Social services inspectors have expressed "grave concern" that six young people in State care aged between 13 and 16 were physically restrained on more than 100 occasions over a six-month period.
Following an assessment of Crannóg Nua high support unit in north Dublin, the Irish Social Services Inspectorate (ISSI) reported that overuse of physical restraint and detention of young people in locked areas was unsafe and had resulted in injuries to young people and staff.
Three of the six young people who were being regularly restrained had medical conditions such as asthma and epilepsy, inspectors noted.
While detention of any sort is not legally sanctioned in high support units, inspectors found that there had been 100 episodes in which forms of confinement or detention were used.
Although it acknowledged that measures were grounded in the need to manage very challenging behaviour, inspectors noted with concern that over-riding prominence was being given to methods of control rather than therapeutic care.
The ISSI's report reads: "Inspectors were seriously concerned about the frequency of the use of physical restraint in the unit. For the young people in the unit, a highly significant part of the experience of being restrained was being hurt or injured . . ."
It added: "As well as injuries to young people, there had been assaults on staff, several of which happened in the course of restraints. These are of concern in themselves, but they also support the principle that the method should not be used if it cannot be used safely."
It is the third inspection of Crannóg Nua in almost two years. The first, in September 2003, reported that the unit was "operating in a crisis". Re-inspections took place in December 2004 and June of this year. The latest inspection report has just recently been made available.
The latest inspection was part of an inspection of all 13 high support units in the country.
Inspectors also said there were many aspects of care which had improved and that many elements of a good quality services were present. The standard of primary care was good, while the material condition of the unit and the standard of accommodation was maintained to a high standard.
The staff team had stabilised and there were suitable training programmes and support structures in place for them.
At the time of the inspection there were 11 young people at Crannóg Nua, nine of whom were resident. The unit had 56 staff, including managers and childcare staff.
Another concern raised by inspectors was the level of "unauthorised absences" from the unit.
The unit admits young people from across greater Dublin.