A Health board residential centre for children in Dublin has been found by inspectors to employ only temporary staff. Some of them were taken on without vetting and only half are qualified.
The home in Knocklyon, Templeogue, run by the South Western Area Health Board, was also found to be caring for a five-year-old boy, even though it is meant to cater for people between the ages of eight and 18 only.
The Irish Social Services Inspectorate, which inspected the home in December, said this child was misplaced and recommended an alternative placement be found urgently for him.
The report, obtained by The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act, said inspectors were told the child was in the centre because there was no foster placement available.
However, the inspectors said: "It is not acceptable that a young child is placed in a centre unable to meet his needs. This is his third placement, and his social worker and the care staff reported to the inspector that he had regressed during the course of the placement."
The report added that the health board "must move with more urgency" with regard to the specific needs of this child.
"There is a growing concern amongst those who care for the child that if a foster placement is not found quickly this child may develop behavioural symptoms that reflect his loss and this will make it increasingly difficult to find an appropriate foster placement for him."
Inspectors also found only three of the four boys in the centre had care plans drawn up for them. The plan for one of these was only drawn up 18 months after the child started his placement. There was no care plan for the five-year-old but one should be developed urgently.
In addition, the centre does not meet fire safety standards and has not been passed by the health board's fire safety officer. It is located in a rented house and the inspectors were told the health board was looking for alternative premises.
The centre was established in 1998 as a temporary response to a High Court order in respect of one child. However, that child left the centre more than a year ago and it has been providing long-term care for children of the area over the past 18 months.
Referring to the employment of staff, the inspectors said it was the responsibility of the Eastern Regional Health Authority to get two references and Garda clearance for job applicants. They said there were several instances of applicants starting work before these were obtained.
They noted that the manager and all staff were temporary and recommended the ERHA make permanent appointments so staff could offer stability and continuity of care. The inspection team also praised the staff's attentive and kind manner towards the children.
A spokesman for the South Western Area Health Board said yesterday the board had, prior to the report, been seeking an alternative building for the centre. A house had now been identified and it was hoped its purchase would be finalised shortly. He said a foster family was being sought for the five-year-old and a care plan for this child had been drawn up.
"Due to the rapid expansion of residential and other child care services in the eastern region many of the posts had to be filled on a temporary basis. It is the intention of the board this year to advertise these," he said.
He added the board was aware of only one case when a member of staff was recruited before vetting and this was immediately rectified.