HSE to close children's high-support unit in Castleblayney
The Health Service Executive has said it plans to close one of the regions high-support care units for children after the Health Information and Quality Authority expressed serious concerns about the operation of the unit.
In a report published on Tuesday (October 8) morning, HIQA said children under the care of the HSE at the Rath na nÓg unit in Castleblayney were being locked in, this despite the occurrence of several fires in a short period prior to the inspection.
The HIQA report expressed concern about allegations of a number of issues which had arisen at the unit which was only opened in 2002. The report found there had been four fires in a six-month period before the inspection on September 30 took place; there was evidence bullying of children at the unit by other children, with some being assaulted; and also reports of dozens of occasions when some of the residents were absent from the centre and at risk. Residents were otherwise found to be locked into the unit between 9pm and 7.30am the following morning to prevent them from leaving.
As a result the report HIQA identified there was an immediate risk to the safety of children and young people due non-compliance with the National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres.
High support residential care provides residential care to young people with emotional and behavioural issues who cannot be adequately cared for in the mainstream residential care. The units are designed to be open, where the young person is not detained and there is a high ratio of staff to children. The report highlighted the systems in place at the time of inspection were not fully effective in this regard.
Caring for young people aged 12-17 who have experienced or presented with difficulties in previous placements, the HSE now says it has plans to close the residential services for children at Rath na nÓg by the end of next month, November 30.
“The closure of the unit has been under consideration for a number of months and is in line with national policy to decommission high support units and increase the services capacity of Special Care Services”, a spokesperson for the HSE told The Anglo-Celt.
Arrangements are being made to transfer the two children in Rath na nÓg following the closure of this unit. Discussions meanwhile will take place with staff and their representatives in relation to the redeployment and redesignation.