Introduction
In 2025, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) conducted 37 inspections across 32 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres. The findings, published in the Monitoring of International Protection Accommodation Service centres in 2025 report, provide important insights into how services are performing against the National Standards for Accommodation Offered to People in the International Protection Process.
While many centres demonstrated commitment to supporting residents, the report highlights recurring areas of non-conformance that providers must address to ensure services consistently meet national standards. For managers and operators of IPAS centres, the findings offer an opportunity to strengthen governance, improve oversight, and embed best practices that support the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of residents.
Below we examine the key themes identified in the report and what they mean for service providers.
Theme 1: Governance, accountability and leadership
Governance and oversight were inconsistent in certain centres, with weak leadership structures, limited operational monitoring, gaps in compliance with legislation and standards, incomplete resident information, and underdeveloped quality and consultation systems.
Theme 2: Responsive Workforce
Recruitment and staff support processes were not always fully implemented. Garda vetting, induction programs, and staff supervision were incomplete in some cases. Structured training and development plans for staff members were not consistently applied. Where staff systems were established, competency levels were generally adequate.
Theme 3: Contingency Planning and Emergency Preparedness
Inspections identified significant gaps in risk management and emergency preparedness. In some centres, risks were not adequately identified, recorded, or managed, and risk registers were incomplete or ineffective. Fire safety arrangements, including drills and evacuation planning (particularly for residents with specific needs), were insufficient, and contingency plans were either underdeveloped or not fully embedded or reviewed for effectiveness.
Theme 4: Accommodation
There were issues with accommodation provision in several areas, including space allocation, privacy, and maintenance. Inspection identified challenges with overcrowding, family and child facilities were sometimes limited, recreational areas were insufficient, and some residents had no/limited access to cleaning supplies and hygiene products.
Theme 5: Food, catering and cooking facilities
Some centres lacked adequate facilities, equipment, or oversight to meet residents’ dietary, cultural, and nutritional needs.
Theme 6: Person-centred care and support
In some centres, residents’ privacy, dignity, and equity were not consistently protected. Overcrowding and shared living arrangements were observed. With regards to access & inclusion, there were cases where residents had limited access to translation services, communal/religious spaces, and consultation mechanisms
Theme 7: Individual, family and community life
Some centres had limited private spaces for family or friend visits, and access to community services, education, or healthcare could be challenging, particularly in more rural locations.
Theme 8: Safeguarding and Protection
Some centres had gaps in policies and practices for abuse prevention, child protection, and incident management, including insufficient staff training, weak monitoring, and limited learning from adverse events.
Theme 9: Health, Wellbeing and Development
Some providers had gaps in access to GPs, local support services, and substance misuse policies
Theme 10: Identification, Assessment and Response to Special Needs
Some centres had missing or incomplete policies and vulnerability assessments, and staff were not always sufficiently trained. In some cases, there was no designated reception officer. In some cases where there was a designated reception officer. They were under-resourced (part-time or had the role as a secondary responsibility).
Turning Inspection Findings into Opportunities for Improvement
While the HIQA report highlights areas requiring improvement, it also provides a roadmap for strengthening the quality and safety of IPAS accommodation services.
For providers, the key challenge is ensuring that policies, procedures, and standards are not only in place, but are consistently accessible, understood, and implemented by staff.
How Cloda Supports Compliance and Best Practice in IPAS Services
Cloda is the digital assistant available in staff’s pocket to instantly provide the answers they need from your policies and procedures.
Through The Library, IPAS centres can maintain a centralised, digital repository of best practice policies aligned with the National Standards for Accommodation Offered to People in the Protection Process.
Cloda supports staff by:
- Providing instant answers to policy and procedure questions.
- Allowing staff to access guidance in their own language.
- Delivering quick comprehension quizzes to reinforce understanding.
- Enabling mobile access, ensuring staff can find information when they need it.
For IPAS providers managing complex operational environments, this means staff can quickly access guidance on critical areas such as:
- safeguarding and protection
- incident management
- emergency preparedness
- resident rights and person-centred support
- risk management and governance
In addition, Cloda includes over 60 best practice policy and procedure templates specifically designed for International Protection Accommodation Services. These templates support providers in establishing clear governance frameworks, safeguarding procedures, workforce policies, risk management systems, and resident support protocols aligned with regulatory expectations.
By combining best practice policies with instant access to guidance through Cloda, services can ensure staff always have the right information when needed, helping organisations strengthen compliance, embed consistent standards, and create safer environments for residents and staff alike.
For more information or a demo of Cloda, contact info@cloda.ai or call 01 629 2559.
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