HSE Child Protection and Welfare Service in Carlow/Kilkenny - hiqa.ie

Inspection of the HSE Child Protection and Welfare Service in Carlow/Kilkenny Local Health Area in theHSE South RegionHealth Information and Quality Authorityconfirmed this, saying the lack of funding for access to specialised services, such aspsychological assessments, was due to budgetary constraints.There were vulnerabilities in the way in which workforce planning was carried out.There were deficits in the management team in place as not all members hadsufficient management experience, skills and knowledge to effectively manage thechallenges involved in meeting the child protection and welfare needs of children inthe Area. While overall there were sufficient numbers of posts and balance ofsuitably experienced and qualified social workers and ancillary staff in place, therewere six social workers on different types of leave. The area manager and actingprincipal social worker told inspectors that these temporary vacancies had not beenfilled due to the current moratorium on recruitment. Inspectors found that thisreduction to the staff complement had not been well managed as the caseloads forsome social workers had become unfeasibly demanding and complex. Inspectorswere also concerned about other unmet service needs including cases placed onwaiting lists. While the service had prioritised some cases from the caseloads ofthose on leave, a significant proportion had been placed on a waiting list. The areamanager and acting principal social worker told inspectors that there was a nationaldirective whereby more than 20% of posts must be vacant before approval would begiven to recruit or replace staff. The area manager told inspectors that the LHA wascurrently operating at a reduced staff complement of 19% at the time of theinspection and that the complexity of cases did not impact on this directive.41