for disability John Moloney announced he did not have the funds to implement the plans.

Inclusion Ireland, an umbrella group representing people with intellectual disabilities, yesterday called on the Government to revisit its decision and urgently introduce standards and inspections.

It pointed to the recommendations of the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, which called for "objective national standards for inspection of all settings where children are placed".

This report documented the abuse of mentally disabled children at Lota in Cork city, run by the Brothers of Charity.

A separate report set up by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and published in 2007 also found evidence that as many as 21 intellectually disabled children were abused at Brothers of Charity residences in Co Galway between 1965 and 1998. A spokeswoman for Inclusion Ireland said numerous studies show people with disabilities are several times more likely to be at risk of abuse than other members of the community, underlining the need for statutory standards.

“We are aware of the many excellent services providing good quality care to people with disabilities,” the spokeswoman said. “But through our work we are also aware of cases of neglect, poor standards, bad practice and abuse.”

The Government has said that while it does not have the funds to introduce standards on a statutory footing, service providers will begin implementing the rules on a voluntary basis.

The HSE, which funds most residential services, says it is in talks with disability service providers over new agreements which would oblige them to begin introducing new care standards.

“The initial focus will be on improving standards of quality and care within current resources and existing physical infrastructure,” the HSE said in a statement on the issue.

Officials privately estimate that it would cost in the region of €10 million to implement the standards on a statutory basis and provide for a total of about 50 independent inspectors.

However, Inclusion Ireland said that implementing standards on a voluntary basis was not good enough. “We do not need to worry about the good services which will introduce the standards voluntarily, but we do worry about poor services which will not introduce such standards voluntarily,” the spokeswoman added.