Special Care Placements are managed by the HSE. The purpose of special care is to provide a placement where young people who are in need of special care or protection reside with the explicit objective to provide a period of stabilising short term care which will enable a young person to return to less secure care as soon as possible. It is therefore very important to ensure that such placements are appropriately used.
Criteria for the Admission to and Discharge from Special Care Placements was a specific legislative function of the CAAB to prepare and publish, in consultation with the HSE. The criteria for admission to special care was reviewed in 2008, please click on this link to download the current ‘Criteria for the Appropriate Use of Special Care Units.’
In 2010, the CAAB published criteria for the discharge from special care. This can be downloaded by clicking the following link.Special Care Discharge Criteria
The CAAB also funded research into special care. To view this research please visit our Research section.
For further information regarding special care and the process that is taken to place a child in a special care unit, please click on this link.
CAAB also reported on the level and nature of residential accommodation and support services to children detained in children detention schools and special care units.