An inspection carried out on Oberstown detention campus in Lusk, Co.Dublin by the Health Information and Quality Authority revealed that the centre fell short on many levels and ultimately only complied with just one in ten standards.

The inspection of the campus, which houses young offenders between the ages of 10 and 17, was undertaken in Autumn last year and highlighted a number of worrying incidents.

The report documented an event in which a child was handcuffed by staff in an attempt to restrain him in an incident which was described as "all over the place".

HIQA raised questions as to whether anything was done to ensure that that type of incident didn't take place again, but asserted they were unclear as to whether the quality of safety and service in this regard had improved. At the time of the incident, HIQA reported that almost one-third of staff were not up-to-date with their training.

In addition to the handcuffing incident, HIQA reported that children were often isolated from their peers, saying: "Protection rooms were used in Trinity house, where a child was locked in a small room without natural light, while in other units children spent time in single separation in locked time out rooms, in their bedrooms or in activity rooms."

HIQA have since been assured that the separation policy implemented by the centre would be reviewed.

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