The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published two inspection reports on the foster care services operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) in the Galway/Roscommon service area and the Kerry service area.

HIQA is authorised by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs under Section 69 of the Child Care Act, 1991, as amended by Section 26 of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2011, to inspect foster care services provided by Tusla, to report on its findings to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and to inspect services taking care of a child on behalf of Tusla, including non-statutory providers of foster care. HIQA monitors foster care services against the National Standards for Foster Care, 2003.

As part of its 2017 monitoring programme, HIQA is conducting thematic inspections across all 17 Tusla service areas which focus on the recruitment, assessment, approval, supervision and review of foster carers. These thematic inspections are announced and will cover eight standards relating to this theme.

Of the eight standards inspected against in the Galway/Roscommon area, one standard was compliant, three standards were substantially compliant and there were four moderate non-compliances. Foster carers were well supported and the provision of training to foster carers in the area was good. Assessments of foster cares were good quality, but not always timely. Recruitment and retention strategies in the area were also good.

There was a backlog of reviews, with 25% of carers not having a review for over three years; however, the area had scheduled these reviews to be completed by the end of August 2017. Allegations against foster carers were well managed; however there was room for improvements in regards to the notification of allegations to the foster care committee and the classification of allegations. The system to ensure An Garda Síochána (police) vetting of foster carers was updated also required improvement. Regular visits to foster carers required improvement and a small number of foster carers (six) did not have an allocated link social worker.

In the Kerry service area, three of the eight standards were found to be compliant, and one was substantially compliant. Assessments of general foster carers were of good quality and the support provided to foster carers was good. There was also positive practice in this area also in regard to training provided to foster carers. However, four standards were found to be non-compliant, three of which were major non-compliances.

Over 40% of the foster carers had not had a review in over three years. The Standards outline that the first review should take place one year after the first placement and subsequent reviews should take place at three-yearly intervals thereafter. Systems for ensuring that Garda vetting was updated for foster carers and that all household members over 16 years of age were Garda vetted were not adequate. There were long delays in the assessments of relative carers, and preliminary checks were not always completed for all children placed in an emergency with relative carers.

The service areas have provided an action plan response to address the non-compliances identified on inspection.