The Irish Social Services Inspectorate was set up in 1999 to inspect social services. Our first task is to inspect children's residential centres to ensure that there is a good standard of care for all young people. No, we are not part of the health board. We are an independent service set up by the Government.
Inspectors visit each children's centre normally over three days.
We meet with the staff and young people to get their views and opinions about what it is like to live in the centre. We also talk to social workers, health board managers and examine the records and policies that they make. Meeting and talking to parents is a very important part of the Inspection. We want to hear what parents think about the care provided for their child. We also want to listen to how parents are treated by the centre and to learn from them whether things could be improved.