Inspection of 24 June 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- Some care practices observed on the day of inspections were not suitable as follows: • The designated sleep time in place in the service did not provide any flexibility to accommodate the individual sleep needs of some children attending the Toddler Serengeti room. At 12.02pm children began getting ready for bed. At 12.07pm the lights were turned off and the room was made conducive with sleep. Children began jumping on beds and running around the room. At 12.17pm one child was asleep whilst the other nine were awake. The children were playing with toys shouting and jumping on beds. This behaviour continued with minimal intervention from staff. This behaviour continued for a further hour at times children were observed climbing on the sleeping child. By 1.21pm three children remained awake. • In the Baby Botswana room, at 12.10pm a baby was observed making hand gestures which staff had advised meant the child was looking for a bottle. At 1:00pm the child was given a bottle. The individual care needs of this child were not met
Provider's corrective action:
- • The provider acknowledges the anomalies in practices during this period of sleep time observed by the inspector on the day of inspection. The staff team has been provided with further training in assessing and understanding each child’s requirement of need for rest and sleep, including how important it is to meet all children’s individual needs for rest and sleep along with providing a needs lead approach to support children who wish not to rest at prescribed times, along with how to identify rest patterns for all children present in their group. As part of the training staff explored how play opportunities and activities should be presented to the children at correct intervals within the rest periods of their routines. The staff have been guided on how and when is the right time to intervene to ensure rest and sleep is a smooth transitional phase for the children. Ongoing training and supports will be provided to all staff throughout the setting to ensure rest and sleep provisions are correct, also that the children’s individual sleep needs are accommodated in line with company policies and practices. The management team will carry out observational sleep checks on all rooms and provide further training as required. • The staff team have received additional training and guidance regarding recognising children’s cues, and gestures. Along with understanding the importance of responding and meeting the needs of the child in the first instance. We acknowledge this non-identity of a child’s cues went unnoticed by the team members. Therefore, we provided additional supports for the team by budding/teaming up with more experienced members of the group who will lead by good example and role model to support their growth and confidence in understanding the care practices needed and required within the early years sector. To provide ongoing training with the staff team, with opportunities to learn methods that include non-verbal communication in children. The team will be encouraged to observe and write down notes on gestures identified in practices or one to one care times used by the children and invite parents to share their knowledge and awareness they have regarding their child’s expression of communication
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. A cleaning agent in the Cameroon room was not stored out of reach of children. This poses a risk of poisoning if ingested. Infection Control: 2. Some handwashing practices observed on the day of inspection posed a risk of cross contamination as follows: • Children’s hands were not washed in the Baby Botswana or Acacia rooms prior to dinner. • Staff did not wash hands after wiping children’s noses in the Baby Botswana room. 3. Some nappy changing practices observed on the day of inspection were at variance with the service policy as follows: • Staff did not wash their hands prior to nappy changing. Staff and children’s hands were not washed following nappy changes. • Gloves were not removed following nappy changing and staff were observed to wipe the changing mat and go back to the care room with the same soiled gloves on. 4. In the Toddler Serengeti children were observed to jump on beds with shoes on prior to children sleeping posing a risk of cross contamination. 5. Children in the Toddler Serengeti room were observed to sleep on beds which were not their designated beds. The bed linen used was stored individually and each bed was labelled with the child’s name. This poses a risk of cross contamination. 6. The outdoor area was not maintained in a clean condition. There were discarded tissues and packaging and a sock scattered throughout the outdoor area. 7. Communal blankets were used for sleep in the Toddler Serengeti room. Staff stated the blankets were not stored individually and were washed weekly. This posed a risk of cross contamination. Safe Sleep: 8. The floor mats in use in the Toddler Serengeti room were not appropriate to the age and stage of development of the children in that room or were in line with appropriate sleep facilities as per Tusla’s Safe Sleep Guidance document. 9. Sleep checks observed in the Baby Boswana were at variance with the service policy. Staff were observed not to physically check sleeping babies who were aged between 0 and 1 year and recorded that they had done so in the service app and written documentation. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. All chemicals are stored in a locked cabinet in the base rooms out of reach of all children, the manager developed signs which are placed on all units, ensuring that they are locked at all times. Both the staff team and housekeepers have received training on the importance of keeping chemicals out of reach of children. On going training will be conducted with all staff and spot checks will be carried out on a regular basis to ensure this is protocol is actioned. Infection Control: 2. Following the inspection feedback the staff team received comprehensive retraining on the critical importance of prompting good hygiene practices, along with the importance of washing children’s hands before all meal and snack times, included in this training session was the importance for staff to ensure their own hands are washed thoroughly after assisting a child with nose wiping or cleaning. Training covered correct handwashing techniques, when hand hygiene must be carried out, and how these practices help prevent the spread of illness. Refresher training, along with demonstrations and observations will be carried out regularly by the management team to heighten the awareness of handwashing and protocols required under policy. The management team has updated the visual posters as a reminder to staff about handwashing and these are placed at all sink areas in the centre. 3. All staff have been retrained on the nappy changing policy, emphasising the critical importance of handwashing prior to the task and after the nappy changing task is completed. Additionally, the training included comprehensive guidelines on the proper use of gloves during the nappy changing process, whilst highlighting both the practical aspects and the reasons behind this essential practice. Ongoing monthly training during staff meetings is implemented to ensure that all staff members are fully informed and competent regarding the necessary procedures involved in nappy changing. The management have placed signage on all changing room doors to heighten the awareness of the procedure for staff. 4. The staff team has received intensive retraining on the importance of safe sleep and its provisions to the children along with the importance of effective infection control measures in line with policies and practices. The team have been reminded to enforce best practices at all times with the age profile, providing clear instructions to support the children in having an understanding that the sleep beds are for resting time and not play time, the team are aware that all children’s footwear must be removed prior to the sleep beds being placed down to prevent cross-contamination or injury. This is part of the daily routine for both children and staff; therefore, the staff must follow the guidance given to make sure there is no anomalies in practices. The management team with conduct observations daily at these key times to ensure that care practices, routines and active supervision is being followed by the team to ensure ongoing compliance. 5. Following the inspection feedback, this matter was address immediately by the management team. An overview was conducted regarding the points raised which were immediately actioned and addressed. We can confirm that each child has a clearly labelled sleep bed, the children have been guided on the positioning of their beds daily, the team has been advised that it is critically important to establish a positive routine daily for children regarding sleep and rest. All bedding is clearly labelled and storage within each child’s cubby; therefore, limiting the risks for cross infection. The team received comprehensive re-training on all the above procedures. The management team will supervise and monitor bed allocations along the storage of the bedding to ensure ongoing compliance. 6. Following the inspection feedback, the outdoor area was thoroughly cleaned, and all waste was removed. A cleaning checklist has been introduced for the outdoor area at the start and end of each day to ensure the area is hygienic and well maintained. 7. The management team will carry out audits to ensure there are no discrepancies to practices regarding the storage and laundering of all bedding. Safe Sleep: 8. Following the feedback and clarification given by the inspectors regarding the correct cocoon floor beds to be used for children aged 16mths to 2 years, we since have purchased new contour cocoons that have been agreed by inspectors in line with Tusla’s Safe Sleep Guidance. The management team will conduct a review on sleep provisions ie; use of floor beds coinciding with the age profile of the children attending the service on a quarterly bases to ensure suitability of the sleeping facilities. 9. The staff have undergone intense re-training on the importance of carrying out the physical sleep checks required in line with safe sleep and company policy, this also involved the staff to be reminded when to complete and record the timings of all children’s sleep patterns. The management will conduct regular check’s to monitor compliance for all sleep provisions, ensuing the policy and practices are completed correctly
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 16, 29.