This page is written for the young people who live with us. Referrers, families, and the regulator should be able to read it in the same words. The content sits inside the HIQA national standards and the regulations underneath them.
These are not extras or wishes. They are written into the HIQA standards and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. They are what every young person living with us should be able to count on.
Physically and emotionally. No one is allowed to hurt you here, and we have to do something about it if they do.
Your opinion matters in every decision that affects you. You don't have to wait to be asked.
About your placement, your plan, who is involved, what comes next. In language you understand.
Your culture, religion, language, name. We support these. We never ask you to set them aside to live here.
Unless a court or safeguarding decision says otherwise. We help with this. We don't gatekeep it.
School, college, training, or the learning that fits you. We work hard not to let placement disrupt it.
Your bedroom, your post, your phone, your conversations. With reasonable limits that we'll explain to you, and only when there's a real reason.
Without any negative consequence, ever. The person you complain about does not handle your complaint.
To have someone outside McCare who works for you, not for the service. We will help you contact one.
Aftercare and leaving-care planning is paced to you. We will not push you out before you're ready.
You can start at any stage. You can skip stages. You can ask someone to help you with any of this, and we'll find you that someone if you want.
Your key worker is one option. Any team member is another. They have to listen and act, not brush it off. Most concerns are sorted at this stage.
If the first conversation doesn't resolve it, ask the manager of your home for a meeting. We'll write down what was agreed and check back with you that it happened.
If you're still not satisfied, ask for a formal review by a senior McCare team member who wasn't involved. We'll respond in writing within ten working days.
You don't have to do steps one to three first. You can contact an external advocate or the regulator at any time. Their details are below.
You can talk to any of these people whenever you want. You don't need our permission to contact the external bodies, and we will help you do it if you ask.
Inside McCare
Independent of McCare
Empowering People in Care. Independent advocacy for children and young people in or with experience of care, and for young people in aftercare up to the age of 26. An advocate can sit with you in meetings, help you say what you want to say, and help you make a complaint. They work for you, not for us. Free.
An independent statutory body that examines complaints from anyone under 18 about services for children. Free, confidential, and they can investigate without our permission. They will usually ask that we have been given a chance to sort it out first.
A free, private listening service for anyone under 18, run by the ISPCC. Any hour of any day, about anything at all, however small it feels. You can phone or use the live chat on their website, and you don't have to give your name.
The Child and Family Agency. If your concern is about your placement plan, your social worker, or a decision Tusla is making about you, this is the place to raise it. Tusla's Tell Us service takes complaints, comments and compliments about Tusla staff and services.
The Health Information and Quality Authority. HIQA writes the national standards our services are measured against, and registers and inspects our adult disability services. You can tell HIQA about any concern you have about the safety or quality of a service.
The Child Refugee Service supports young people seeking international protection who arrived here on their own. Support is normally arranged through Tusla's Separated Children Seeking International Protection team, so start with your social worker or a team member here and we will help you make contact.
You won't face consequences for raising a concern. Ever.
We'll tell you what we're doing about it. In writing if you want.
We'll write to you in language you understand. Plain English, your first language where we can, accessible format on request.
If your complaint is about a team member, that person will not be involved in handling it.
We'll come back to you afterwards to check the response landed. Not just to file it and move on.
If you need help to make a complaint, we'll help you. So will an external advocate.
The young-person-facing language above is the same content we are accountable for in inspection. It is not a separate brochure.
The questions young people, families and referrers most often ask us about rights, advocacy and complaints.
