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HIQA special care report must consider lack of places says Child and Family Agency

Gordon Jeyes, CEO of the newly formed state agency, says lack of resources are a vital factor.

IN RESPONSE TO below-standard practices revealed today at a High Support Unit (HSU) in Dublin, the Child and Family Agency says that there is a growing lack of places for young people in special care.

Gordon Jeyes, CEO of the newly formed state agency, noted that although there continued to be a good standard of care in the High Support Unit (HSU) in Dublin North East, some of the children required care that was not available.

Jeyes welcomed the report but cautioned that resource factors must be considered:

Inspections by authorities such as Health Information and Quality Authority, are an integral part of the child care system. However, such inspections do not mitigate against a lack of places available for the growing number of young people requiring accommodation in more secure special care placements.

“I am pleased to report that there is a capital development programme underway which will double our capacity to 34 beds in special care by 2016,” he added.

The report published by HIQA today highlighted continuous risk-taking behaviour among teenagers, including fire-setting and substance misuse, during periods in which they left unauthorised.

The report said that further work was needed to modify behaviour management techniques at the units.

This was backed by Jeyes who said that a new assessment team, called the ACTS team, is being introduced to work with young people while in care and to support them on their return home.

The HSU has said that, in response to the deficiencies outlined in the HIQA report, it has begun to implement a number of changes to assess risk levels among the children living in the units and prioritise their care accordingly.

Read: Children in care starting fires a growing problem for HSE >

Read: Concerns raised over staffing at new Child and Family Agency >

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27 Comments
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    Mute Owen Lee Sayne
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    Jan 9th 2014, 8:24 PM

    Crap………..what about the children in an “open” facility being locked in cells (hiqa.ie report ID 661) in HSE South……some only 11 years old…the whole system is a reincarnation of the Magdalene laundries

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    Mute Owen Lee Sayne
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    Jan 9th 2014, 8:43 PM

    ………………it’s nothing to do with a lack of resources – it’s to do with a mindset left over from the industrial school and Magdalene era………..it seems to be widespread with 3 HIQA reports noting the illegal detention of children in “open” units……..shame on the HSE rebranded “agency”

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    Mute Annete curtin
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    Jan 10th 2014, 1:41 AM

    Owen Lee Sayne i completely agree its a joke

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    Mute Laura
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    Jan 12th 2014, 3:03 AM

    First of all there are no ‘cells’ in the house these kids live in and kids aren’t allowed to be locked into their rooms in an open house. I know because iv worked in most of them in the south.

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    Mute Owen Lee Sayne
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    Jan 12th 2014, 4:50 PM

    So why are HIQA reporting that they were kept in cell like rooms with no furniture????read the report Laura

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    Mute AD0099
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    Jan 9th 2014, 9:00 PM

    This is the most appalling institutional abuse of children from the agency that has collective responsibility to protect and support them, those involved should hang their heads in shame – a complete overhaul of the sector is urgently required; Graham Jeyes should resign forth with

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    Mute Sue McVeigh
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    Jan 9th 2014, 10:02 PM

    Agreed! And Frances Fitzgerald should resign as well. How many more cases are we going to hear of Ireland’s most vulnerable children NOT being looked after?

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    Mute Sue McVeigh
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    Jan 9th 2014, 9:59 PM

    How can Gordon Jeyes say there was a good standard of care in this care home when the Inspectors said they failed standards on Child Protection, Fire Safety, Managing Behaviour and Suitable Placements? He obviously doesn’t think much of the kids he’s supposed to look after if he thinks this is a good standard of care! I would like to hear what Frances Fitzgerald has to say!

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    Mute Annete curtin
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    Jan 10th 2014, 1:00 AM

    That man (Gordon Jeyes) is a complete moron, enough said

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 9th 2014, 7:02 PM
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    Mute Aodhan O Cuana
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    Jan 9th 2014, 11:56 PM

    More resources is a smoke screen. Residential Care is staffed by qualified social care workers who have limited skills for this area of work. HSU are akin to modern day borstals. Current responses that trample on children human rights in such HSU shows how the new Agency lack of psychological and child & adolescent services, which remained in HSE management structures, signals a major limitation of the agency.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 10th 2014, 3:45 PM

    Anyone see a redress board here?

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    Mute Catherine Mill
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    Jan 9th 2014, 11:05 PM

    “The report said that further work was needed to modify behaviour management techniques at the units.”

    Does this refer to using Electric Shock on gifted and talented children? who are deemed in need of modification to normalize them?

    Lucky for some children who escaped out of Ireland and made it to the top of IT and Forbes etc. The same children the HSE agents deemed in need of modification due to too intelligent, too articulate and strong willed.

    The old Magdalene and abuse centers for Irish children live on. The energy never really changed sadly.

    Unlike UK we did not even have a place to check if these HSE agents were even qualified or had changed their names after loosing their jobs in UK.

    The whole system needs a spring clean from head to toe and all social workers etc assessed for their mental health.

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    Mute Aodhan O Cuana
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    Jan 10th 2014, 12:06 AM

    That is harsh. Spent several years working as a child in care social worker and accept criticism but not to the level that my colleagues and I suffer mental health difficulties.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 10th 2014, 3:39 PM

    Qui custodiet custodii? I think..

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 10th 2014, 3:42 PM

    * qui custodiet ipsos custodes?

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    Mute Aodhan O Cuana
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    Jan 10th 2014, 3:54 PM

    All for the auld critical reflection; as Foucault argues who examines the examiner! But to assume the lunatics are running the asylum, that’s nonsense. Social Work is not stealing kids, nor are they detaining them against their will. If anything residential care services are run badly by state and private services. Social workers can only trust and review good care is happening but the manner we manage residential social care leaves a lot to be desired! That doesn’t mean you qualify any criticism that were mad, as a profession or operate in a moral vacuum.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 10th 2014, 7:23 PM

    So a critical HIQUA report has Foucault to do with Social Workers?

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    Mute Aodhan O Cuana
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    Jan 10th 2014, 7:42 PM

    Journal.ie really does show that on average the comments reflect the electorate. Moaners and twist any comment to validate their insular views. My comments agreed with critical points of HIQA and SCU, agreed? My problem was social workers being seen as having mental health difficulties. In terms of who examines the examiner? U opened that comment with a rather lame latin quote. So if u want to still rattle on about some anti-system stance, go for it! But u do look rather foolish

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 10th 2014, 8:47 PM

    Agreed Aodhan,
    It’s just that Catherine suggested there be a mental health inspection for social workers – she did not imply as you sought to defend that you are all mad. Psychometric testing is common for many employers, so why not social workers?
    New legislation before the Oireachtas makes whistleblowing for child are cases an offence. And while I’m sure you all do a sterling job, what’s in place to stop another Cleveland from happening here.

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    Mute Aodhan O Cuana
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    Jan 10th 2014, 8:55 PM

    Can’t argue with the points raised but they are off the wall. What one should remember, psychometric testing is simply measuring one’s IQ against the standard norm, with a seasoning of analytical pepper. Cleveland was an 80s issues and you should watch BBC next week where you will see social work taking kids into care based on misdiagnosis of medical concerns.

    If you look historically at abuse it occurs in closed networks. Often the children aren’t listened to or the professionals around the child and family tend to misinterpret the information. Social workers have poor assessment systems in place, rely on poor evidence based assessment or have to tackle other professionals reluctance to acknowledge abuse or not get involved. So psychometric testing is the least of our worries.

    Children will only become safe when we have not high functioning analytical paper pushing social workers but social workers with protected cases, time to develop working relationships with family and professionals on other teams all supporting together, the child and parent where it can be done.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 10th 2014, 11:18 PM

    Interesting that you don’t think that protected cases create closed networks?

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    Mute Gearoid Mac Conraid
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    Jan 11th 2014, 12:12 AM

    This is a crock for all who work in Social care, in every aspect of life there are those who are qualified to do a job academically, but lact the moral and intrinsical empathy by having to deal with those they are there to help, by a non-flexible and supportive structure and by fault, that new developments are made each day. Not who examines the examiner, but are there boundries where the support system that is there, understands and has the resources to make a difference. Who studies the cases to advance the knowledge and who is on hand to be apart of the support mechanisim but never be able to implement any advances in a system that is inflexible.

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    Mute Laura
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    Jan 12th 2014, 3:12 AM

    What planet are you living on, referring to behaviour management techniques as electric shock therapy ?!?!?! You’ve just shown you’ve no idea what your talking about. Iv worked for years in these houses where we help kids overcome their trauma by teaching them better ways to manage their anger and express their feelings . That’s all it is. Iv seen loads of kids develop into lovely caring human beings on the back of adults helping them to see their potential and consistently day after day care for them, teach them, feed them bring them anywhere they need to go , talk to them, listen to them and most importantly show them unconditional positive regard. Most of these things they never experienced in their lives.

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    Mute Gearoid Mac Conraid
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    Jan 11th 2014, 12:29 AM

    A question please, as im not as aware or eductaed in this area as others.
    Just a normal introduction for a child to fire, show, explain and experience. When does the general social responsibility end, as they go towards the fire, beside the fire or when they feel the result of a curious burn? This is not a big furnace, can just be a candle left in a resturant/neighbours porch etc

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    Mute Gearoid Mac Conraid
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    Jan 11th 2014, 12:21 AM

    Thats not to take away for the many, but a report is fine, most studies are done by those on ground. Implementation, resources and encouraging new talent into care no matter what studies happen is moving. Reports on a strained system with ridgid structures and limited resources, saying there are holes, is a highlight but hardly prgressive for social science.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 10th 2014, 11:09 PM

    Interesting that you don’t think that protected cases create closed networks?

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