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	A damning report by the health watchdog has revealed how one child in every seven living in a direct provision centre had to be referred to social services in a single year.</p>
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	Some 229 children were subject to referrals over child protection and welfare concerns between August 2013 and August 2014, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) said.</p>
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	It found children living in centres for asylum seekers had been exposed to physical abuse and domestic violence.</p>
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	In 18 cases, abuse fears were so serious they were notified to garda&iacute; by child protection workers.</p>
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	The Hiqa report raised concerns about inappropriate contact by adults towards some children. It also identified significant failings in some cases, including one in Laois/Offaly, where it took three years for a social work team to respond to a referral about a child threatening suicide.</p>
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	Hiqa&#39;s findings come as the Government faces mounting pressure to radically alter the direct provision system or do away with it altogether.</p>
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	Earlier this month, the Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions published a report recommending the direct provision system be scrapped.</p>
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	A Government working group, tasked with bringing forward recommendations for the future of the system, is due to issue a report to Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald in the coming days.</p>
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	The system, initially put in place as a temporary measure in 2000, has become largely discredited.</p>
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	Under direct provision, asylum seekers are housed in centres and not allowed to work while their applications are processed. There are also barriers to them entering third-level education.</p>
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	Delays in processing applications and dealing with appeals can often mean an asylum seeker spends several years waiting to learn if they will get refugee status.</p>
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	While these failings have been apparent for several years, Hiqa&#39;s report has turned the spotlight on the impact of the system on children and on the mental health of them and their parents.</p>
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	Its director of regulation, Mary Dunnion, said: &quot;The authority has grave concerns about the high number of children living in direct provision centres who have been referred to the child and family agency.&quot;</p>
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	Of these referrals, 51pc referred to child welfare issues while the remaining 49pc related to child protection concerns.</p>
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	The report said the nature of the welfare referrals varied but there were some common themes.</p>
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	These included the physical or mental illness of a parent impacting on capacity to provide quality care for children, lack of clothes and toys, and parents isolating themselves and their children from support services.</p>
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	The report made a number of recommendations, including one calling for Tusla, the child and family agency, to conduct an audit to ensure there are no outstanding or incomplete assessments.</p>
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	Tusla chief executive Gordon Jeyes said it accepted the findings and was working to deal with a backlog in referrals.</p>
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	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/hiqa-highlights-fears-for-safety-of-children-in-asylum-centres-31253403.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/hiqa-highlights-fears-for-safety-of-children-in-asylum-centres-31253403.html</a></p>
