Mirror Publishes Complaints about Child Abuse in Care Homes

by | Feb 14, 2015

The Irish Mirror has published complaints about child abuse in care homes and raised concerns about how long it took for the complaints to be resolved.

According to information acquired by the Irish Mirror, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) received at least one complaint about child abuse in care homes and foster homes every week between 2012 and 2014. Details of the complaints reveal a catalogue of neglect and the failure of the HSE´s child and family agency – TUSLA – to deal with the complaints in an appropriate timeframe.

The complaints about child abuse in care homes and foster homes originated from many different sources including parents, members of the public and the children themselves. One of the most detailed complaints was made by a member of staff employed at a private care home, who wrote to HIQA after receiving no response from her complaint to TUSLA. In her letter she raised concerns about:

  • Staff being told to turn a blind eye to a resident who smoked weed all day long
  • Staff reports and court reports being retrospectively changed by management
  • Unqualified carers being hired on short term contracts to avoid paying tax, PRSI and benefits
  • Three children who were allowed to sleep all day and stay up all night
  • Two more children who were identified as “depressed and suicidal”, but no further action was taken.

The anonymous member of staff claimed that all of these actions were taken because the home would suffer a loss of income if children were removed from their care. The staff member requested intervention from TUSLA, but a lack of action from the HSE´s agency compelled her to write to HIQA – who could only chase up TUSLA as HIQA does not have the statutory authority to investigate allegations of poor standards.

Among other examples of child abuse in care homes and foster homes in Ireland, the Irish Mirror revealed allegations of bullying and sexual abuse at a children´s residential centre in Waterford and allegations of physical and sexual abuse of two children in foster care in Wexford. Complaints were made to HIQA after an “incident” in a care home left a resident hospitalised for days, and after TUSLA had returned a minor to a foster home despite him having been moved to a place of safety by Gardai.

Of equal concern was the length of time it took TUSLA to investigate the allegations of child abuse in care homes and foster homes. In one example it took TUSLA eighty days to respond to a series of communications from HIQA regarding visitation rights to a worried man´s two grandchildren after he had complained about their social worker´s standard of work. The social worker was eventually removed and the grandfather´s visitation rights restored.

In another example TUSLA failed to attend to concerns about a child´s safety during family visits in a foster care home. Almost a month passed until a social worker responded to an email from HIQA asking on what action was being taken, and then only after Gardai became involved. Fianna Fail’s spokesman for children – Robert Troy – told the Irish Mirror that the failure by TUSLA to address HIQA’s concerns about child abuse in care homes and foster homes is “a dereliction of duty”.

Need Help?

If you have any legal questions arising from an injury then please call us now on our 24-Hour helpline on 1800-989 900 or use the form below to request a call back.

This is a free-to-call line to book a call with a Coleman Legal solicitor. There are no charges or obligations for using this service and you will NOT be pressured into making a claim or using our services. We always respect your privacy and comply with GDPR regulations.