Inspection of 28 January 2026 — Inspection Report
Immediate action notice. An immediate action notice was issued on 28 January 2026 under Regulation 9: Management and Recruitment for the absence of a Garda vetting disclosure. The registered providers submitted a written adequate response on the 28 January 2026.
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (a)(b) Two written references for two staff were not available on file. (c) While the service demonstrated compliance with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice requiring services to renew Garda vetting every 3 years, a Garda vetting disclosure was not available in respect of one adult. An immediate action notice was issued on the 28 January 2026 regarding this non-compliance. An adequate response was submitted to the office of the Early Years Inspectorate on the 28 January 2026 to demonstrate the actions taken to correct the non-compliance
Provider's corrective action:
- (a)(b) The registered providers stated that the required validated references and Garda vetting has been filed in staff folders and they have developed a recruitment check list to ensure all documents are in place before a new employee takes up their position
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (a) There were no records available to demonstrate the registered providers had considered the previous work experience for one staff member
Provider's corrective action:
- The registered providers stated that they have filed a copy of the staff members curriculum vitae (CV) as evidence of reviewing their previous work experience. A recruitment checklist has been developed to ensure the required documents are on file before a new staff begins their employment
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. The children’s attendance record was not completed accurately. For example, • there were 21 children in attendance during the morning of the inspection however only 19 children were signed in on the attendance book, • the record of the children in attendance on the previous day did not include the time the children left the premises. This posed as risk to children’s safety in the case of an emergency evacuation where there was no accurate record of attendance. 2. The accident and incident book were not completed correctly. Of the three records reviewed the parental signatures were absent. As a result, the inspector could not be assured the parents had been informed of incidents or accidents which had happened during the day. Infection Control: 3. Procedures regarding the management of cross-contamination were not thorough as the staff toilet is used for the temporary storage of floor mats, toys, and boxes. This was a previous non-compliance on the last inspection in April 2025. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: The registered providers stated that: 1. All children have been included in the attendance book, and they will ensure the book is kept up to date as children arrive and leave the service. They stated that the book will be kept at the main door of the service for ease of use. 2. Staff have been reminded that of the requirements of completing incident and accident reports correctly. The registered provider stated that all staff have been informed of the above requirements and these were discussed the staff meeting. Infection Control: The registered providers stated that: 3. The staff toilet has been cleared mats, toys and boxes. Staff have been remined that this room is not to be used for storage
Regulation 29 — Premises
- 1. The outdoor area at the rear of the premises was not well-maintained. There were weeds, and moss growing through the cracks in the concrete and two stacks of unsecured pallets which were accessible to the children. This was a non-compliance on the previous two inspections in August 2023 and April 2025. 2. There was evidence of the rooms not being thoroughly cleaned with mould observed on the walls of the children’s care rooms and in the sanitary areas and spiders’ webs on the windows of the children’s toilets
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. The registered providers stated that they were waiting for a dry day to treat the surface of the outdoor area. 2. The registered providers have installed de-humidifiers and placed them in each room to remove excess moisture. Once the walls have dried out, they will treat and paint them. In the meantime, the wall has been washed and the mould removed. The staff are now aware that’s the rooms require a thorough cleaning regularly. A comprehensive cleaning checklist has been developed. This was discussed at the team meeting
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 15, 19, 25.