Sleeping arrangements for IPAS residents affects ‘dignity and privacy'

The Journal

3 days ago

THE SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS for residents living at an International Protection facility is impacting upon their dignity and privacy and has the potential to lead to accumulative harm to children, a report has found.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) published six inspection reports on permanent International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres.
IPAS centres, formerly known as direct provision centres, provide accommodation for people seeking international protection in Ireland.
When inspectors visited a centre in Co Dublin, which accommodates around 231 residents, 60 of whom were children, they observed overcrowding and cramped conditions in some rooms.
They found 11 families where parents shared bedrooms with children aged 10 and over.
For instance, in one family unit observed, the room was divided by a wardrobe, with one side featuring a bunk bed and a single bed for three teenagers, while the other side contained a double bed for the parents.
In addition, the rooms lacked dedicated living areas for families or single residents in shared bedrooms.
While all rooms viewed met the minimum space requirements of the national standards, these living arrangements compromised the dignity and privacy of residents, and were not in line with the provisions of the Housing Act of 1966.
Privacy and dignity
Inspectors found that while families were accommodated together, the privacy and dignity of some families were not adequately protected.
It said that the arrangements were not in line with the requirements of the Housing Act of 1966, and impacted upon the dignity and privacy of residents and had a potential to lead to accumulative harm to children.
Advertisement
The private provider of the IPAS facility had plans to relocate some families to more suitable accommodation within the centre once available and had engaged with the relevant Government department on this issue.
Hiqa inspects the quality and safety of permanent IPAS centres against the National Standards for accommodation offered to people in the protection process (2019).
The reports were published on Cuirt Uisce Accommodation Centre, Co Galway; Atlantic Lodge, Co Kerry; Davis Lane Apartments, Co Cork; Glenvera Hotel, Co Cork; Ocean View House, Co Waterford; and The Towers, Co Dublin.
Hiqa found that four of the centres inspected – Cuirt Uisce Accommodation Centre, Davis Lane Apartments, Glenvera Hotel and Ocean View House — had no non-compliances against the standards. The remaining two centres had varying levels of compliance.
Across the inspections conducted, inspectors found examples of good practice such as well-equipped cooking facilities for preparing meals, access to health and social supports, and support for integrating into the community.
Atlantic Lodge and the Towers were have found to have breached compliance in areas around governance, accountability and leadership; safeguarding and protection; and accommodation.
For example, in one centre, the management team was not aware of its responsibility to notify safeguarding incidents to HIQA.
At the Atlantic Lodge, inspectors found that the management team did not have a full understanding of the relevant legislation, regulations, national policies and standards to protect residents living in the accommodation centre.
While residents were treated with respect in the centre, the management team were not aware of their responsibilities in terms of notifying safeguarding incidents to Hiqa, the report stated.
In accordance with Standard 8:3, the provider had established a process to ensure that adverse events were reported to the relevant body.
However, this process was not followed, and an incident was not reported to Hiqa as required by policy and legislation.
Where non-compliance with the national standards was identified, providers were required to submit compliance plans to demonstrate how they will make improvements and come into compliance with the national standards.