New national standards aimed at providing safe and effective care to children and adults with disabilities in residential care have been published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

According to the authority, the publication of these standards ‘is a landmark moment for disability services in Ireland'.

"From now on, these standards will provide those who use services and their families/representatives with a guide as to what they should expect from residential services. These standards will be used as a framework to drive continuous improvements in these services," explained HIQA director of regulation, Phelim Quinn.

The standards apply to all residential services, irrespective of whether they are run by public, private or voluntary bodies. They state that children and adults who live in residential care ‘should enjoy a good quality of life and live in a place that feels like their home'.

HIQA emphasised that this marks the first time that residential services for children and adults with disabilities will be subjected to independent scrutiny by a regulator

"When our team of inspectors and staff begin monitoring and inspecting these services, these standards, along with relevant regulations, will be used as the framework to assess whether centres are providing safe and effective care for children and adults living there," it explained.

The registration and inspection of services is due to begin later this year.

The standards are grouped under eight main themes and cover issues such as privacy, dignity and money. They can be viewed on the HIQA website here