Children and family services provided by the State are to be independently inspected and monitored for the first time in this country, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has announced.

According to HIQA, this new inspection regime is aimed at ‘radically strengthening and improving Ireland's child protection and welfare services'.

"This is a significant milestone in putting safer and more reliable child protection and welfare systems in place for vulnerable and at-risk children... It is clear that the needs of vulnerable children have not always been responded to in an appropriate and timely way, and the scale and seriousness of documented child abuse and neglect in Ireland has highlighted this in several reports," commented HIQA's director of regulations, Phelim Quinn.

He said that inspections have already begun, with one inspection completed, and more in progress.

The work of the inspectors will include:
-Assessing if the service in question has all the elements in place to safeguard children and young people
-Establishing if a failure to have these elements in place poses a serious risk to children
-Keeping the public informed by publishing inspection findings.

Initially the inspections will be announced. In other words, the service will be given notice that an inspection is to take place. However according to HIQA's guide on this new regime, ‘in some circumstances, for example, where serious concerns about safeguarding have been raised, a full monitoring assessment may be carried out without giving this notice period'.

Each HSE local health area will be inspected at least once every three years and during inspections, HIQA inspectors will meet with children, their families and carers ‘to hear firsthand their experiences of the services they are receiving'.

"This new inspection regime is about having standards and regulations that safeguard and protect children to keep them safe, well cared for and supported to live with their families where possible. Services should ensure that all children get the best opportunities to live the fullest lives they can," Mr Quinn said.

The first inspection report will be published ‘in the coming weeks', HIQA added.