Inspection of 17 May 2024 — Inspection Report
Immediate action notice. 17 May 2024 An Immediate Action notice was issued to the service in relation to the following: Regulation 23- Side gate of the service being open and not secure which posed a risk to the safety of children. Please see details in the body of the report. 20 May 2024 The Registered Provider addressed the non-compliances under Regulation 23. Please see details in the body of the report. Acknowledgments The inspector wishes to acknowledge the cooperation of person in charge, staff and children who were present on the day of the inspection.
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (b) Documentation was not available to demonstrate two written references for one adult had been validated. (d) Police vetting was not available for one adult who lived outside of Ireland for a period of more than 6months
Provider's corrective action:
- (b) The Person in charge contacted the clinical placement coordinator to inform them of the new procedure, the clinical placement coordinator will ensure all students are informed and compliant of this requirement for future placements. The Person in charge developed a Standard Operating Procedure for any student attending the service on placement. The student/ course coordinator will be responsible to provide the P erson in Charge with the required documentation prior to commencing the placement. (d) Going forward all new staff commencing employment in the service, who may have an extended period of time abroad will be undergo police checks relating to these period(s) abroad of 6 months or longer by the Avista Human resource department. A copy of the police checks and garda vetting results will be held locally in service by the Person in charge. The one staff member referenced who has spent time abroad, approx. 16 years previous to joining the Avista organisation when international vetting was not required. This staff member will undergo regular garda vetting in line with Avista policy and Tusla regulations. Following further consultation and discussion with HR Dept, the registered provider confirmed that Avista will commence the Police Check for the member of staff. A copy of the acknowledgement documentation will be submitted when received but the actual process for the police checks to be returned will take a period of time
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. On the inspectors unannounced arrival at the service at 9.40am, the gate of the service was not secure or monitored by staff to restrict unauthorised persons from gaining access to the premises and to prevent children from exiting the service unsupervised. An Immediate Action Notice was issued. 2. Garda vetting was available four staff members. However, these vetting disclosures were not dated within the previous three years in adherence to with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice ‘EYI-RN12.3 Renewal of Garda Vetting’. Fire Safety: 3. Fire Drill records showed that the service had not completed monthly fire drills, no fire drill took place April 2023, November 2023 and February 2024. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. The registered provider responded to the Immediate Action Notice on 20/05/2024 and stated, an inclusion of a swipe card access at the gates has been completed. The Maintenance Manager was contacted immediately on inspection day 17 th May 2024, an electrician came on site to inspect the wiring needs for a swipe action system on the gate in the Preschool, to prevent unauthorised access, ensure the safety of the children. The Person in Charge also highlighted the requirement of a swipe system on an additional gate to ensure the safety of the children and unauthorised access. An order was placed by the Security company for the required equipment for the gates on May 17th. The electrical work was commenced on Monday May 20 th 2024 and following this, the security company installed the swipe system on the two gates, all work was fully completed on 13th June 2024. New signage was erected on site, to guide parents and visitors to the service Reception, where the receptionist will assist them. Two gates in the service are swipe activated by staff only. This will prevent the risk of unauthorised access and ensure the safety of the children. A Letter has been issued to all parents informing them of the safe access and egress to the preschool service is via the main reception. 2. The 4 staff members working in Preschool were contacted by the Human Resource (HR) department to renew their Garda Vetting and this action is currently in progress. A member of the HR Team is allocated to ensure all Garda Vetting for Childrens Services, are in date and is renewed every three years in adherence to the Early Years Inspectorate. HR will be making an amendment to the HR Recruitment and Selection Policy and Procedure to reflect same. A copy of the Garda Vetting disclosure will be kept on file, in Preschool managers office. Fire Safety: 3. All future fire Drills are scheduled in the service, will be carried out every 3 weeks to ensure every month is accounted for. The Person in charge or their deputy is assigned to carry out the drill. A protocol is written up to ensure Fire Drills are carried out monthly, all staff are aware of the protocol discussed at staff meeting on 29th May 2024. This will be filed in the Fire Register Folder. Dates are scheduled in the service diary for a drill to be carried out every three weeks to ensure every month is accounted for. A deputy will be available to carry out these duties in the absence of the Person in charge
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 25, 26, 28.