‘Regular illicit substance use’ at Tusla centre, report finds

By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

Children were engaging in “regular illicit substance use” at a Tusla residential centre, according to a report.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) conducted an unannounced inspection of a children’s residential centre in the South West region in February.

It identified “significant concerns” and found that the centre was not compliant with all five standards assessed.

Hiqa said an urgent compliance plan was issued over “immediate risks to the safety, health and welfare of children” living in the centre.

In a statement, it said it “found regular illicit substance use was occurring both in the centre and on its grounds by some children”.

It added that, despite staff and management being aware of this, the “significant concern had remained unaddressed and was not managed effectively”.

The Hiqa report says children had openly discussed the issue with staff and this had been clearly documented – including daily logs noting the smell of cannabis – but was not being addressed in line with national policies and legislation.

Hiqa said: “Governance and management oversight required improvement, such as establishing effective supervision and risk management systems.

“Governance required strengthening to support staff to effectively safeguard children in their care, and there were unclear lines of accountability and oversight of responsibilities from senior management.”

It said: “Children were provided with opportunities to engage in individual work, as well as to avail of supports with external services. While they often declined these offers, there were missed opportunities by staff and management to assist and support children in managing issues in their daily lives.

“Overall, significant improvements were required to ensure that the service was child-centred and children living in the centre received good quality, safe care.”