Inspection of 3 December 2024 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- It is acknowledged that a Garda vetting disclosure was available for a staff member who had previously been employed in the service until November 2023. However, the Garda vetting disclosure had not been renewed prior to the staff member re-commencing employment on 10 November 2024. (d) Police vetting was not available for one staff member working directly with the children who had lived outside the State for a period exceeding six months as an adult
- In the Montessori room between 8:45am and 9:00am, an adult who did not hold a major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at Level 5 or above on the National Framework for Qualifications was caring for the children
Provider's corrective action:
- (c) The vetting has been updated. (d) International vetting was submitted for the adult. (4) As per regulation 16 actions. This person works as a cook in the service and does not typically work directly with the children
Regulation 11 — Staffing levels
- Although it is acknowledged that the required adult to child ratio was adhered to in the Toddler room on the day of inspection, there was an insufficient number of adults available to children in the Montessori and Wobbler Room as detailed below
- • A review of attendance records and the staffing roster in place evidenced that between 8:00am and 9:00am on the day of inspection, sixteen children were cared for by two adults. Four of the children were aged one year, seven aged two years, and eight aged three years. Three adults were required. • There was an inadequate number of staff available to care for the children in the Montessori room. One adult was caring for one child aged two years and nine children aged three years from 9:30am to 12:30pm. The staff member present stated that one staff member works alone with these ten preschool children from 9:30am to 12:30pm, and from 14:30pm until the service closes daily. • In the Wobbler room from 09:00am to 10:00am one adult was caring for one child aged two years and six children aged one year. While it is acknowledged that a staff member joined the room having arrived from another centre, there was an inadequate number of adults available to care for the children between 9:00am and 10:00am. The required minimum adult to child ratios are as follows: AGE RANGE ADULT:CHILD RATIO 1-2 years 1:5 2-3 years 1:6 3-6 years 1:8
Provider's corrective action:
- The service had three staff call in sick on the morning and were awaiting staff from another branch to arrive at the service. One of the staff members that called in sick was from this room, we were awaiting staff from our other branch. The service have added an agency alongside the other branches for emergency staff. It was unfortunate that all were sick on the same day
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- The staff roster was not reflective of the staff working in the service on the day of inspection. The designated person in charge had informed the inspectors on their arrival that one further staff member was rostered to work in the service that day, arriving in the afternoon. At 10:00am and 11:55am respectively, two additional staff members arrived from another centre to provide cover. These two additional adults were not rostered to work in the service
Provider's corrective action:
- On the morning of inspection, the person in charge did not get a chance to add the names of the cover staff to the roster. The service had to wait for the other branches to confirm the names of these staff members. The service checked roaster daily for the next morning, if anything changes, the service will adjust the roster to reflect those changes
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- On the day of inspection, some practices were observed which do not positively promote children’s learning and development in addition to their health and wellbeing. • In the Montessori room, the rest area for the children was inadequate. There was only one small child size armchair available. One child on two occasions at 11:10am and 11:45am showed visible signs of a need to rest. These cues were not responded to. The staff member present stated during discussions with the inspector that cushions are available on a high shelf which can be taken down. A cosy, relaxing area was not readily available to the children during inspection to facilitate their need to rest
Provider's corrective action:
- The registered provider submitted the following response: Corrective and Preventive Action On the afternoon of the inspection, the staff rearranged the classroom to make sure the cushions were accessible to all children. The service have added the rest area to the list of checks for the Montessori room and have had a chat to all the staff regarding rest areas in the room. It has also been added to the agenda for the next staff meeting
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. The linoleum flooring at the entrance to the toddler room was lifting, creating a trip hazard which posed a risk of injury to a child. 2. In the Wobbler room, it was observed that the cable from the de-humidifier was dangling over a shelf. It was unplugged and the plug was lying on the floor. This posed a choking hazard and a trip hazard to the children in the room. Infection Control: A number of practices observed during the inspection were at variance with the infection control policy in place in the service and ineffective for infection control purposes as detailed below. 3. The nappy changing practices observed were inadequate on the day of inspection to prevent the spread of infection and cross contamination as evidenced by the following: • Children’s hands were not consistently washed after their nappy change. Some of the children’s hands were only washed with water for four to five seconds. • Staff members hands were not consistently washed after nappy changes. • Some of the handwashing practices observed were ineffective for infection control purposes. One staff member was observed to only was the inside of their hands for four to five seconds after changing a soiled nappy. • The changing mat was not consistently cleaned between nappy changes. 4. Children’s hands in the Wobbler room were not washed before dinner posing a risk of cross contamination. 5. On the day of inspection in the Wobbler Room, there was no system to manage mouthed toys and equipment. Children were observed repeatedly mouthing toys which were not removed for cleaning after use and subsequently mouthed by other children, posing a risk of cross contamination. 6. The lacquered surface on the changing table was coming away in parts exposing a porous surface underneath which could not be effectively cleaned. There was also a sticky residue on this table. In the Montessori Room, the surface of two tables were observed to have a sticky residue and required a deep clean to prevent the spread of infection and cross contamination. 7. On the morning of inspection at 10:20am there was a strong malodour in the Toddler room. This odour appeared to be coming from the bin. At 11:14am the malodour was still present, and the inspector asked the designated person in charge to change the bin at this time. It is acknowledged that the smell was no longer present once the bin was changed. Safe Sleep: 8. One child aged one year was placed to sleep on a stackable bed where a standard cot is required. Fire Safety: 9. A review of documentation evidenced that fire drills are not occurring monthly in the service. One staff member informed the inspectors that since they joined the service in June, they have only practiced one fire drill. Not practising regular fire drills can hinder the safe evacuation of children and staff in the event of an emergency. Action submitted by the Registered Provider The registered provider submitted the following response:
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. The person in charge on the day told the inspector that the service were having the floor replaced, the company had already been out to measure and the material was ordered. It was replaced on 18th December. Flooring will be added to the service risk assessment. 2. The de-humidifier has now been taken from the room, it will only be used as necessary. Trailing cables will be added to the service risk assessment. Infection Control: 3. The service have re done handwashing and nappy changing steps with all staff. Extra nappy changing assessments have been added to the managers monthly check list, the service have added the importance of handwashing to the agenda for our next staff meeting 4. As above re iterated the importance of hand washing and added the topic to the staff meeting agenda. 5. The service have added an extra box for mouthed toys. 6. The changing unit has been recovered. The Montessori table was deep cleaned. These items have been added to the ‘deep clean’ schedule. 7. The service have checked all bins for food, food is not allowed into the bins in the class. The service have a compost bin in the kitchen for this. Safe Sleep: 8. The service will use the spare cot available for the child until they turn 2 years old. The service will consider new beds for under 2 years, the service will continue to use the cots available until they have bought new suitable beds. Risk assessments will be carried out on each child as needed. Fire Safety: 9. The person in charge on the day acknowledged that they had forgotten to re do the fire drill in Oct and Nov. All other months from Jan to Sep had been completed. Dec was completed on 16th Dec 2024. A reminder has been set for each month to carry out drills
Regulation 28 — Insurance
- • The registered provider failed to notify the agency that the designated person in charge of the service had changed. Staff reported that the person detailed on the national register as the designated person in charge had ceased employment in the service in 2020. • The service is currently registered to provide full day, part-time, and sessional care to preschool children. The person in charge confirmed that the only type of care currently offered by the service is full day care. • The service is currently registered to open from 7:30am to 18:00pm each weekday. The person in charge stated this information is incorrect and the service currently opens from 8:00am to 18:00pm
Provider's corrective action:
- The registered provider submitted the following response: Corrective and Preventive Action The service had notified Tusla of the change in designated person in charge. There was a staff change in Tusla which meant the form got passed around. It has now been rectified. The service still currently provides Part Time/ Sessional and Full-Time places. The service has sent in a CIC form with the time changes. The service will confirm by email that Tusla have received the CIC form and has lodged the request. The service plan to change to full time in the Autumn this year, the service will lodge a CIC as soon as they have made a full decision on this. The service will check the register to make sure all details are correct moving forward. The contents of the report are compiled by the inspectorate body. Acknowledgments The inspectors wish to acknowledge the cooperation of the person in charge, staff and children who were present on the day of the inspection
Found compliant: Regulation 15, 25, 26, 28.