Inspection of 30 June 2026 — Inspection Report
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- Basic Needs: The dignity of the children was not supported when children used the upstairs bathroom from Preschool room 2. Low-level partitions with no doors enclosing the 2 toilets were in place in the bathroom facility. The bathroom and the playroom doors were wedged open onto the corridor to facilitate the supervision of children by the staff from the playroom. However, the children sitting on the toilets were visible to the other children and the inspector on the day as the doors to the bathroom and the playroom were all open. This practice was contrary to the toileting policy which states that the “the child’s privacy should be maintained “
Provider's corrective action:
- : The registered provider has stated in the corrective and preventive form (CAPA) that: Basic Needs: Following on from the inspection arrangements were made to fully replace the existing children’s toilet cubicle which is linked to Pre-school 2 room. A designated company will install a new cubicle with extended partition walls and fitted doors. The redesigned cubicle will provide children with an increased level of privacy while using the toilet facilities. The extended walls will also create a more spacious cubicle, ensuring children are comfortable and their dignity is maintained at all times. For the toilet in the Toddler changing room, a door has been ordered to be fitted as well. The service will ensure to carry out regular environmental and health and safety checks. The conditions and suitability of the toilet facilities will be monitored. Any issues identified will be addressed promptly to ensure children’s privacy, dignity, and wellbeing are maintained at all times. Future refurbishments to the environment will also be reviewed against Tusla standards to ensure ongoing compliance
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- Infection Control: There was a potential risk of cross infection between staff and children due the inadequate handwashing practices with children following nappy changing, messy and outdoor play in the Wobbler and Toddlers playrooms. • The staff did not wash the children hands following their nappy change, staff said that “they used wipes only”. • No handwashing with warm water and liquid soap was observed in the bathroom facilities with the younger children following nappy changing. The 2 low-level hand-washing basins were not used by the staff to encourage good handwashing practices. • The staff said that “the children following messy and outdoor play would use a communal bowl of water to wash their hands”. The sharing of a communal bowl of water increases the potential risk of cross infection. This was contrary to the policies on hand washing and the nappy changing which stated that “children’s hands are washed and dried following nappy changing and toileting “and “good handwashing practises are encouraged.” Action submitted by the Registered Provider Infection Control: The registered provider has stated in the CAPA form that: All the staff completed refresher training on the service hand hygiene and nappy changing procedures. This training reinforced the importance of ensuring children wash their hands after every nappy change in accordance with infection prevention and control practices. Staff were reminded of their responsibility to support and supervise children during hand washing to ensure this practice is carried out consistently and effectively. Management will continue to monitor staff practice through regular observations and supervision to ensure that children are consistently supported to wash their hands following every nappy change. Hand hygiene and nappy changing will be added to the agenda of every staff meeting and will form part of the induction process for all new employees. Refresher training will be provided on an ongoing basis, and routine audits of nappy changing practices will be carried out to ensure continued compliance with the service’s policies, infection prevention and control procedures and Tusla requirements. Supporting documentation submitted: Photographic evidence was submitted to demonstrate that staff had undertaken refresher training on the required infection control policies following the inspection. Age appropriate steps were added to the bathroom facilities to ensure the children could safely access the wash hand basins supervised and assisted by staff as required. Summary Comment The evidence submitted was assessed and deemed to meet the regulatory requirements of Regulation 23 Infection control
Regulation 26 — Fire safety measures
- The records indicated that the annual servicing of the smoke alarm was dated the 6th of March 2025. The smoke alarm was not serviced and this could potentially lead to a risk to both staff and children in the event of a fire emergency
Provider's corrective action:
- : The registered provider has stated in the CAPA form that:
- The fire/smoke alarms was serviced on Monday 13th of July and a certificate of completion was provided. The updated certification is now on file in the service to ensure ongoing compliance with fire safety requirements. A monitoring system has been put in place to track the expiry date of all required safety certificates. Fire alarm and smoke alarms servicing will be scheduled well in advance of the renewal date, with reminders entered into the service calendar
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 10, 11, 29.