Creche Inspection Reports

Curious Minds Pre-School

Sessional · 2 - 6 Years · Millstreet, Cork · Tusla ID TU2015CC119 · Registered since 1 January 2026

An inspection records what inspectors saw on one day; services respond with corrective actions — how to read this.

2published inspections
0non-compliances at latest report read
0immediate action notices
0registration conditions

Inspection of 16 May 2024 — Inspection Report

Full report (PDF, Tusla)

No non-compliance recorded in this report.

Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 16, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28.

Inspection of 11 October 2023 — Inspection Report

Full report (PDF, Tusla)

Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment

  • (a) One reference and one validation were missing in respect of one adult. (d) While one staff member did have an international police vetting disclosure for a period disclosed on their curriculum vitae, it was difficult to assess whether further international vetting was required due to a lengthy gap, of which there were no details, on their curriculum vitae. Not having access to this information may allow for inadequately vetted staff to have access to children
  • (a) The registered provider did not ensure that the staff were trained in and were not fully aware of the contents of the Child safeguarding policies, three staff on the day of the inspection were not aware of who the designated person for Child Safeguarding was in the service. Staff not being fully trained in the Child Safeguarding procedures may impede the appropriate management and where required referral to Tusla of any concerns in relation to Child Safeguarding
Provider's corrective action:
  • (a) A reference and validation are now on file for the adult for who they were missing. In future, all references and validations will be on file for every employee prior to commencement of employment. (d) An updated curriculum vitae has been added to the staff file which evidenced that no additional international police disclosure was required. From now on all potential employee’s curriculum vitae will be reviewed in order to ensure that there are no gaps
  • (a) Staff were reminded of their training and responsibilities in relation to Child Safeguarding. One new staff member will be offered Child Safeguarding training when it next becomes available from Cork County Childcare Committee

Regulation 10 — Policies, procedures etc. of pre-school service

  • On review the following policies, procedures and statements required further development: 1. The infection control policy, the immunisation section did not include what must be done in the event of a communicable disease in the service and the requirement to exclude children if required
Provider's corrective action:
  • 1. The infection control policy has been updated. Policies and Procedures will be renewed and updated on a yearly basis or sooner, if required

Regulation 15 — Record of pre-school child

  • (1) One of the thirteen forms required was not available within the service for assessment. (b), (c) & (i) were found not to be compliant in some of the remaining files: (b) Three children’s records did not have the date on which the child started in the service recorded on the child’s records. (c) One record did not have capacity to record when the child would cease to attend the service. (i) Three children’s records did not contain written consent for administering medical treatment for the child in the event of an emergency. Not having children’s records or completed records available to the staff for each child may delay care provision or may compromise the safety of the children being cared for by the service
Provider's corrective action:
  • (1) The child’s pre-school record was received from a sister service the same day. (b) (c) All forms from the first year of the child starting in the service will be checked and updated to ensure that the required information is available. Staff will ensure only the most recent version of the child’s pre-school record, which has been fully completed, is available. (i) Consent for administering medical treatment is now available on each child’s pre-school record

Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service

  • (1) (i) The staff roster was available, a copy of same was issued to the inspector on arrival. The roster however was not up to date, the member of staff on sick leave was not recorded and the breaks for the staff were not outlined. Not having an up to date and accurate record of attendance of staff does not allow for the assessment of the numbers of adults available to, and caring for, the children to be assessed currently or historically. (k) Of the five accident and incident reports reviewed, four were not completed correctly. • Two reports were not signed or acknowledged by parents; this posed a risk that the continuity of care delivered to the children may not be met. • Following two similar incidents a risk assessment was not detailed on how to manage the concern on two of the reports, failing to risk assess following an incident does not ensure the risk will be mitigated and prevent recurrence. • The fourth form did not detail the care given to the child following an incident where a significant infection control risk was outlined. Not including the care delivered to the child hinders the parents providing further care if required
Provider's corrective action:
  • (i) The staff roster has been replaced with an updated version which includes staff breaks and the recording of all staff absence and cover. (k) • All forms have now been signed. Staff have been reminded to speak with parents in order to ensure forms are signed. • Risk assessments will be carried out in future in greater detail on how the service will manage the concern. • Staff have been reminded to record on the form and speak with the parent/guardian of the child to convey the details of the care given following an incident

Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child

  • General Safety: 1. There was no record available to confirm that the boiler had been serviced or maintained appropriately. Staff confirmed that there had been an incident on 18 April 2023 where the boiler had emitted smoke which had triggered a fire drill. In conversation, staff stated that the children were brought to the front play area where the fire assembly point was located and then moved to the back of the service to avoid the flue from the boiler. Staff stated that a competent person came to fix the boiler the next day. 2. A broken metal mirror, attached to the outdoor fence at the back of the service, was observed to have loose shards of glass which were accessible to the children, posing a safety risk. 3. The grass area at the front of the premises had holes dug in the grass near the path and there were weeds and overgrown grass beside the planting area and near the balance beams, these were a trip hazard for both children and for the adults caring for them. Infection Control: 4. Nappy sacks were accessible and within reach of the children in the children’s toilets. Having plastic bags within reach of the children posing a choking risk to the children. 5. The registered provider did not have a safe system for managing the refuse in the service, which posed a risk to the children attending. Refuse bags were found to be stored in an outdoor shed, on top of the children's play equipment. The refuse bags contents included soiled nappies. The refuse bags could have easily torn due to the way they were stored. It was observed staff removed the refuse bags once the inspectors had observed these. The service had no waste collection contract or bins to suitably store the waste. There was a risk of rodent infestation and cross infection. Following the inspection, a referral was made to the Environmental Health Officer regarding this issue. 6. The toys that were stored in the shed that were in contact with the rubbish bags were observed to be taken from the shed and given to the children to play with in the outdoor area. They were not cleaned prior to use and staff stated they did not have a cleaning schedule for the outdoor toys that were stored in shed. These toys could potentially be contaminated and pose a risk of cross infection. 7. The paint on the shelving unit in the Butterfly room under the front window was chipped exposing untreated porous wood, this exposed chipboard is not easily cleaned and poses a risk of cross infection. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
  • General Safety: (1) The boiler has been serviced and an annual contract has been set-up to ensure the safety of the children and staff. (2) The mirror and shards of glass were removed on the day of inspection. (3) The grass area at the front of the service has been weeded and cut. Garden checks will be carried out more thoroughly and a risk assessment will be completed. The area will be maintained on a regular basis outside of service hours. Infection Control: (4) The nappy sacks were removed immediately, and staff have been asked to follow the procedures in place. (5) Refuse bins are now stored in a separate shed onsite and a regular contractor has been arranged for the weekly collection. (6) The outdoor toy cleaning schedule has been reviewed and staff will ensure the toys are cleaned prior to use. (7) The cabinet has been repaired and covered and will be checked regularly for maintenance

Regulation 29 — Premises

  • (d) The guttering on the outside of the premises adjacent to the grass covered area was broken, the rain was collecting on the paths and on the grass area beside the building causing flooding in the area. This poses a risk of slipping and tripping to the staff and children in the service where water is collecting at the door and in the surrounding area
Provider's corrective action:
  • (d) The Landlord has been informed and a date of 30 December 2023 has been agreed for the work required on the guttering to be completed

Regulation not named in the report text

  • (1) Through conversation with the manager, at the introductory meeting, it was found that the service had not informed the agency of a change in circumstances regarding the timing of the afternoon sessional service from the current registered time of 12 noon until 3.00 pm to 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm. Not ensuring this change had been updated on the national register does not allow for the accurate service operations details to be retained and published by Tusla on the National register
Provider's corrective action:
  • The following statement was received from the registered provider. (1) A change in circumstance form has been submitted to the Registration department. In future all change in circumstances will be submitted in advance of the change

Found compliant: Regulation 11, 19, 28.

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