Hiqa finds 'poor practice' in social worker visits to children in foster care

James Cox

The health watchdog has found “poor practice” in parts of the country over visits to children in foster care by social workers.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) says two thirds of files in Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary didn't contain evidence of visits in line with the regulations.

The figure was 46 per cent for Cork.

Hiqa head of children's services, Eva Boyle, says some of those in care aren't getting enough visits.

“So for some children there are visits every three months if they are in a short-term care, while for other children that's every six months. All areas said they visited children in line with the regulations but what we actually found is for the two years prior to their inspection, none of the areas fully complied with that requirement.”