Children in care were moved from a residential home in Wexford before Christmas after the Irish Social Services Inspectorate warned it was a fire hazard.
On two previous occasions, health board officials had expressed concern about fire safety at the home, run by the South Eastern Health Board.
In November, the new Irish Social Services Inspectorate first visited the home and found the staff were providing the children with a good standard of care. But the inspectorate was so concerned over fire safety that it wrote to the health board to urge it to move the children.
The children were moved into a new home a month later.
The home, Tara Villa High Support Unit at Barntown, Wexford, was used by the health board from October 1998.
"However, we learned that the board's fire safety officer felt he could only provide a temporary certificate of safety if remedial work was undertaken," the acting director of the inspectorate, Mr Victor McElfatrick, told the health board.
"Subsequently the centre was visited in January this year by the board's technical services officer, who has expressed the view that a fire certificate would not be issued without remedial work being carried out.
"He also expressed the view that until such time as the remedial work was undertaken, occupancy of the first floor would represent an unacceptable risk for the young people occupying it. The children have subsequently been moved to rooms on the ground floor."
Mr McElfatrick added that his inspector, Ms Michele Clark, "also noted several things which she considered unsafe during her visit. These included wall lights hanging off the walls on their wires and a plastic socket in dangerous proximity to the cooker."
He told the chief executive officer of the health board, Mr John Cooney, that "should a fire occur in the premises I think the board would have difficulty in explaining why it continued to use these premises, knowing the safety risks it presents. You will see, therefore, that we are recommending the children be relocated to a safer alternative accommodation as a matter of urgency. I would urge you to take prompt action to address this problem."
In correspondence released under the Freedom of Information Act, the health board's general manager of community services, Mr Con Pierce, explained to Ms Clarke that "the board has for some time now been endeavouring to lease or buy a suitable premises to replace Tara Villa. Unfortunately despite a number of viewings etc. we had no success in this area."
However, he said he had now identified a suitable premises near Rosslare Harbour. The children moved into the new unit 10 days before Christmas.
pomorain@irish-times.ie