Sunbeam House Management Won't Comment On Claims Woman In Care Unlawfully Restrained

Management at Sunbeam House Services has written to parents and family members of residents in its facilities, saying they will not be commenting on a newspaper article this week, which claimed a woman with a severe intellectual disability was “unlawfully” restrained repeatedly while in the care of the County Wicklow charity.

On Monday the Irish Times said it had seen correspondence to the organisation’s senior management and board chairman in August 2017 , which raised concerns about the use of restraints.

Legal advice said management at Sunbeam needed a High Court order to confirm the measures were in the best interests of the woman.

The report also highlights an unpublished investigation into one of the organisation’s residential centres in Arklow in 2018, after a staff member reported concerns about standards.

The investigation found practices were less than ideal, and highlighted systemic problems at the centre.