Inspection of 3 July 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- Twelve accident and incident records were reviewed. Three of these records were not signed by parents at the time the accident/incident was recorded which is a risk to the health and safety of the children
Provider's corrective action:
- Parents/guardians of the three children that the accident and incident records related, to have now signed them. In the future, it has been agreed following a team meeting that the staff rostered to work on the day of the accident and incident will ensure that these forms are signed on the day by the parent/guardian
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- Physical and Material Environment On the day of inspection, while it is acknowledged that the children spent lots of time in the outdoor play area, the care room was not observed to be an inviting or engaging play space for the children attending the service. Materials were not displayed in a child centred manner and were not immediately available to children. There were a limited number of age-appropriate toys available to the children. The pre-school room did not have clear areas of interest and equipment was not laid out to promote the emergent interests of the children. There was no clearly defined space for children to rest and relax. There were no books available to the children and the environment did not reflect the group of children who attend the service such as displaying a family wall, birthday wall or their artwork
Provider's corrective action:
- New artwork/Family wall/Pecs were added to the crèche walls both inside and out. Age appropriate books and books of interest were added to a low accessible shelf. Rest spaces were re-established. The manager spoke with the team around the need for age/stage appropriate materials and enforced the daily schedule to include all materials being accessible until the end of the daily session even if the children play outside. In the future, staff will ensure that both indoor and outdoor environments are inviting and fully equipped with age/stage appropriate materials that are changed weekly. There will be a continuous review of the child development policy at monthly team meetings and staff will discuss what is working well and what needs to be adjusted
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- On inspection of the service, the following were found to be a risk to the safety of the children: Infection Control: 1. While it is acknowledged that a paper towel dispenser was available next to the sink in the sanitary area adjacent to the care room, the paper towels for hand-drying were not appropriately stored here. The towels were stacked together on top of the dispenser and staff and children were observed handling the stack of towels prior to taking one. At the sink in the care room where children were also observed to wash hands, paper towels were stacked on the countertop with children and staff observed handling these prior to taking one. These actions pose a risk of cross contamination and the spread of infection. 2. Nappy changing practices were at odds to the services policy and procedures on nappy changing. • One staff member was observed to wear the same gloves while removing a soiled nappy, replacing a clean nappy and re-dressing the child which poses a risk of cross contamination. • Staff members did not sanitise the nappy changing unit after use and this poses a risk of the spread of infection. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- Infection Control: 1. All paper towels/Toilet Rolls are now appropriately stored within the dispensers in the children’s toilet next to the care room. A new paper towel dispenser was fitted to the wall beside the small sink in the crèche room to limit cross contamination and control infection. 2. A review session was held with all staff on the nappy changing procedure as per policy. The manager will ensure that future reviews will be carried out on a 3 monthly basis through staff meeting structure
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 25, 26, 28.