Publication
Inspections and clinics
From International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS); Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
From International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS); Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
Currently all contracted designated accommodation centres are inspected by a combination of departmental staff and an external company hired by the department – QTS Limited. All Centres are programmed to be inspected 3 times a year. All inspections are unannounced. The inspections examine the quality of the accommodation services in relation to items such as food quality, fire safety, appropriate signage and information for residents, the condition of communal areas and sleeping quarters and adherence to hygiene and other health and safety measures.
Completed inspections are published and can be viewed under the publications heading. There are currently 46 designated accommodation centres that come under the inspections programme including the National Reception Centre at Balseskin, Co Dublin.
The Minister for Health has agreed that HIQA will take on the role of monitoring centres against the standards published in August 2019 during the transitional period to December 2024.
That will give a strong baseline for developing the inspections system that will apply to the new system once it is fully operational. The transitional period will be used to determine and identify the inspections regime that will apply from 2025 onwards.
The department has been engaging with HIQA about assuming the monitoring role and HIQA has submitted initial proposals in this regard. The National Standards meet the requirements of the EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive (Directive 2013/33/EU) which we voluntarily opted into in June 2018.
The IPAS Operations Unit conducts clinics at all accommodation centres on at least a twice yearly basis. The primary objective is to make IPAS staff available to residents to discuss issues on a one to one basis. Resident clinics also provide IPAS officials with an opportunity to review and examine centres and their general operation and pass any findings on for follow up through the formal inspection process.
While residents can raise their concerns and address complaints to IPAS at any time - through their centre manager, by telephone or in writing - information clinics provide an opportunity for face-to-face communication with IPAS staff. Residents can raise any issues of concern, complaints, queries and information requests. IPAS staff will address these concerns, initiate inquiries and provide information and referral details where necessary. Residents are assured that any issues raised will be addressed confidentially and will only be discussed with relevant personnel with their agreement.
Where a number of smaller accommodation centres are located within a short distance of each other, residents from one of the centres may be invited to attend the clinic in the neighbouring centre.
During the COVID-19 restrictions, these clinics are managed by IPAS virtually, using video-conferencing technology with the assistance of centre management.