Irish Social Services Inspectorate

What We Do

Introducing the Social Services Inspectorate

This booklet has been written to explain the role and responsibilities of the Social Services Inspectorate. It introduces the Inspectorate to health boards and independent organisations involved in the provision of child care, social work and other social services, and organisations and individuals who have an interest in, or may need to know about, the work we undertake.

Mich'le Clarke
Chief Inspector
September 2001.

Making Judgements

Judgements about the quality of services are essential to the work of the Social Services Inspectorate. In making them, Inspectors use their experience and expertise. However, in a number of areas of social work, child care and social care services, there are no set standards so other measures must be used for assessing services. In addition to inspections these may include:

undertaking audits;
carrying out surveys;
judging services against quality indicators;
undertaking outcome studies which assess the results of services and the extent to which they meet the needs of those who use them.

Reports

The reports of the Social Services Inspectorate are accessible to the public. They address services provided against agreed standards. They are aimed at four audiences:

the health boards and other bodies with responsibility for the services provided;
people who use the service and their families;
professionals and managers of other services;
the public.

Reports make clear statements on what is good about a service that has been inspected and what needs to be improved. Clear recommendations for improvement are provided. Reports, when issued, are sent to the chief executive officers of the health boards for distribution to health board members and staff. They may also be sent to other bodies, where it is considered appropriate.

Occasionally, a report is issued that is not accessible to the public on the grounds that it may identify confidential details about a child or young person. The general findings from such a report may be made available in summary form.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Social Services Inspectorate was established in 1999 by the Minister for Children at the Department of Health and Children (DHC). It is planned that the Inspectorate will be established on a statutory basis. However for the initial period the Inspectorate operates as a professional body, independent, but administered by the DHC. It works independently of the Department when carrying out inspections, and will continue to consult with the DHC as well as health boards and other major agencies about inspection priorities before programmes of inspection are finalised.

In the first phase of its existence, the Social Services Inspectorate is focusing on children in care. Eventually its role will expand to encompass a wider range of social services.

A Steering Group, with representatives from the Health Boards and the DHC, has responsibility for overseeing the development of the Inspectorate and its establishment as an independent statutory body. The Chief Inspector reports to the DHC on the work of the Inspectorate and provides advice on the quality of residential child care, social work and social care services and the role of these services within the area of personal and social services provision. The Chief Inspector provides professional advice directly to the Minister where this is thought to be necessary.

Work of Social Services Inspectorate

In the initial stages the Social Services Inspectorate is focusing on residential child care services provided by the health boards. It also monitors the implementation of the child protection guidelines and seeks to ensure safe care practices. The inspection of children's residential centres provided in the non-statutory sector is undertaken by inspectors appointed by the health boards. However, the registration and inspection provided by the health board's inspection services is also monitored by the Social Services Inspectorate.

In carrying out inspections, the Inspectorate works with health boards, DHC and other relevant organisations to ensure that child care and social care services are responsive to the needs of the population and allow the public to have confidence in them.

Approach to Inspections

In carrying out inspections the Social Services Inspectorate seeks to:

focus on service delivery at the point of impact on service users and carers;
interview people who use social work, social care and child care services;
interview social work and child care staff and others involved in providing, managing and monitoring services;
visit the sites of service delivery;
observe practice;
systematically collect information, analyse it and make professional judgements;
evaluate services against previously agreed standards and criteria;
ensure that evidence for conclusions and recommendations are clearly stated;
report the findings and recommendations to the agency inspected;
make inspection reports available to the public.

In order to monitor and improve its work, the Inspectorate periodically reviews both the standards against which centres are inspected and the process of the inspection used.

Setting Standards

The Social Services Inspectorate emphasises the importance of setting standards which say what level of service will be provided by an agency and how it will be provided. Where Government standards exist, they form the basis of the inspection. Where standards have not yet been developed, the inspection criteria used will be agreed beforehand. Typically, they draw on what is known from research and from current best practice about the effective delivery of the service. Inspection will address what is provided, how it is managed and delivered, and the impact it has on the people who use it.

The Social Services Inspectorate makes the standards and criteria used for inspection available to all interested parties. It is expected that they will inform health boards and others in developing services.

The Current Key Tasks of the Inspectorate are

Inspection of health board residential homes for children under the Child Care Act 1991 & special care units under 23K,(7)(f)(ii) of the Children Act 2001.

advising the DHC on the formulation of standards for child care services;
monitoring of the organisation, operation and management of child care services;
evaluating the quality and responsiveness of services as experienced by users and carers;
providing professional advice and expertise to Departments;
formulating, implementing and reviewing child care policy and the effective and efficient delivery of services;
developing strategies to give effect to recommendations of relevant enquiries and reports;
supporting the DHC in developing standards for fostering and other areas of social services.

The Inspectorate does not directly investigate complaints from the public or consider appeals against health board decisions.

The Purpose of Inspection

These are to:

promote the quality of social work and social care services for those who require them;
provide a measure of public accountability;
encourage professional values and advance the development of standards;
ensure compliance with departmental regulations and requirements;
encourage the equitable distribution of services within the State;
identify gaps in existing provision and suggest initiatives to remedy these;
report to DHC, to the statutory, voluntary and private sector and to users and carers on the standards of services, how effective they are in meeting the needs of those who use them and whether they achieve best value for money. It is envisaged that the Social Services Inspectorate will receive copies of inspection reports prepared by health board inspectors on voluntary children's residential centres in their area. This will assist the Social Services Inspectorate in monitoring the operation of the registration and inspection process to ensure consistency of approach between the different boards and the application of comparable standards of care provision.

Powers of Inspection

The Social Services Inspectorate conducts inspections under statutory powers contained in Section 69 of the Child Care Act 1991. Under this Section, the Minister may cause to be inspected any service provided on premises maintained by a health board under the Act. Inspectors in the Social Services Inspectorate are authorised by the Minister to:-enter any premises maintained by a health board under the Act and examine the state and management of the premises and the treatment of children there; and examine such records and interview such members of staff as they think fit.

In preparation for any inspection, inspectors require a health board to supply them with such reports and statistics in relation to the performance of the functions assigned to it by, or under, the Child Care Act.

Recommendations

The DHC follows up with the boards on how they plan to act on the recommendations contained in the report. The DHC consults with the Inspectorate on the adequacy of the response to the inspection recommendations. The Social Services Inspectorate may arrange to revisit the service to reassure itself that recommendations have been acted upon.

Professional Advice

The Social Services Inspectorate provides professional advice and expertise to the DHC on the formulation, implementation and review of child care policy and on the effective and efficient delivery of services.

It also disseminates information about the management of social work and child care services, research and good practice by publishing inspection reports and through other publications, conferences and training.

Social Services Inspectorate
Floor 3, 94 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 418 0588 Fax: (01) 418 0829
Email: ssiinfo@health.irlgov.ie
Web: www.issi.ie

Foireann Chigireachta Sheirbh's' Sh'isialta
rl'r 3, 94 Faicha St'of'in, Baile tha Cliath 2
Teil: (01) 418 0588 Facs: (01) 418 0829