A new child protection and welfare inspection system has been put in place by the Health Inspection and Quality Authority (HIQA).

The aim of the programme is to ensure that the State is protecting the most vulnerable children and to improve the quality and safety of the existing child services.

It is the first such inspection programme ever to be launched in Ireland which will also set out new standards for care and protection.

Under the monitoring programme, the Authority will:

• Assess if the HSE Children and Family Services has all the elements in place to safeguard children and young people.
• Establish if failure to have these elements in place poses a serious risk to the children receiving these services.
• Identify and report on areas of good practice which protect children and promote their welfare, whilst respecting and upholding their rights.
• Seek assurances from the HSE that they are safeguarding children through the mitigation of serious risks.
• Inform the public and promote confidence through the publication of the Authority’s findings.

The inspections will initially involve announced inspections of HSE local health areas, with each area being inspected at least once every 3 years.

Unannounced inspections will also be introduced and will involve HIQA inspectors arriving into HSE local health areas to assess how the service is coping with the needs of vulnerable children.

Director of Regulations with HIQA is Phelim Quinn.

He explains more about what inspections will entail.