Inspection of 11 May 2026 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2)(c) See Statutory Notice section in relation to the Immediate Action Notice IAN 1002 served. (d) See Statutory Notice section in relation to the Immediate Action Notice IAN 1001, Improvement Notice IN 1042 and Improvement Notice IN 1043 served. (3) The procedures as outlined in paragraph (2) were not carried out prior to adults working with or having access to children in the service, as evidenced by the following examples: • Garda vetting disclosure in relation to 1 adult prior to these adults having access to and contact with the children. • International police vetting in relation to 3 adults prior to having access to and contact with the children. • Validation of 2 references, as stated above, not obtained in relation to 1 adult prior to this adult having access to and contact with the children. (4) Documentary evidence was not available for 1 adult who may work directly with the children in the service to confirm that they held at least a major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at Level 5 or above on the National Framework of Qualifications or a qualification deemed eligible by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective Action (2)(c)(d)(3) Upon identification of this issue, the service immediately reviewed the recruitment files of the adults concerned. Garda vetting disclosures for the adults identified were completed and placed on file . In relation to the adult for whom reference validation had not been completed , the required references were reviewed and validated, and this documentation was added to the personnel file . Management also completed an immediate audit of all staff recruitment files to ensure that all required safe recruitment documentation was in place. Preventive Action (2)(c)(d)(3) The service has reviewed and strengthened its recruitment and onboarding procedures to ensure that all safe recruitment requirements are fully completed before any adult is permitted to work with or have access to children . A recruitment compliance checklist has been introduced to include Garda vetting , receipt and validation of two references , and a ll required pre-employment documentation . Responsibility for checking completion of all of recruitment documentation prior to commencement has been clearly assigned to management. In addition, a final pre-commencement file review will be completed for all future staff , students, volunteers and agency personnel to ensure compliance with Regulation 9 on the service ’s safe recruitment procedures. Corrective Action (4) The individual referred to in this finding is no longer employed in the service and no longer has access to or contact with the children . As such the immediate risk has been fully mitigated . T he personnel file has been updated to reflect the termination of employment and relevant documentation has been retained on file. Preventive Action (4) The service has reviewed its recruitment and onboarding procedures to ensure full compliance with qualification requirements for early years staff. Going forward, documentary evidence of a minimum level 5 major award in Early Childhood Care and Education, or an equivalent qualification deemed eligible by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, must be obtained and verified prior to commencement of employment or placement in any role involving access to children
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (1)(i) While there was a staff roster available; staff sign in records were not maintained. Eight out of nine staff members were not signed in on the staff sign in record on the day of the inspection
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective Action (1)(i) The service acknowledges that staff sign -in records were not consistently maintained on the day of inspection with eight out of nine staff members not recorded as signed in. Immediately following the inspection, the service reviewed attendance documentation and reinforced the requirement for all staff to sign in and out on arrival and departure. A staff sign-in record has now been fully implemented and is being actively used to ensure accurate daily recording of staff attendance. Preventive Action (1)(i) The service has strengthened its procedures regarding staff attendance recording to ensure full compliance going forward. A mandatory staff sign-in/sign-out system has been introduced, and all staff have been informed that completion of the attendance record is a requirement at the start and end of each shift . Management will monitor compliance on a daily basis . Regular internal audits of staff attendance records will be conducted to ensure that documentation is consistently completed and accurately maintained in line with regulatory requirements
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- Basic needs: 1. In the Wobbler room the children’s water bottles were stored on a countertop. The box was positioned out of children’s eyeline making it difficult for them to indicate that they wanted a drink and was too high for the children to retrieve their bottles. Supporting relationships and interactions around children: 2. There were no family photographs displayed in the Wobbler room. This does not enable the children to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness in the service and to maintain links with family and home. Physical and material environment: 3. There were no play materials provided in the outdoor kitchen to enable the children to extend their play
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective Action Basic needs: 1. Following the inspection finding , the placement of children's water bottles in the wobbler room was immediately reviewe d. T he bottles have been relocated from the high countertop to a lower , child accessible level within the room, ensuring that they are within the children's eyeline and easy reach. This allows children to independently access their water bottles and indicate their need for a drink more easily. Supporting relationships and interactions around children: 2. Following the inspection finding, family photographs have now been introduced into the Wobbler room. The photographs have been displayed at child height to support children's sense of belonging , identity, and connection with home. T his immediate action ensures that children can see and recognise their families within the room environment. Physical and material environment: 3. Following the inspection finding, appropriate play materials have been added to the outdoor kitchen area to support and extend children's play. These resources now enable children to engage in imaginative, and role play activities outdoors, enhancing their learning experiences and interaction with the environment. Preventive Action Basic needs: 1. The service has reviewed the arrangement of resources in all rooms to ensure that children's personal items, including water bottles, are stored at an appropriate height and are readily accessible to support children's independence and communication of needs . Staff have been reminded of the importance of maintaining a child-centred environment that promotes autonomy and self-help skills. Room leaders will regularly review room layouts to ensure ongoing compliance with these principles. Supporting relationships and interactions around children: 2. The service has reviewed the environment in all rooms to ensure that children's family photographs are displayed appropriately and consistently . Staff have been reminded of the importance of supporting children's emotional well-being, sense of identity , and belonging through meaningful displays linked to home and family life. Room leaders will ensure that family displays are maintained and updated regularly as part of ongoing room environment planning, in line with Aistear and Síolta guidance. Physical and material environment: 3. The service has reviewed the provision of resources in the outdoor area to ensure that all learning zones are adequately resource d to support and extend children's play . Staff have been reminded of the importance of observing children's play and providing additional materials to extend learning in line with children's interests . Room leaders with regularly review outdoor provision to ensure that resources remain relevant, accessible, and supportive of high -quality play experiences . In addition, the service is currently developing a new outdoor play area/playground, which will be available in the near future. This area will include a range of natural and open -ended materials designed to further support children's exploratory play , creativity, and engagement with the outdoor environment . This development will further enhance the quality of outdoor learning experiences within the service . Room leaders will continue to review outdoor provision regularly to ensure resources remain appropriate , accessible, and responsive to children's developmental needs
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- Infection Control: 1. Infection control measures were observed to be inadequate as evidenced by the following: • There were no liquid soap or paper towels available in the staff toilet adjacent to the Toddler room which was observed being used on the day of inspection. • The water was cold at the following sinks in the service which were used for washing both staff members and children’s hands: ➢ The sink used by the children attending the Toddler room to wash their hands after nappy changing. ➢ The low-level sink in the sanitary area between the Toddler room and the Wobbler room. • The pedal mechanism on the bin that was used for the disposal of nappies in the sanitary area adjacent to the Toddler room was not working and staff members were observed lifting the lid manually to dispose of nappies. • The paper towel provided for hand drying in the sanitary area between the Toddler room and the Wobbler room was not hygienically dispensed and subject to repeat handling which is an infection control risk. • During nappy changing in the Wobbler room the nappy changing mat was not sprayed and cleaned with disinfectant after nappy changing of a child and the apron was left beside the nappy changing mat. • In the Preschool room the children’s afternoon snack of waffles with jam was served directly onto the table with no crockery provided. Fire Safety: 2. There was equipment to include a cocoon bed in front of the fire door and box of toys stored at the side of the fire door of the cot room. This could potentially cause delay on the event of emergency egress being required from the care room. Action submitted by the Registered Provider Corrective Action Infection Control: 1. Following the inspection findings, immediate corrective actions were taken to address all identified infection control deficiencies across the service. Liquid soap and paper towels have been immediately replenished and are now available in the staff toilet adjacent to the Toddler room. The issue of cold water at designed hand-washing sinks has been reported and addressed with maintenance, and these sinks are now under review to ensure appropriate water temperature for effective hand hygiene. The faulty pedal- operated nappy bin has been fixed to ensure hygienic, hands-free disposal of nappies. Staff practice regarding nappy changing procedures has been immediately reinforced, including mandatory cleaning and disinfection of the changing mat after each use and correct handling/storage of protective aprons. The practice of serving food directly onto tables has been stopped immediately, and appropriate crockery is now used for all food service. The paper towels in the sanitary area were found not to be correctly placed in the dispenser at the time of inspection, resulting in them not being readily and hygienically available. This issue was immediately rectified, and paper towels were placed correctly in a suitable wall-mounted dispenser to ensure hygienic single-use access. Fire Safety: 2. Following the inspection finding, the cocoon bed and box of toys located in front of and beside the fire door in the cot room were immediately removed and repositioned to ensure that the fire exit route is fully clear and unobstructed at all times. The fire door access has been restored to full operational safety in line with evacuation requirements. Preventive Action Infection Control: 1. The service has completed a full review of infection prevention and control procedures in line with best practice guidance. Staff have been re-briefed and retrained on hygiene procedures, including hand hygiene, nappy changing protocols, safe food service, and use of PPE. Environmental audits will now be conducted regularly by management to ensure that all hygiene facilities (soap, paper towels, bins, water temperature, and dispensing systems) are fully operational and compliant at all times. Any maintenance issues will be reported and addressed without delay. Supervisory checks will also be introduced during key care routines (including nappy changing and mealtimes) to ensure consistent adherence to infection prevention and control procedures across all rooms. Fire Safety: 2. The service has reviewed the layout of all rooms to ensure that fire exits and evacuation routes remain free from obstruction at all times. Staff have been reminded of the importance of maintaining clear access to all fire doors and ensuring that no equipment, furniture, or storage items are placed in evacuation pathways. Daily room safety checks have been reinforced, including specific attention to fire exits and escape routes. Room leaders and management will monitor compliance regularly to ensure ongoing adherence to fire safety procedures and emergency evacuation requirements. Supporting documentation submitted Photographic evidence of the following: • Liquid soap. • Paper towel dispenser. • Pedal bin. • Temperatures of water. • Fire exit door. Summary Comment The inspector has reviewed the actions and evidence submitted. The non-compliances under Regulation 23 have been addressed
Regulation 24 — Checking in and out and record of attendance
- 1. The details of attendance records had not been accurately recorded in attendance books as evidenced by the following: • A child who was present on the day of the inspection in the Pre-school Room was recorded as absent. It is acknowledged that this was rectified when the inspector brought this to the attention of staff at 10.45am. • In the Toddler room there were 12 children present at 09:30am, 10 children were signed into the attendance record. The staff member was informed immediately, however the children were not signed in until 10:15am. Contemporaneous accurate attendance logs must be maintained to support the safe evacuation of children in an emergency
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective Action (3)(b) Following the inspection findings, attendance records were immediately corrected to accurately reflect the presence of all children on the day of inspection. The child incorrectly recorded as absent in the Pre-school room was updated as present , and the missing sign-in entries in the Toddler room were completed to ensure the attendance record accurately matched the number of children present in the room at that time. Preventive Action (3)(b) The service has reinforced the requirement for contemporaneous and accurate recording of children's attendance at the point of arrival and throughout the day . Staff have been reminded that attendance records must reflect real -time occupancy in each room to ensure accurate headcounts for safety , supervision, and emergency evacuation purposes . A strengthened sign -in procedure has been implemented , requiring staff to immediately record children upon entry to the room and to verify attendance records against actual numbers at key points during the day . Room leaders will carry out regular che cks of attendance records to ensure accuracy and compliance. Management will also monitor attendance documentation as part of ongoing supervision and compliance audits. Summary Comment The inspector has reviewed the actions and evidence submitted. The non-compliance under Regulation 24 has been addressed
Regulation 27 — Supervision
- Adequate supervision was not provided at all times in the service as evidenced by the following: 1. At 3pm in the Toddler room both staff members were in the nappy changing areas changing children’s nappies whilst 8 children were in the care room, most children were asleep or in the process of waking up. One child who was awake was observed by the inspector who entered the room throwing conkers at the children who were in bed. This was not observed by the staff members who were nappy changing. Whilst one staff member was positioned beside a viewing panel, she did not have complete sight of the care room. The early years inspector requested that the staff member return to the care room to supervise the children. 2. At 10.10am in the wobbler room the staff member went to change a child’s nappy in the nappy changing area, whilst the second staff member was in the cot room. There were four children in the book area in the care room. Whilst there it is acknowledged that there is a viewing panel in the nappy changing area, the book area is out of the sight of the staff member
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective Action 1.&2. Following the inspection findings , the supervision arrangements in the Toddler and Wobbler rooms were immediately reviewed. Staff deployment during nappy changing routines has been adjusted to ensure that at least on e staff member remains in the playroom at all times to maintain active supervision of children . The practice of both staff members leaving the room simultaneously has been ceased . Immediate corrective action was taken to ensure that children were appropriately supervised at all times, and staff were reminded that nappy changing must not compromise supervision of children remaining in the care room. Preventive Action 1.&2. A formal arrangement has been introduced whereby staff must coordinate nappy changes so that one staff member remains fully present and actively supervising children in the playroom , including all areas not in direct sight from ancillary spaces . Staff have been re -briefed on their responsibility for maintaining line -of-sight supervision and conducting dynamic risk assessments during routine care activities . Room leaders will monitor staff deployment during nappy changing and daily routines to ensure compliance with supervision requirements. This will be re inforced through ongoing supervision che cks and management oversight to ensure children are never left without adequate supervision in any area of the room. Summary Comment The inspector has reviewed the actions and evidence submitted. The non-compliances under Regulation 27 have been addressed
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 26.