A HIQA report into child protection and welfare services in Cavan and Monaghan has found that, by and large, staff in this region "deliver a high-quality service that is responsive to the needs of children." The inspection comes a a year and a half after the introduction of the government's Child Abuse Substantiation Procedure, or CASP.
CASP is for use by social workers who carry out what is called a substantiation assessment, to conclude if child abuse has happened or not and protect children who could be at risk of abuse. HIQA found that Tusla's CASP team in Cavan and Monaghan is "child-centred and trauma informed in their practice" placing an individual child's best interests at the centre of all decision making.
However, the report noted there were in some cases delays in the CASP process and timelines, and certain procedures were found to be less efficient than they could otherwise be. To address these concerns, targeted improvements have been put in place, Tusla said. "The area has agreed a compliance plan with HIQA to ensure that deficiencies noted in the report are rectified as soon as possible," a statement said.
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