Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
Infection Control: 1. The join in the flooring in the Pre-Montessori room was not sealed leaving a gap which could not be adequately cleaned and there was a build-up of dirt and debris. This posed a potential risk of contamination. Safe Sleep: Sleep practices were not in line with Tusla’s current “Guidance for the Early Learning and Care sector on sleep provision for children under 24 months” and the service policy on safe sleep. The following practices were observed: 2. Children under 2 years old were not provided with appropriate sleep facilities. Some children were observed to sleep on low level beds with a mattress depth of 2cm, others were observed to sleep on the low-level bed without a mattress. A mattress with a minimum 6cms depth is required for children under the age of 2 years to ensure their comfort. 3. There were no documented sleep plans available with parental permission for children under 2 years old who moved from a cot to a floor bed. A sleep plan incorporating consideration that a child is developmentally ready should be completed before moving a child from a cot to a floor bed. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
Infection Control: 1. The floor was cleaned, and the gap was sealed with tape until the flooring is replaced. The registered provider will ensure areas requiring maintenance are fixed immediately. Safe Sleep: 2. The service confirmed they have an adequate supply of suitable cots, and they will ensure that these will be used for children under the age of 2 years. 3. Children under the age of 2 years will no longer sleep on low beds and will sleep in cots
(4) There was no documentary evidence available to demonstrate that one staff member who was working directly with children attending the service held at least a major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at Level 5 on the National Qualifications Framework or a qualification deemed by the Minister to be equivalent
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action This was a student who was on the premises to complete her paid employment placement. The placement has since ended, and the student has left the service to complete a full level 7/8 degree. Preventive Action The service will ensure we have documentation specifically stating the students have the minimum major award or qualification deemed by the minister to be equivalent before completing their paid work placement with us. If they cannot secure this, they will no longer take students onto the premises
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
(1)(j) The registered provider did not ensure a full record in writing with signed parental consent for the administration of medication was consistently maintained. From a sample of 25 records, 8 records were incomplete with the following observed: o A child’s surname was not recorded on 1 record. o A child’s date of birth was not recorded on 2 records. o The date of administration was unclear on 1 record. o Inaccurate dates of birth were included on 2 records. Medication administration records must be accurately maintained in order to support the safe administration of medication. This was identified as a non-compliance on the previous inspection held on the 3 April 2023 and actions put in place failed to prevent a recurrence
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action A reminder memo was issued to management and supervision staff, reminding staff of clear guidelines in line with service policy on the Administration of Medication. Preventive Action Each child has been printed full pages of stickers with their full name and DOB. These will be used in any form, including medication, going forward. All medication forms were edited to allow for the child’s sticker to be added
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
(1)(a) The following did not support the child’s learning, development and wellbeing: Physical and Material Environment: 1. Furniture and equipment were not made accessible to the children, which limited their ability to freely choose and engage in independent play, and to extend and expand on their play experiences. The following was observed: o Seven shelving units in the Pre-Montessori room were observed to be turned to face the wall from 10.00am until 2.25pm leaving the equipment stored there inaccessible to the children. Staff reported that the shelves are accessible to the children when the routine allows. The daily routine details this as from 8.40am to 9.20am and 3.30pm to 3.45pm. o No chairs were available to the children in the Toddler room. Staff reported that the chairs are brought into the room for mealtimes and arranged tabletop and art activities. o There were no props available to the children to support play with the outdoor mud kitchen. Children require freely accessible furniture and equipment to support independent decision making in their play choices, to facilitate curiosity and enquiry, and to make their chosen play experiences comfortable. 2. The selection of books which were accessible to the children in the Playschool and Pre-Montessori rooms were observed to be limited and maintained in poor condition, for example torn or missing pages. This could potentially impact the engagement of children in early language and literacy experiences. Programme of Activities: 3. Supportive strategies such a reading the child’s cue, following the child’s interest, careful timing of activities, the provision of age-appropriate and alternative activities was not observed, which limited the child’s choice and movement through their care environment. This could potentially hamper the child’s independent decision-making skills. The following was observed: o Children in the Pre Montessori room ranging in age from 2 to 3 years old were required to remain seated for a circle time activity from 10.20am to 10.40am, and again from 11.30am to 11.50am. The children were observed to show signs of disinterest by moving off their seats, and they were repeatedly reminded by staff to stay seated. Alternative activities were not provided during these adult-led activities. The daily routine which was displayed on the wall showed circle time from 10.15am to 10.45am and storytelling from 11.30am to 12.00pm. The timing of these activities should be led by the child’s interest, with the option to move freely though the care room and choose an alternative activity always available. The non-compliances for points 2 and 3 were identified as non-compliances on the previous inspection held on the 3 April 2023 and actions put in place failed to prevent a recurrence
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action 1. The service engaged with an external company that changed the layout of all the rooms in the service. Where necessary, new furniture was purchased and designed so that all equipment and materials are freely available to children at all times. The chairs in the Toddler room are now available to the children at all times. Outdoor props were immediately available to the children. The specific outdoor props were found in the outdoor shed, which had been packed away the previous evening, as the under-3-year groups were using the garden last. The service could not secure props for the outdoor kitchen suitable for children under 3 years of age and have made a storage box that can be used to store these props while the under 3’s use the garden. 2. Damaged books were removed from the bookshelf and replaced immediately from the service in-house resource room. 3. A classroom meeting was organised, and staff were reminded that group engagement in activities was not compulsory for children and that the service follow a child-led emerging curriculum. Staff training regarding the programming of activities and room management is scheduled for 25/04/2024. A staff meeting took place on 12/02, where details of curriculum and routine were discussed; there is also daily support and training by managers to ensure that children are accessing activities of their choice. Preventive Action Senior management will periodically document spot checks on these non -compliant areas and room reviews, which will highlight any need for new equipment or materials, such as books. Staff training is still ongoing and made available for new staff
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
General Safety: 1. The water temperature in the wash hand basin used by the children in the Playschool room exceeded the recommended temperature of 43oC. A temperature of 44.1oC was recorded by the inspector at 11.20am. This posed a potential scald risk to the children. Infection Control: The following increased the potential risk of infection: 2. The wood skirting around the toilet and sink area in the sanitary accommodation off the Playschool was chipped and flaking, leaving the surface unsealed and therefore an ineffective area to clean. 3. There was a build-up of dirt and debris on the nappy changing unit off the Toddler and Playschool room. 4. Childrens boots were stored on the ledge behind a toilet in the sanitary accommodation off the Playschool. Only items for use in the sanitary accommodation area should be stored there. Fire Safety: 5. The details of the attendance of the children in two rooms were not accurately recorded in the attendance book. Contemporaneous accurate attendance logs must be maintained to support the safe evacuation of children in an emergency. This was identified as a non-compliance on the previous inspection held on the 3 April 2023 and actions put in place failed to prevent a recurrence. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
General Safety: 1. Corrective action: A plumber has identified the rise in the water temperatures and has adjusted the thermostat accordingly. Preventive action: Water temperatures will be checked using a temperature probe and recorded on the water temperature checklist. This is already a procedure within the service, but the rise in water temperature was not recorded previously. The probes used were all calibrated and checked to ensure they were recording the temperature correctly. Infection Control: Corrective actions: 2. Wood skirting replaced/ sealed and painted. 3. The nappy unit was steam cleaned immediately, and staff showed how the unit is to be maintained. 4. All items not deemed sanitary were removed from this area. Preventive actions: 2. Not applicable. 3. The general manager demonstrated to the staff in this room how the unit and area are to be cleaned and maintained, and the checklist was updated to suit this change area specifically. 4. The general manager spoke to all staff and provided a memo reminding them that items not deemed sanitary should not be stored in the change areas. Fire Safety: 5. Corrective action: A memo was issued to all staff regarding the accurate log-in of children between rooms; The general manager spoke to all staff to reinforce the importance of the content of the memo. Preventive action: A memo was issued to all staff regarding the accurate log-in of children between rooms; The general manager spoke to all staff to reinforce the importance of the content of the memo