Inspection & Findings
Inspection Process
Outline Description of the Inspection Process of Children's Residential Centres
1. ANNOUNCED INSPECTIONS:
1.1 PRE-INSPECTION PROCESS
Notice of Inspection: 6 weeks
- Letter issued to Chief Executive Officer of Health Board providing notice of inspection of named children's residential centre
- Letter sent to monitor
- Letter and phone call to residential centre manager announcing inspection and requesting documentation
Documentation Requirements:
- Summary Information Sheet to be returned within two weeks
- Statement of purpose and function
- All policies and procedures that inform practice in the centre
- Census form for each young person
- Census data for each staff member
- Details of any complaints made over the previous year including findings of investigations and recommendations
- Details of the use of physical restraint over the previous year
- Details of unauthorised absences from the centre over the previous year
- Report of most recent health and safety audit
- Fire certificate, health and safety statement, and evidence of insurance
- Copy of details recorded in central register maintained by the Health Board
- Letter sent to each young person including young people's booklet
- Letter sent to parents or guardians, including questionnaire and parents' booklet
- Letter sent to child care manager and/or centre line manager
- Letters sent to general manager or manager to whom the line manager reports
- Letter and questionnaire sent to social workers (to be returned within 2 weeks)
- Letter and questionnaire sent to school principals (to be returned within 2 weeks)
- Letter sent to general practitioners and other relevant professionals associated with the centre
- To explain the role of the inspectorate
- To outline the inspection process
- To discuss the standards against which the centre will be inspected
- To make practical arrangements for the inspection
Pre-inspection visits may not take place for centres that are inspected annually or for centres that have already been inspected.
Where a number of centres are part of a cluster inspection, the SSI may not be able to facilitate a pre-inspection visit to each individual centre.
1.2 INSPECTION PROCESS
The inspection field-work takes place over three days:- Observation of the care of the young people and day and evening routines, sharing meals with young people and staff, and observing shift hand-overs and team meetings
- Interviews with young people, parents, centre staff, social workers, Health Board managers and other professionals
- Review of documentation including case files, care plans, care plan reviews, administrative records
- Inspection of premises and facilities
- Providing general feedback on the inspection findings to the centre manager on the final day
1.3 POST INSPECTION:
- Draft report is sent to centre manager for factual accuracy check
- When completed final report is sent to:
- Centre manager
- Line Manager
- General Manager or manager to whom the line manager reports
- Child Care Manager and monitor
- Chief Executive Officer
- Department of Health and Children
- Final report is posted on our website: www.issi.ie
1.4 FOLLOW UP
- An action plan outlining the Health Board's response to each of the recommendations contained in the inspection report, and a timescale for action, is sought by the Department of Health and Children. A reply is requested form the Health Board within one month
- This is reviewed by SSI to assess if it adequately addresses the recommendations
- If necessary, further information on the Health Board's progress in implementing the recommendations is sought after three months by the Department of Health and Children
- Department of Health and Children officials and the lead inspector meet with the Health Board managers to discuss implementation progress if the Health Board's action plan suggests the need for further discussion and clarification
- SSI may also re-visit the centre to asses the extent to which the actions taken by the board have resulted in improved practice
2. UNANNOUNCED INSPECTIONS:
SSI can carry out an unannounced inspection at any time. Unannounced inspections take place for the purpose of:- Undertaking a standard inspection of a centre that has been chosen at random by the inspectorate
- As a result of concerns about practices in a particular centre that have been brought to the attention of the Inspectorate
- Undertaking a thematic inspection to assess practice in relation to specific standards. Such an inspection could focus on themes such as children's rights, child protection procedures or care planning