Inspection of 29 May 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (d) International Police vetting was not available for one adult who had lived outside the State for a period exceeding 6 months as an adult
- Eight references for four staff members were not checked prior to the staff commencing work in the service. Seven Garda vetting checks were not received or reviewed by the registered provider prior to the adults commencing work in the service
- There was no evidence available to demonstrate that one adult held the required qualification or an equivalent as deemed by the Minister
Provider's corrective action:
- The staff member has tried numerous times to get an appointment with the country’s embassy, they received confirmation that they got an appointment for 3rd July 2025 at 11am. Please note the staff member is not on the premises for the summer months. We have added a line to our interview questionnaire to remind us when interviewing to ask potential employee about international vetting if applicable
- Our normal procedure when educators commence in Busy Fingers, we induct the educators for training the week (not included in ratio of staff to children when been inducted) previous to the Educators actual commencement date to work in the rooms. Throughout the week the manager would usually check out the references and ensure the educators staff file is in order. We have added a mandatory step to the recruitment checklist, reference checks completed, date and signature. A designated compliance officer is now responsible for verifying completion of all staff files
- Required qualification was later found on file
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- 1. During dinner time in the Toddler 2 room, children were not offered more food. Staff were observed giving an additional portion to one child who requested more, however a second child who requested more was told by staff that no more was available. Staff stated to the inspector when asked that there was no more available. 2. In Baby 4 room some children were not given the opportunity to self-feed. A staff member was observed to feed 4 children at the same time whilst they were sitting in highchairs with the bowls out of reach. At times some children appeared to be frustrated that the food was not coming quick enough. Three other children in the room were given an opportunity to self-feed with help from a staff member. All children were approaching 2 years of age. The independence of all children was not supported. 3. Staff did not wipe children’s noses in a timely manner in the Baby 1 room despite staff facing them and having them sit on their lap. The personal care needs of all children were not met in a timely manner
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. We wish to clarify that there is always sufficient food available on site, as our in-house kitchen can provide additional portions upon request. In this instance, staff should have contacted the kitchen to arrange for more food to be brought up. We have reminded staff of the correct procedure to ensure that all children’s needs are met promptly in the future. 2. We acknowledge the concern raised about children not being given the opportunity to self-feed, and the observation of a staff member feeding multiple children at once with bowls out of reach. We understand that this practice does not promote children’s ind ependence or support best practice in early years settings. We spoke with the staff on the importance of promoting self-feeding, offering support only as needed. Placing food and utensils within children’s reach so they can choose and try feeding themselves. Ensuring feeding is unhurried and responsive to each child’s pace and cues. Sitting with children at their level, engaging in positive social interactions during mealtimes. Our actions going forward will include reviewing and updating our mealtime policy to promote self -feeding opportunities for all children. Staff will receive refresher training on supporting children’s independence during meals, including how to balance supervision and encouragement. We will regularly monitor mealtime practices to ensure these standards are maintained. We are committed to creating a mealtime environment that supports children’s independence, choice, and social development. 3. All staff were reminded immediately following the inspection that children’s noses must be wiped promptly to maintain hygiene and comfort. The staff members involved have been individually spoken to about expectations for attentive supervision and responsive care. We have conducted a refresher training session for all staff on infection control and responsive care practices. A new hygiene monitoring checklist has been implemented to ensure staff regularly check and attend to children’s needs, including nose wiping. Management have started spot checks throughout the day to ensure standards are maintained consistently. This expectation will be added to our induction training for all new staff so they are aware of best practice. We are committed to continuous improvement and will ensure this issue does not recur
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. A number of hazards were identified in the outdoor area posing a risk to the safety of children as follows: • In the yellow slide garden, the area under the slide had broken wooden panels which had sharp edges. • In the Astro Garden the wood belonging to the blackboard was chipped in places and there were exposed sharp edges. • In the Astro garden the number plate on the tractor was broken in two, the broken edges were sharp. • In the Tractor garden there was a large hole in the wooden climbing structure. • In the Asphalt garden the wood on the side of the play house was chipped in places. The wooden anchor on the boat was water damaged and breaking away, the portholes on the wooden play boat also had visible water damage in place. • In the Bark garden there was a hole in the small black and blue climbing frame. Infection Control: 2. A number of handwashing practices posed a risk of cross contamination as follows: • Staff in the baby room 4 and Toddler 2 did not wash their hands after wiping children’s noses or after nappy changing. • Children attending Baby 1, 4 and Toddler 2 rooms did not wash their hands prior to meals. • Staff in Baby 4 room and Toddler 2 did not wash the children’s hands following nappy changing. • Children were observed mouthing toys in the Baby rooms these were not removed from circulation, children were observed to have runny noses in these rooms. • Three mattresses were not protected with waterproof covers. This was found non-compliant on the last inspection dated 11th May 2022. The preventive and corrective actions submitted by the registered provider did not prevent this non-compliance from re-occurring., Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. All hazards identified were repaired immediately. Staff were spoken to, to ensure all risk assessment are carried out and management is notified immediately. Infection Control: 2. Hand Washing: We immediately retrained all the staff on hand hygiene, we sent out our policy on hand washing to all educators. We ensured all posters on how to hand wash were displayed at nappy changing areas and also in all the classrooms in the creche. We also resent out the video again on nappy changing to all the Educators. Supervisor has been checking nappy changing and toileting times. We have instructed staff to wash hand frequently throughout the day and to ensure the children do the same. Mouthed toys, we removed all mouthed toys from circulation immediately for thorough cleaning and disinfection. Retrained staff to identify and remove mouthed toys immediately after use. Runny noses, we ensure that tissues are always accessible to staff and children to ensure noses are wiped promptly. Three mattresses were not protected; I purchased new protectors immediately. Handwashing We now have hygiene refresher training for all staff. We have included food safety and hand hygiene in our staff induction training. We also have added hand washing before meals as a mandatory step in our daily routine check list. Mouthed toys We have a clear protocol for managing mouthed toys (we have a container in each room labelled to be cleaned) this is used to collect all the mouthed toys rather than the toys staying in circulation for play. Runny noses We have reinforced regular health checks throughout the day. We have encouraged a culture of accountability where staff remind each other of procedures. Mattress protectors Staff were advised when washing the sheets and mattress protectors weekly to ensure they are put back on the cots
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 16, 25.