Inspection of 12 February 2025 — Inspection Report
Immediate action notice. Regulation 9(2)(c): An Immediate Action Notice was issued on 13 February 2025 as a mandatory Garda vetting disclosure was not available for one person who was present in the service on the day of the inspection, contrary to the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012. A response was received from the registered provider on 13 February 2025 outlining actions taken to address the risk including making an application for garda vetting and the adult not working in the service until Garda vetting disclosure was received.
Immediate action notice. • 27; Supervision However, on inspection additional non-compliance which posed a risk was identified under
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- The registered provider did not take appropriate measures to ensure that all employees were suitable to work in an early years’ service prior to their commencement as outlined below: (2)(a) & (b) Appropriate consideration had not been given to references of three adults as outlined: There were no references available for one adult. Only character references had been sourced for a second adult despite them having had previous employers. There were no records to show that references for a third adult had been verified. This regulation was non- compliant on inspection on 25/02/2023. The corrective and preventive actions submitted following that inspection have not prevented the reoccurrence of the noncompliance under regulation 9 (2)(a) and (b). (c)A Garda vetting disclosure was not available for one adult who had been employed since 04/09/2024. An immediate action notice was issued on 13/02/2025 due to the risk posed. The registered provider submitted a response on 13/02/2025 that appropriately addressed the risk. It is acknowledged that Garda Vetting disclosures were available for 12 adults, 11 of which were dated within the last three years. However, the service did not adhere to the re-vetting timeframes as outlined in the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice, requiring services to renew Garda vetting every three years, in the case of one employee. Please refer to the information outlined under regulation 23 of this report
- Appropriate consideration had not been given to references and Garda vetting disclosures prior to staff commencing work in the service as outlined above. One staff file contained records of validation of references six weeks after the adult started working in the service. In addition, the dates of Garda vetting disclosures for three staff members were dated between three and four weeks after they commenced working in the service. This regulation was non-compliant on inspection on 25/01/2023. The corrective action and preventive action plans submitted by the registered provider following that inspection have not been effective in addressing the noncompliance. (4)It was not evidenced that one adult employed to work directly with children held at least a major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at Level 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications or a qualification deemed equivalent by the Minister. It is acknowledged that 12 of the staff employed did
Provider's corrective action:
- (2)(a)(b) References have been followed up and verified since the inspection. (2)(a)(b) Going forward set questions will be asked to verify references when hiring a staff member. (2) (c) The registered provider applied for garda vetting and re vetting as required. (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) An emergency meeting of the senior management team to review all staff files and non - compliances with regulation 9 was carried out and a new on boarding system will be followed when employing new staff. Staff will not commence employment until their documentation has been verified
Regulation 15 — Record of pre-school child
- (1) The information required that was not documented is outlined below: (c) A section was not available for recording the date when the child ceases attending. (e) Names and contact details of other persons authorised to collect the child. (f) Medical information, allergies, additional needs, and other information specific to the child. (g) The name and telephone number of the child’s medical practitioner. (h) Immunisation details. (i) Signed parental consent for medical treatment in the event of an emergency
Provider's corrective action:
- We have changed school portals this year and only had paper files on the day of inspection. Some of the required information is on the school portal. We will add a checklist of immunisation records to the online parent’s portal for parents to complete
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. One staff member’s vetting disclosure was not dated within the previous three years in adherence with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice ‘EYI-RN12.3 Renewal of Garda Vetting’. This poses a risk to the safety of the children in the care of the service. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: Ensure that all staff’s garda vetting documentation is up to date and in their staff file, and do yearly checks to make sure we are fully compliant
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 19, 27.