Residents in a centre housing international protection applicants in Killarney are living in overcrowded and undignified conditions, the health watchdog has found.
The Health Information and Quality Authority carried out an unannounced inspection on Atlas Killarney on 16th October, to assess compliance with national standards.
While residents were supported, HIQA found the living arrangements compromised their dignity, privacy, safety, and well-being.
HIQA inspectors wrote residents felt safe in the centre, that the communal areas were homely, and respectful interactions with staff created a calm and relaxed atmosphere at the centre.
The centre was in good physical condition, but some residents were living in cramped, undignified conditions, and they expressed concerns about sharing rooms with people with significantly different needs.
31 of the 73 residents were sharing bedrooms with people unrelated to them, including one bedroom which was shared by four unrelated adults on bunk beds.
Parents and children also shared bedrooms, which were small and cluttered, with little or no space for infant cots or for toddlers to crawl, compromising safety, privacy, and dignity.
There was also very little, if any, space available for children to complete their homework, play, or develop, and residents were concerned the centre was unsuitable for children due to privacy and dignity issues in shared bedrooms.
The centre had spacious and clean dining and kitchen areas, but they were closed for four hours daily for cleaning, during which residents had no access to fridges, microwaves, hot water, or facilities to prepare snacks or bottles for babies.
The centre was also under-resourced, and on the day of inspection, a catering assistant, supported only by a kitchen staff member whose primary duties were cleaning, was responsible for preparing meals for 73 residents.
HIQA found child protection referrals were made appropriately, but there were no records of interim protective measures for children in the centre while awaiting the results of assessments or investigations.
In response, the centre outlined a number of measures to bring it in line with national standards, including that bunk beds be replaced with single beds and staff will be recruited.
