Jossy Akwuobi, a 45-year-old Dubliner from Tyrrelstown, previously ran a child accommodation company known as Ideal Care Services, which was funded by Tusla, the child and family agency. The company recently ceased operations due to allegations of fabricating staff screening and failing to perform necessary background checks, putting vulnerable youngsters at risk. Despite receiving nearly €9 million in funding from Tusla, Ideal Care ended its partnership following an investigation revealing its recruitment practices were fundamentally insufficient for protecting vulnerable children.
In addition to his operations in Ireland, it is apparent that Akwuobi is a director of a separate company in the UK. This homecare provider, named Tenda Hands Homecare, offers assistance for the elderly, mentally challenged, and disabled on behalf of local councils. Inspections of the company undertaken last year discovered it did not adhere to secure recruitment practices and was criticised for its inadequate vetting of its workers.
Further, the report from the Care Quality Commission disclosed that breaches related to safe care, staff recruitment, and governance were identified during the inspection. The review also pointed out a case where an employee was hired before the completion of the vetting process, increasing the risk for vulnerable individuals potentially being looked after by unfit workers.
The company, situated in Harrow, England, is owned by Rita Uche Okoroba who acts as the CEO. Ms Okoroba affirmed that the company has swiftly addressed all the issues identified during the inspection.
Since January 2022, Mr Akwuobi holds a director’s role at Tenda Hands Homecare, a fact proven by recent documentation. Nonetheless, he hasn’t provided any commentary on his partnership with the firm.
In recent years, Ideal Care, due to lacunae in vetting revealed by Tusla, had been mentioned to the Garda. The company had predominantly offered unregulated living spaces for vulnerable youngsters, referred to as special emergency provisions.
Ideal Care still provides residential care services for North Dublin’s Health Service Executive (HSE). Tusla reportedly flagged concerns about Ideal Care to the HSE last July, primarily focussing on the “registration of references, qualifications, and Garda vetting.”
According to a HSE spokesperson, a thorough examination of Ideal Care’s provided service was conducted, which included file reviews and interactions with those accessing residential care support. However, no significant areas of concern were discerned during this assessment. In 2022 and 2023, Ideal Care received a compensation of €339,000 for rendering residential care support to North Dublin’s HSE community.
Ideal Care, established by Mr Akwuobi in 2018, is where he presently operates. Before starting Ideal Care, he held a managerial position at the Peter McVerry Trust until January 2020, a homelessness charity. A spokesperson for the charity validated Mr Akwuobi’s past affiliation. The spokesperson also disclosed that the charity provided assistance to Tusla’s investigations into Ideal Care after being approached by the state agency.
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