Tusla Child Protection and Welfare Service "substantially compliant" - report

The Child Protection and Welfare Service for the Dublin North East Region has been found to be "substantially compliant" a HIQA report has found.

Tusla - Child and Family Agency today welcomed the publication of the follow up HIQA inspection of the Child Protection and Welfare Service for the region. The HIQA report found the area to be substantially compliant with the four standards assessed.

Commenting on the report, Eilidh MacNab, Tusla Regional Chief Officer, Dublin North East said: “We are pleased that this latest report recognises our efforts and commitment to address key issues, resulting in an improved service delivery for the children and families in our area. It is important that children, young people, and families have a timely and quality service to support their needs.

We have hired additional resources and implemented new management systems to ensure we provide safe, secure and consistent services to families, children and young people who access our services. Work is ongoing to fill additional vacancies to enhance the improvements across the whole service area.”

Parents spoke positively about their experiences with the service and commented ‘they listened to my voice’ and ‘I was so happy with the outcome’. One parent said their family was safer as a result of receiving the service. Parents also spoke about how they were treated with dignity and respect and were encouraged to participate in decision making.

Additional staffing meant that waiting lists decreased, more timely responses were provided to new referrals and improved systems meant that staff were able to spend more time working directly with families. Management systems have been strengthened to improve the oversight of services and monitor the area’s progress. The report also noted there was an improved practice in notifications to An Garda Síochana, with good joint working between the two agencies.

Tusla receives consistent and high-quality regulation and oversight by various external bodies, including HIQA. This oversight assists us in ensuring that our practices deliver good quality, timely and appropriate interventions and services for children and families.