Inspection of 3 November 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 11 — Staffing levels
- (8)(a) The requirement to have 2 adults on the premises at all times could not be determined as there was no staff roster available. While a staff sign in sheet was available for the week of the inspection, only 1 staff member had signed their arrival time to the service for the day of the inspection and the previous day
Provider's corrective action:
- (8)(a) Staff have been reminded of the importance of signing in and that they must do so upon arrival and when leaving the premises. A new sign in document has been drawn up and is now in use. Manager will do spot checks to ensure that staff are signing in daily and make note of any changes and cover when needed
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (g)The policies and procedure for the service were not in keeping with the requirements of Regulation 10. This does not support staff to standardise and implement best practice. For example: The policies and procedures were located in 2 separate folders. When questioned the registered provider was not sure which copy was the most up to date. On review of the folders by the inspector, one folder contained loose sheets and blank pages with no clear guidance what policies were contained in the folder. The 2nd folder contained policies and procedures which were dated June 2015 and also referenced the previous ‘out of date’ Childcare Regulations 2006. (i) A staff rota was not available for inspection in the service. When questioned on the 1st day of inspection the deputy person stated that she ‘did not know where it was’. It was also confirmed by the registered provider on the 2nd day of inspection that there was no roster available. This practice is at variance with the corrective and preventative actions submitted by the registered provider in response to a previous non-compliance for ‘an inadequate staff roster ‘which was found at the last inspection. This response stated that “the staff roster was changed to provide the correct information. All staff have been informed about the new roster and how to implement it”. These corrective and preventative actions submitted failed to prevent reoccurrence of this non-compliance. (k) It is acknowledged that an accident report was completed for a child who tripped in the Toddler Room on the first day of the inspection. However, when the inspector reviewed a sample of 11 additional accident and incident reports, these were found to be incomplete. One of the reports did not contain a parental signature to indicate that that they were informed of the incident. Ten out of the 11 reports did not contain the registered providers signature indicating that they were informed about the incident or that they had reviewed or carried a risk assessment if deemed necessary
Provider's corrective action:
- (g)Policies and procedures have been updated with the support of an external company. The said documents are now in the one folder and a copy has been emailed to all staff for revision. Staff have received, read and replied by return e-mail acknowledging confirmation of their understanding of the policies. Going forward, staff have been advised to reach out to management if they do not have an understanding of the policies or procedures. (i)A roster has been drafted and has been placed on the same document as the sign-in sheet so all staff are aware of it and of any changes that may have been made to their hours. Reviews and checks carried out regularly to ensure the roster is running smoothly and being completed correctly. (k)Manager is always informed of any accidents that happen on the premises but due to managers own self- negligence the reports were not signed by her, however reports are always signed by key workers. Manager is aware that she must sign all accident reports going forward. Manager will check the accident report folder weekly to ensure that no accidents that have occurred, have been missed. The deputy manager will sign the forms if the manager is unavailable
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- The registered provider did not ensure that each child’s learning, development, and well-being was facilitated within the daily life of the service in relation to the following: 1. The consistency of the dinners provided on both days of the inspection was not considered appropriate for the age and stage of development of the children in attendance. There was no variety in textures and all children ranging in age from 1 – 4 years were provided with a pureed dinner of ‘Irish stew’ and mash potato on the first day of inspection and a pureed dinner of mince and mash potato on the 2nd day. 2. The majority of toys and equipment in the Toddler Room were on high shelves, in heavy boxes and were inaccessible to the children. For example, the plastic blocks, kitchen equipment, jigsaws and some books were contained within heavy plastic containers or on high shelves and the children could not access them independently. 3. The physical and material environment in the Toddler room was not adequately resourced for the number and developmental stage of the children attending. Many of the toys were plastic or wooden with a limited variety of specific areas of interest, textures, shapes and sizes. 4. The programme of activities observed for the children attending the Toddler Room was limited e.g., on the 1st day of the inspection while it is acknowledged that the children were observed to engage in an adult initiated jigsaw activity and a reading activity when an additional staff member arrived on the premises. For most of the time prior to this the children (aged 1-2 years) were observed to wander around the Toddler room without any engagement from the staff in attendance as they were more focused on meeting the children’s basic needs or tidying up the room. 5. The children attending the Toddler Room did not get a change of environment to the outdoor areas on either day of inspection
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. There are a variety of textured meals available (sausages, stew, mince, chicken, fish fingers) Food is provided by a HSE approved food supplier, vegetables (carrots, turnips) are mashed before they mixed with dinners as many children are reluctant to eat their meal when whole pieces of vegetables are visible, this ensures nutrient intake of the children’s daily dietary needs. Environmental Health Office has been contacted and completed a review of the menu and are satisfied with it. Manager will review menus monthly to ensure all dietary requirements are met and alterations will be made to the menu if needed. 2. Toys have been moved to the lower shelves at an appropriate level for the children to access them at all times. The room has been re-arranged to give the children more independence and access to materials. The service has engaged with an external early years quality development agency to review the layout and materials within the service. Following contact, the agency is liaising with staff to review and change the layout of the room. 3. Additional materials have been added to the toddler room as there are many types of play that takes place in the toddler room which were not on display at the time of the inspection as they are stored in different areas of the building due to lack of storage space in the toddler room. The registered provider is engaging with the quality development agency regarding the materials, equipment and space in the toddler room. 4. The daily routine for the Toddler Room has since been revised. The updated daily room routine will be displayed in the room, including visual aids. Assistance will also be provided for staff with the classroom curriculum from the quality development agency. 5. Each room has their own set times to access the covered outdoor area. Going forward the daily timetable will be placed in each room to ensure all staff are aware of times for access to the covered outdoor area in circumstances where the main outdoor area cannot be used
Regulation 20 — Facilities for rest and play
- (1)(b) The rest and sleep facilities in the service were found to be inadequate, as demonstrated by the following: • There were no adequate rest facilities available in the care rooms for a child to rest or take a break from activities when they required. For example: one child in the Toddler room was observed to attempt to lie down on a wooden bench in the room and when they rolled off the bench they tried to lie down again but could not settle. • One of the cot mattresses was unsuitable as it was ill-fitting and had a foothold present in the cot which is a potential safety hazard. This is a recurring non-compliance from the last inspection carried out on 15/07/2024 and is at variance to the corrective and preventative actions submitted by the registered provider in response to the previous non-compliance which stated that; “Checklists for cleanliness and upkeep done for each cot to be carried out daily/weekly. All staff informed about checklists and how to implement them”. However, when the inspector reviewed the checklists, the last recorded checklist was dated August/ September 2024. The corrective and preventative actions submitted following that particular inspection failed to prevent reoccurrence of this non-compliance
Provider's corrective action:
- • A quiet/rest area has been added to the toddler room furnished with soft calming materials. • Regular checks do be done on the resting area to ensure it is working and the children are benefiting from the addition. Soft furnishings will be taken home weekly and washed. • A new mattress has been purchased. Checklists have been updated and are being carried out daily with the other daily checklists. This task has been delegated to a specific staff member. • Manager will perform weekly checks on the new updated daily checklists
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- The Inspectorate is not assured that adequate steps have been taken to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the pre-school children attending the service. Two of the five non-compliances observed at this inspection were found at the previous inspection on 15/7/2024. The registered provider submitted corrective actions to indicate that the non-compliances would be addressed and also gave assurances that they would not reoccur however these actions and assurances were inadequate. General Safety: 1. The maintenance records for the firefighting equipment and smoke alarms detailed that the equipment was last serviced on 07/2024 and 24/03/2024 respectively. This is not in accordance with best practice guidelines that requires such equipment to be serviced at a minimum annually or more frequent if deemed necessary. This is a recurring non-compliance from the last inspection carried out on 15/07/2024 and is at variance to the corrective and preventative actions previously submitted by the registered provider in response to the non-compliance which stated that; “Annual Fire safety maintenance carried out. New fire extinguishers purchased and fitted. Fire safety system has been set up for annual checks with a reminder system in place”. The corrective and preventative actions submitted following that particular inspection failed to prevent reoccurrence of this non-compliance. Infection Control: 2. Inadequate hand washing practices were observed on both days of inspection e.g. on Day 1 it was observed following nappy changing that the child’s hands or the staff member carrying out the procedure did not wash their hands. On both days of inspection, the children attending the Toddler room did not have their hands washed before dinner. This is a recurring non-compliance from the last inspection carried out on 15/07/2024 and is at variance to the corrective and preventative actions previously submitted by the registered provider in response to the non-compliance which stated that; “Staff meeting held to remind staff of the importance of correct hand washing. Infection control and good hand washing practises to be included regularly in staff meetings”. The corrective and preventative actions submitted following that particular inspection failed to prevent reoccurrence of this non-compliance. 3. On both days of the inspection some perishable items e.g. yoghurt, cheese and chicken nuggets were observed inappropriately stored in the children’s lunch bags on the hall floor, rather than in a refrigerator. 4. A grey coloured hand towel was observed on the radiator in the downstairs sanitary. Some of the children were observed to use the hand towel to dry their hands after handwashing which is a cross-infection risk. 5. Nappy changing was not carried out in accordance with best practice guidelines. For example, the staff member observed carrying out a nappy change did not wear an apron during the procedure and did not wipe the unit down after the procedure was carried out prior to the next child having their nappy changed
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective & Preventive Actions General Safety: 1. Fire equipment has been serviced, manager acknowledges that the inspection dates were not checked. The manager has recorded the dates in advance for the next inspection. Infection Control: 2. A staff meeting was held and the importance of hand washing was discussed at length. Manager has overseen washing hands to ensure it is being done correctly. Random spot checks to take place during hand washing times by manager. 3. Staff have been reminded to visually check lunch bags in the morning for perishable foods, any perishable foods must be stored in the fridge with the child’s name on them. Spot checks carried out on children’s lunch bags to ensure perishable food is stored correctly. 4. Blue paper towels are available in the bathroom. Staff have been reminded to store items in their correct area. Manager will do checks to ensure there is no towels left in the bathroom and that children are washing and drying hands correctly. 5. A staff meeting was held and a step-by-step plan was printed, read and signed by each member of staff. The manager directly observed each staff member completing nappy changing and hand-washing procedures to ensure full compliance with the required procedures. The Manager will be completing random spot checks on staff when completing nappy changes
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 26.