Inspection of Child Protection Services

The need for an inspection of Child Protection Services in Northern Ireland was identified during the consultation on the former Social Services Inspectorate’s inspection programme for 2002 - 2005.  The inspection continued into 2006 as a 5th Trust was added to the programme.

The reports arising from the inspection identify many areas of good practice and good quality work undertaken by highly motivated staff who are working in extremely pressurised and high risk situations, in both fieldwork and residential children’s services.  The reports have sought to identify both what is working well and where improvements are still needed.  Severe pressures and difficulties were, however, identified across a number of the Boards and Trusts with systematic failures in a number of Trusts in the discharge of statutory functions and a lack of appropriate safeguards for children within fieldwork and residential settings.

The reports, with their recommendations to Boards, Trusts, key agencies and Government Departments, together with the draft standards provide a clear and coherent framework for the future provision of robust, high quality child protection services.

The reports and associated action plans can be accessed as follows: