Child and youth welfare facilities of Carinthia, assurances were given that those responsible wanted to make relevant regulations in 2020. Once again in 2019, many improvements could be achieved after the visits by the commissions. Hygiene problems were rectified and necessary refurbishments undertaken in several shared accommodations. One complaint was so extensive that the entire shared accommodation was repainted, the floors sealed and the redesign of the rooms tackled together with the children and adolescents. A shared accommodation for adolescents in Lower Austria was also redecorated and redesigned with the involvement of the adolescent residents. In another shared accommodation in Lower Austria, mould was removed to ensure that the living conditions do not represent a health risk. After criticism by Commission 6, another shared accommodation was designed to cater to children’s needs. Cleaning procedures were changed in shared accommodation for unaccompanied minor refugees after criticism by the commissions. Many improvements achieved through the NPM In order to prevent violence, it is essential that minors can contact the Ombuds Office for Children and Youths from residential facilities in confidence, free of charge and anonymously. Sometimes it can happen that the posters and folders are damaged and the contact information of the Ombuds Office becomes illegible. The reaction to criticism by the commissions is usually immediate and new information material is displayed. The storage of medication was frequently the subject matter of complaints in 2019. Fortunately, the recommendations issued were implemented immediately in most cases. Medication that has expired or was prescribed for children who have left the facility must be disposed of regularly. Some shared accommodations also followed the commissions’ recommendation to transfer the specific “packaging” of the medication to pharmacies in order to have more time for the care work and minimise stress-related mistakes when dispensing it. Medicinal products should only be stored in lockable cabinets in order to prevent theft and abuse. Due to criticism of the way in which medical records are handled, a form was created for all adolescents in a facility, in which the doctors now have to enter the diagnosis, medication and date of examination. The medical files of the children living in a shared accommodation were modified in a way that doctors’ letters and prescriptions can be found faster. Professional medication management requires precautionary measures Upon recommendation by Commission 4, the documentation of dispensed medication in a shared accommodation in Vienna was changed in a way that it is now possible to dispense medication at different times and have it individually documented. A crisis centre in Lower Austria was provided a consulting psychiatrist from the competent department of child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy on the recommendation of the NPM. This served to improve the cooperation with the clinic and strengthen the team. An on-call night duty was also introduced after criticism by the NPM. The 66

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