Leitrim International Protection Centre provides support but requires improvements, says HIQA

In July of this year, Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) carried out an inspection of Carraig Accommodation Centre, an International Protection Accommodation Centre in Ballinamore.

The findings of the report were published on Friday, October 25.

At the time of inspection, there were 104 residents in Carraig Accommodation Centre across 25 apartments. The centre provides own-door independent living family accommodation, and opened in 2019.

This was the centre’s first inspection by HIQA. The inspection was carried out to assess compliance with the National Standards for accommodation offered to people in the protection process. 

Overall, the report of Carraig Accommodation Centre was good. HIQA inspectors found that residents felt safe living in the centre, particularly at night, enjoyed a good quality of life, and received support for community integration. Some residents were taking part in training courses, and others had secured employment.

Residents felt respected, happy and well-supported.

HIQA inspected 28 standards, finding 11 compliant, eight substantially compliant, eight partially compliant, and only one non-compliant.

Carraig Accommodation Centre was found non-compliant regarding the provision of a Reception Officer. The service provider must ensure a trained Reception Officer is available to support all residents.

At the time of inspection, Carraig was in the process of recruiting a Reception Officer.

The service provider also fell short in some safeguarding standards.

The report found that staff had completed the necessary adult safeguarding training, but improvements were needed to clearly categorise incidents and to follow adult safeguarding policies and procedures when residents reported allegations.

While appropriate support was given for child protection and welfare concerns involving children at the centre, the service provider and management team had not reported these concerns as required by Children First guidelines. 

The report stated that the management team assured that they would contact Tusla for advice regarding a past incident at the centre.

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The inspection also found that the service provider had a policy for managing adverse events, but not all incidents were included in the review. Improvements were needed in recording and categorising events.

These findings were deemed partially compliant.

Inspectors found that few resident welfare logs had been completed, and those that were completed were not always categorised or managed according to the required policy and procedures.

Although incidents in the centre were reported to the managing director and actions were taken, they were not recorded in the daily handover log, and no records were kept of recommendations or decisions. 

For example, an annual review of incidents completed in January 2024 did not include a serious incident that had occurred at the centre.

Monitoring and auditing systems were still in early development and needed further improvement.

Residents’ right to family life and relationships was affected because adult children who had previously lived at the centre were not permitted to stay overnight with their families, as this was against policy.

Finally, a review of transportation arrangements was needed to consider the following: the weekly allowances residents receive, the rural location of the town, and the availability of childcare facilities and stores that meet cultural needs in the area.

Inspectors found that the residents' committee asked for transportation to a nearby town with several ethnic food shops. The centre manager stated that this bus service would start later in the month of inspection.

The HIQA inspection highlighted several strengths of the centre, including residents' sense of safety, quality of life, and community support. While the centre shows promise, the report also identified areas needing improvement, particularly in the provision of a trained Reception Officer, adherence to safeguarding protocols, and effective incident recording.

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