Inspection of 21 October 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- The registered providers did not take appropriate measures to ensure that all adults were suitable to work in an early years’ service prior to their commencement as follows: • Garda vetting disclosures for three adults were received after they commenced working in the service. • Two references for two adults were not validated prior to their commencement in the service
Provider's corrective action:
- The register provider will ensure that all new staff members are garda vetted and their references validated prior to their commencement
Regulation 15 — Record of pre-school child
- There was no record of the child’s medical practitioner on any of the documents reviewed as is required. (i) One record did not have written parental consent for the appropriate medical treatment of a child in the event of an emergency
Provider's corrective action:
- (g)(i) The child registration forms are now updated to include the child’s medical practitioner and parental permissions for new children attending the service. For previous children in the service parents have filled in their child’s medical practitioner and permissions details which we have attached to the child’s registration form. All child record forms have been reviewed to ensure all required fields are now fully completed in accordance with regulatory requirements. All child registration forms will be checked regularly by management. To ensure this does not reoccur, all forms will be reviewed with parents to verify that all child record forms are fully completed prior to commencement in the service
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- Not all children in the Wobbler room had an opportunity to self-feed during dinner time. A staff member was observed to feed two children at the same time whilst they were sitting in highchairs with the bowls out of reach. At times the children appeared to be frustrated that the food was not coming quick enough. Four other children in the room were given an opportunity to self-feed with help from a staff member. All children were between one and two years of age. The independence of all children was not supported
Provider's corrective action:
- All staff in the wobbler room were spoken to the importance of promoting the children’s independence during mealtimes was reiterated, with an emphasis on offering all children opportunities for age and developmentally appropriate self-feeding. Expectations regarding responsive and individual feeding have been clarified with the team and ongoing monitoring will take place to support consistent implementation. To prevent this issue from reoccurring, ongoing monitoring of mealtime practices will be embedded into the room’s daily routine. I will have regular discussions with the team to ensure consistent practice. The importance of supporting independence will be reinforced during team meetings
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- Infection Control: 1. Some handwashing practices observed were inconsistent and at variance with the policy in place in the service posing a risk of the transmission of infection as follows: • Staff did not wash their hands before they changed a nappy. • Children’s hands were not washed following nappy changes. • Children’s hands were not washed when they returned from the garden in the Wobbler room. 2. The nappy changing procedure in place in the service was not in line with the recommended nappy changing guidelines. For example, there was no step included to remove soiled gloves before redressing a child or the requirement for a child to wash their hands following the change. This poses a risk of cross contamination. Administration of Medication: 3. Staff stated the section of the medication administration book that should be completed by a parent is completed by them and they take the information from the medication bottle. The medication administration policy states that parents must complete this section. Failure of a parent to do this can result in the incorrect dosage being administered which can affect the continuity of care of a child and poses a risk of harm to the child. 4. A child attending the service requires an auto adrenaline injector to be administered in the event of an allergic reaction or emergency. There was no pre-consent in place to administer this medication which is required. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- Infection Control: 1. and 2. The nappy changing, personal care and toileting policy have been reviewed to ensure full alignment with the recommended nappy changing guidelines. This includes the requirements for staff to wash and dry their hands before and after each nappy change, the removal of gloves before redressing a child, and the requirement that children’s hands are washed or supported to wash their hands after nappy changing. Staff have been made aware of these updated procedures and the importance of consistent handwashing practices to prevent cross-contamination. Staff have been reminded that children’s hands must be washed when returning indoors from the garden and that these practices form part of our infection control measures. The nappy changing routine and hand washing practices have been reviewed within the room to ensure they can be carried out safely, consistently, and in line with the updated policy. To prevent recurrence, ongoing monitoring of infection control practices will be implemented. The person in charge will complete regular informal observations of nappy changing and handwashing routines to ensure consistent adherence to the updated policy. Infection control procedures, including hand hygiene and nappy changing steps, will be revisited at staff meetings and during supervision to reinforce expectations. The updated policy will be reviewed with any new or relief staff before they begin working in the room. Periodic reviews of the nappy changing area and handwashing facilities will also be carried out to ensure the environment continues to support safe and compliant practice. Administration of Medication: 3. The medication administration procedure has been discussed with staff to ensure that the section of the medication record designated for parents is only completed by the parent or legal guardian. Staff have been reminded that they must not transfer information from medication bottle into this section under any circumstance. Parents will now be asked to complete the required information in person before any medication is accepted or administered. Staff have been informed that medication cannot be given unless the appropriate parental section is fully completed, in line with the service’s policy and national guidance. The medication administration book has been reviewed to ensure all fields are clear and easy for parents to complete. 4. A care plan has been developed for the child requiring an auto-adrenaline injector, in consultation with the parent/guardian. Written parental consent for the administration of the injector in the event of an allergic reaction or emergency is now in place. Staff have been made aware of the child’s care plan, the location of the injector, and the procedures to follow in an emergency. All staff working in the room have been reminded of their responsibility to ensure that written consent is in place before any emergency medication is administered and to follow the service’s medication and allergy management policies at all times
Regulation 29 — Premises
- 1. The children’s sanitary accommodation located in the hallway of the service was not cleaned or repaired as follows: • The linoleum covering on the floor was lifting in parts and could not be cleaned effectively. • There was evidence of damp and mould growth behind all three toilets. • The lacquer surface at the sinks was missing exposing porous damp wood which had expanded. This cannot be cleaned effectively
Provider's corrective action:
- The linoleum covering on the floor in the children’s sanitary accommodation has now been replaced. The wall behind the three toilets has been treated and painted. The wood under the sink has been replaced and painted. The children’s sanitary accommodation will be checked as part of our daily checks to ensure that any needed repairs are identified and addressed promptly
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 16.