Immediate action notice. An Immediate Action Notice was issued to the registered provider on 15th July 2025 due to elevated ambient air temperatures which exceeded the recommended sleep room temperatures of 16-18°C and 18-22°C in the rooms where children slept. The area manager provided the inspectorate with written assurances within 24 hours, on the 16th of July 2025 of appropriate preventive actions being implemented in the service to reduce the likelihood of the exceeded room temperatures reoccurring.
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
1. An immediate action was issued to the registered provider regarding the ambient temperatures in the rooms where sleeping children were present, which were not maintained at 16-18°C for children aged under 1 year and 18-22°C for children aged over 1 year. These temperatures posed a risk to the safety and comfort of the children in attendance. It is acknowledged that, when asked by the inspectors, the staff members accurately described the safe air temperature range and implemented control measures seeking to achieve this by opening windows and doors where possible to enhance ventilation, in addition to using portable fans, cooling units and containers of ice. However, although partially effective as evidenced in the temperatures recorded, these measures did not prevent the room temperatures from remaining high, as detailed in the table below. Date Location Air temperature Time recorded 15/07/2025 Cot Room (children aged under 1 year were present) 26.3°C 12:10pm 24.9°C 1:41pm 15/07/2025 Twinkle Stars Room (children aged under 1 year were present) 25.7°C 12:20pm 25.0°C 1:41 pm 15/07/2025 Shinning Stars Room (all children were aged 1 year and over) 26.5°C 12:20pm 25.0°C 1:46pm 2. In the Shinning Stars room, a child aged 1 year and 11 months was observed to sleep on a stackable bed within the care room. It is acknowledged that a care plan was completed by staff and the child’s parent, however the stackable bed was not suitable for a child aged 24 months and under in line with Tusla’s Early Learning and Care sleep provision guidance for children under 24 months, which requires a floor bed to be fitted with a mattress of at least 6cm in thickness. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
General Safety: 1. We continued to ensure window and doors etc. were kept open at all times to create air flow through the different rooms if temperatures rise above the required temperature. We have installed air conditioning units in our sleep room, Twinkle Stars, Tiny Stars and Shining Stars to reduce the risk the risk of re occurrence. Safe Sleep: 2. The manager and the team spoke to the family and explained the risks and the child in question has been returned to a cot to reduce any potential risk during sleep time. The manager will ensure there is no reoccurrence, and children will not have access to beds until the age of two and above. All staff have re- read the safe sleep policy
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 19, 25, 26, 28.