# Crafty Kids Ltd, Monaghan — inspection reports and findings > Crafty Kids Ltd (Monaghan, Co. Monaghan): what Tusla inspections found — 3 published inspection(s), non-compliances and the provider's corrective actions. ## Crafty Kids Ltd Sessional · 0 - 6 Years · Monaghan, Monaghan · Tusla ID **TU2015MN019** · Registered since 1 January 2026 An inspection records what inspectors saw **on one day**; services respond with corrective actions — [how to read this](/methodology.md). #### Inspection of 4 February 2026 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) **Immediate action notice.** An immediate action notice was issued to the registered provider on 04 February 2026 in relation to the hot surface temperature of one of the radiators in the Toddler room which was found at 58°C. An adequate response to address the risk identified was received from the registered provider on 04 February 2026. ##### Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service - (h) Records reviewed at 11.58am in the Nursery room did not adequately reflect each child's attendance on the day of the inspection. Upon review, the record of attendance book did not have any children signed in on the day, and there was no sign-in or out times for the day before the inspection. It is acknowledged that when the inspector brought this to the staff's attention, the records for the day previous (Monday) and the day of the inspection were completed retrospectively - (h) The attendance records for the day prior to the inspection and the day of the inspection were completed immediately when this was brought to the attention of the staff. Staff were reminded of the requirement that each child’s attendance must be recorded daily with accurate sign in and sign out times. The procedure for completing daily attendance records has been reviewed with the staff team to ensure that attendance records are completed in real time throughout the day. The person in charge and room leaders will monitor attendance records daily to ensure they are maintained accurately and in line with regulatory requirements ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - General Safety: 1. An immediate action notice was issued in relation to the hot surface temperature of one of the radiators in the Toddler care room, which was recorded at 58°C at 11:09 am, posing a risk of injury to a child. It is acknowledged that when the inspector brought this to the attention of the registered provider, the radiator was adjusted and the temperature was recorded at 38.7 °C at 11:14 am. 2. In respect of 3 out of 20 staff members, the service did not demonstrate compliance with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice requiring services to renew Garda vetting every three years, as a period in excess of 3 years had elapsed since their Garda vetting disclosures were issued. Administration of Medication: 3. Three out of fourteen medication records reviewed in the Toddler room did not contain a parent's signature following administration of medication in the preschool service. This does not ensure that parents are provided with up-to-date daily information on the administration of medication to their child on a daily basis. It is acknowledged that prior parental consent had been obtained. 4. In Preschool 2 there were records for the administration of a prescribed medication. The administration record contained blank rows which had been signed by a parent. The pre-signing of the records does not provide staff with the opportunity to verify that the parent has been informed on the day the medication has been administered. Safe Sleep: 5. Safe sleep practices were not always implemented in the Nursery room in line with Tusla’s safe sleep guidelines for children under 24 months. • One child aged 1 year 11 months is placed to sleep on a stackable bed. The stackable bed was not suitable for a child aged under 24 months, in line with Tusla’s Early Learning and Care sleep provision guidance for children under 24 months, which requires a floor bed to be fitted with a mattress of at least 6cm in thickness. • A sleep plan was not in place for the one child aged under 24 months who was not sleeping in a cot. This is at variance with the guidelines that state a child can sleep in an approved alternative to a cot, provided it is agreed with parents, and a sleep plan is established and signed - Corrective & Preventive Action General Safety: 1. The service acknowledges that an immediate action notice was issued in relation to the temperature of a radiator within the Toddler room. The radiator temperature was adjusted immediately at the time of the inspection to a safe level. Since the inspection, surface temperature checks have been carried out regularly and recorded to ensure that all radiators remain within a safe temperature range. Evidence of these temperature checks has been submitted to Tusla. A monitoring system has been implemented whereby radiator surface temperatures are checked and recorded at regular intervals throughout the day. In addition, a wooden radiator cover has been ordered and will be installed to provide a permanent protective barrier and eliminate the risk of contact with hot surfaces. The Person in Charge will continue to oversee and review these control measures as part of the service's health and safety procedures. 2. Re - vetting time frames had not been adhered to. Garda vetting renewal applications for the staff members were identified and submitted following the inspection. A Garda Vetting monitoring system has been implemented within the service compliance records. Renewal dates are now logged and tracked to ensure all vetting disclosures are renewed within the timeframe required. The person in charge will review these records regularly as part of ongoing governance and compliance monitoring. Administration of Medication: 3. Medication records currently in use have been reviewed to ensure that they are completed properly. The Medication administration has been reviewed with the staff team to reinforce correct practice. 4. A meeting was held with all staff to remind them of the requirement that parents/guardians must be informed and sign the medication administration record on the collection following administration. Room leaders will carry out routine checks of medication records to ensure all documentation is completed accurately and in line with service policy and regulatory requirements. Safe Sleep: 5. All children are now using the cots provided in line with Tulsa safe sleep guidance for children under 24 months. All staff have reviewed Tusla’s safe sleep guidance, and the service policy has been reinforced with the team. Safe sleep practices will continue to be monitored by the person in charge and room leaders to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements ##### Regulation 29 — Premises - (d) A hole in the wall in the Nursery sanitary area, which was a non-compliance upon the last inspection, was present upon this inspection. The registered provider's corrective and preventive actions of “a wipeable wall panel and seal the hole, to ensure that this cannot happen again” were not observed to have been carried out - The wall area has now been repaired and sealed with a suitable wipeable panel to ensure the surface is smooth, durable and easily cleanable in line with hygiene requirements. The premises maintenance procedures have been reviewed to ensure that any repair works are identified are completed in a timely manner. The Person in Charge will include routine checks of the physical environment as part of a regular health and safety inspections to ensure that all surfaces remain in good repair and suitable for cleaning and hygiene purposes Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 19, 25. #### Inspection of 20 March 2025 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) ##### Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment - (9) (2) (b) The registered provider had not carried out the validation process on two written references for one student - On the 21/03/2025 we validated both references. We have updated our management and recruitment policy to include mandatory reference checks, the reference checks will be maintained and reviewed as part of the student training program to ensure compliance with regulation ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - General Safety: 1. Garda vetting was available for 23 staff members and 2 students. However, five of the staff vetting disclosures were not dated within the previous three years in adherence to with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice ‘EYI-RN12.3 Renewal of Garda Vetting’. Infection Control: 2. The pedal bins within the Toddler room were broken. The bin for soiled nappies in the nappy changing area and the bin within the care room had broken foot pedals, requiring staff to lift the lid with their hands each time to dispose of waste, which poses a risk of cross contamination. 3. The food items taken in from home for the children attending the Nursery and the Toddler room were observed to contain perishable items such as yogurts. These food items were stored in the children’s labelled baskets within the care rooms and not in a refrigerator at the recommended storage of 5°C or below. Safe Sleep: 4. Records for safe sleep practices were not adequately maintained. The sleep records available for review recorded the position of sleeping children at 10-minute intervals. It is acknowledged that staff advised the inspector that they check the children’s breathing and skin colour, however no written records detailing the breathing pattern and skin colour for each individual child at 10 minutes intervals was maintained - Corrective & Preventive Action General Safety: 1. Vetting for the staff has been updated. Going forward all vetting will be updated every two years to ensure compliance with regulations. Infection Control: 2. The two pedal bins were replaced. We will keep a spare pedal bin on the premises at all times so that any future breaks can be replaced immediately to prevent any cross contamination. 3. We now have a space in the nursery fridge and baskets with lunches belonging to the toddler room can be stored there. We have made changes to our routine to ensure that a person from the toddler room oversees putting the lunches in the fridge and ensuring the baskets are clean and the fridge temperature is correct. Safe Sleep: 4. We bought a specific sleep and rest log to include records of children’s sleep position, breathing and skin colour. Our sleep policy has been updated and now includes how our staff carry out and record a detailed check on each child, this will be reviewed regularly to ensure compliance ##### Regulation 25 — First aid - (1) The registered providers did not ensure that a person trained in First Aid Response (FAR) was available at all times to the children attending the preschool service. One staff member certified in-date First Aid Response (FAR) training was not available on site or rostered to work on the day of inspection. An additional staff member’s FAR training had expired 10 January 2025 - Three fulltime staff completed the FAR training immediately to ensure someone would always be on the premises. We are implementing a regular training schedule for all staff, ensuring that first aid is refreshed before the expiration date ##### Regulation 29 — Premises - (d) The service requires some repair works to be carried out as observed on inspection. 1. There were two holes in the floor covering in one section of the Nursery room floor. The floor covering was also separated in the area that is used to accommodate sleeping children within the care room. This was a non-compliance on the services previous inspection where the registered provider stated the flooring would be replaced. It is acknowledged that the registered provider advised the inspectors that the floor covering was scheduled to take place in the next 6 to 8 weeks in the Nursery. 2. There was a hole in the wall behind the door in the Nursery nappy changing area. 3. A toilet seat was missing on one of the children’s toilets in Preschool 1. 4. The cut-out window areas in the wooden structures in Preschool 2 had two sharp protruding edges which posed a risk of injury to a child. (e) There was only one handwash basin in the nappy changing area in the Nursery. One sink is required for every eleven children. Two nappy changing units were provided, and based on numbers attending the Nursery, a second handwash basin is required. This was a non-compliance on the services previous inspection where the registered provider stated works would be carried out over the summer - (d) 1. A new floor covering has been ordered and will be installed in the next 14 days. 2. We have contacted a company to install a wipeable wall panel and seal the hole. We will install door stops to ensure that this cannot happen again. 3. A toilet seat has been ordered for our pre-school room. 4. A Perspex window has been ordered for the wooden structure in preschool two so as to avoid any injuries. 5. A second hand-washing sink was put in the nappy changing area. To prevent future incidents of torn floor coverings, sharp edges and broken equipment, we will enhance maintenance protocols and provide staff training on reporting issues promptly Found compliant: Regulation 11, 19, 22, 26, 28. #### Inspection of 18 January 2024 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) **Immediate action notice.** A Garda Vetting Immediate Action Notice was issued to the registered provider on the 15/1/24. A satisfactory response was received on the 16/1/24. A referral sent to the Fire Officer 7/2/24 in relation to a fire safety concern observed during the inspection. A referral was sent to the Fire Officer regarding the location of the sleep area and office at first floor level. **Immediate action notice.** The inspection focused on an examination of compliance under Regulations 9, 11, 20, 22, 25 however, on inspection additional non-compliances which posed a risk were identified under ##### Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment - (2)(a) and (b) The following was noted in respect of staff references, • One staff member did not have a 2nd written and validated reference. • Nine written references were not validated. (c) A Garda Vetting disclosure was not available for 1 member of staff who was working directly with the children on day 1 of inspection. A Garda vetting Immediate Action Notice was issued on day 1 of inspection 15/1/24. An adequate response was received from the registered provider on the 16/1/24. On day 2 on inspection, it was observed that the staff member was not on the premises. (3) From the documentary evidence available for inspection 9 of the staff members had commenced working in the service prior to Garda Vetting being obtained (4) Four members of staff who did not have documentary evidence of having a minimum Level 5 childcare qualification were observed working directly with the children on day 1 or 2 of inspection - (2)(a) and (b)(c) • The second written and validated staff reference has been received. • All nine references are now validated. No staff will commence work until all references are received and validated. All staff will have full garda vetting prior to commencing work. (3) Preventive measures have now been put in place as staff have already commenced their employment. Going forward, all staff will have service vetting before commencement of work. (4) One staff member has been dismissed due to an inadequate childcare qualification; another is due to commence level 5 online in May 2024 and currently employed in cleaning duties in the morning and helping out in the afterschool room in the afternoon. One staff is currently in college one day a week completing level 5 in childcare - she is still employed and working but not counted as ratio and never left on her own. One staff member has commenced level 6 childcare course and is now office based. All staff employed in the service will hold a minimum level 5 qualification in childcare which will be checked prior to commencing work ##### Regulation 11 — Staffing levels - On day 1 of inspection: (1) Child and adult ratios were not maintained during lunchbreaks in the following rooms from approximately 13:30 to 14:30. 1. In the Baby Room during the staff half hour lunch breaks there were 8 children with 2 members of staff when 3 were required at all times to meet the minimum adult child ratios. 2. In the Wobbler Room during the staff half hour lunch breaks there were 11 preschool children aged 1 year and 5 months – 2 years and 2 months being cared for by 1 member of staff when 2 were required at all times to meet the minimum required adult: child ratios - (1) The registered providers will ensure that an adequate number of staff are on the rota to comply with child and adult ratios. Should there be insufficient staff available to work, the registered providers will close a room to ensure ratio levels are maintained. Summary Comment The registered providers’ response is accepted and the non-compliance addressed. This will be for review at the next inspection ##### Regulation 22 — Food and drink - The dinners for the children attending the Wobbler Room were all pureed which was not a suitable consistency for the older children in this room - The menu has now been reviewed regarding the age groups receiving pureed food. All staff now communicate with parents on the suitable consistency for their children’s meals. Summary Comment The registered providers’ response is accepted and the non-compliance addressed. This will be for review at the next inspection ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - General Safety: 1. The front door to the service was open when the inspector arrived unannounced and was able to walk straight in. 2. There were a number of sharp unprotected corners observed throughout the service for example, the kitchen units, island area, wooden shelving units, white shelving units and wooden tray in Preschool 1, also the white shelving units, wooden tray and work top edges in Preschool 2 and two of the tables, plus the white unit and white wall mounted shelves in the Toddler Room. It is the registered provider’s responsibility to ensure that all sharp edges in the service are protected. Infection Control: 3. Aprons and gloves which were stored in the nappy changing area off the Baby and Wobbler Rooms were used by the staff to serve food and feed the children. This is a cross contamination and infection control risk. 4. Some of the mouthed toys in the Baby Room were not removed after use for cleaning and instead were placed back into their boxes when tidied up. This is a cross contamination risk. 5. The nappy changing unit in Preschool 1 was in a defective condition with a torn mat with exposed areas of foam and unsuitable for use. 6. A number of the pedal operated bins were not working or had broken pedals. The children were observed to have to lift the bin lids to open them in Preschool Room and 2 and the Toddler Room. The bin in the staff toilet was also broken. These are all infection control risks. 7. There was no single use paper towel in the sanitary accommodation of the Toddler Room at approximately 12:36. This is an infection control risk and does not allow for effective hand drying. Safe Sleep: 8. On day 1 there was no thermometer in this sleep area to allow the staff members completing the sleep log to check and record the room temperature - Corrective & Preventive Action General Safety: 1. The release button the door was accidentally activated by parent as this is a new door system, with 2 green release buttons. A message to all parents on how to use the door correctly and an arrow to show this also is in place. It has not happened since. 2. All sharp corners are now protected. Infection Control: 3. Aprons and gloves for feeding are now stored under the sink in the rooms to prevent cross contamination. 4. There is a ‘dribble box’ in each room, the staff upon questioning have assured that going forward they will be used. The registered provider has acknowledged that all toys are washed on a daily basis. 5. The nappy changing mat in Preschool 1 has been removed and replaced with a new one. 6. All the bins have now been replaced. 7. The registered provider has spoken to staff regarding towel issues and a spare towel roll has now been placed in the room. Non-compliances have been added to the relevant daily risk assessments or daily cleaning schedules to prevent reoccurrence. Safe Sleep: 8. The room is no longer used for sleep and a thermometer was purchased on the day of the inspection ##### Regulation 25 — First aid - The registered provider did not ensure that there was a person trained as a First Aid Responder (FAR) at all times in the service e.g. on 16/1/24; and from 08:00 – 09:00 in the mornings and also when the staff member who was trained was on their lunch breaks there was no staff member available with FAR training - The rota is checked to ensure a First Aid Responder (FAR) person is available at all times. The registered provider will arrange FAR training. Summary Comment The registered providers response was reviewed and remains outstanding until additional staff are FAR trained to ensure there is a person with FAR training available at all times ##### Regulation 29 — Premises - All rooms were reviewed in relation to Regulation 29: (c) There was an odour in the nappy changing area of the Toddler Room and the mechanical fan in this area had thick accumulations of dust on the fan. There was also a slight odour in the nappy changing area off the Baby Room. (d) 1. A number of areas throughout the service were not maintained in a proper state of repair and some of the paintwork was in a defective condition and required painting; for example the pink and yellow walls in the Toddler Room, the wall by the sink in the Preschool 1 and there was a hole in the wall within the castle area in Preschool 2. In the Wobbler Room there was a hole in the lino in the middle of the room. 2. The castle structure and the plywood shelving in the Preschool Rooms had exposed chipboard which was not adequately sealed. 3. There were 2 screws in the castle of Preschool 2 which had come through the wood, with the sharp end exposed and accessible to the children. These are a safety and injury risk. (e) 1. There was only 1 nappy changing mat between the Baby and Wobbler Rooms. One mat is required for every 11 children in nappies. On the busiest days up to 21/22 children in nappies attend these rooms therefore 2 nappy changing mats are required. 2. There was only 1 sink in the nappy changing area off the Baby and Wobbler Rooms. One sink is required for every 11 children. Two sinks are required for the numbers attending these rooms. At dinnertime it was observed that the children from the Wobbler Room had to wait to get their hands washed while the children from the Baby Room were washing their hands - (c) All fans have been cleaned and no odour is present and regular cleaning checks will ensure this will not happen again. (d) 1. A booking has been made for all rooms that require the walls to be painted. All holes have been filled in . Lino in toddler room will be changed . 2. The shelving has been sealed. 3. The screws have been removed from the castle. (e) 1. An extra nappy changing area will be installed during the summer. 2. The registered provider has spoken to a plumber regards the installation of an extra sink, who hopes to commence the work over the summer Found compliant: Regulation 20. ### Other services in Monaghan - [Cygnet's Nest](/creche/cygnet-s-nest-ballybay.md) Ballybay - [Daisy Chain Childcare](/creche/daisy-chain-childcare-carrickmacross.md) Carrickmacross - [Edenbeag Childcare Centre](/creche/edenbeag-childcare-centre-emyvale.md) Emyvale - [Iontas Childcare](/creche/iontas-childcare-castleblayney.md) Castleblayney - [Naíonra Ultain](/creche/naionra-ultain-muineachan.md) Muineachán - [Aghabog Early Years](/creche/aghabog-early-years-smithborough.md) Smithborough - [St. Michael's Little Scholars Community Childcare](/creche/st-michael-s-little-scholars-community-childcare-carrickmacross.md) Carrickmacross - [Clever Cloggs Full Day Care Nursery Ltd (Drumbear)](/creche/clever-cloggs-full-day-care-nursery-ltd-drumbear-monaghan.md) Monaghan - [Carrickroe Community Childcare](/creche/carrickroe-community-childcare-emyvale.md) Emyvale - [Bright Stars Childcare](/creche/bright-stars-childcare-castleblayney.md) Castleblayney [Alert me when a new report is published](/help.md) · [Dated report on this service — €19](/report.md) --- Página: https://creche-inspection-reports.pages.dev/creche/crafty-kids-ltd-monaghan/ Fonte: Tusla Early Years Inspectorate Recolha: 2026-09-11