Inspection of 23 September 2024 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2)(d) Following a review of the staff files presented and available on the day of inspection, international police vetting was not available for the 1 staff member who had resided outside the jurisdiction for a period of greater than 6 months as an adult
Provider's corrective action:
- International Police Vetting was applied for and has been granted for the relevant staff member. The manager and the board of directors have updated their knowledge on police vetting by revising the Early Years Inspectorate guide on ‘Vetting Guidance for Early Years Services’. This guide will be used during the recruitment process to enable the registered provider to ensure that any new employees who have lived outside of Ireland for more than 6 consecutive months are police vetted before they commence employment. The recruitment policy has been updated in order to highlight this issue and prevent it from happening in the future
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- In the Pre-Preschool Room from approximately 11.58 to 12.17 the transition period from handwashing to serving of the dinner became chaotic and more difficult to manage as 1 staff member was engaged in plating and serving the dinners and the 2nd staff member was seated at the table with the 7 preschool children waiting on their dinner. During this time the children were observed to become restless and behavioural issues escalated, for example one child was observed to stand on chairs and tables, then to push the tables, throw a chair and throw a toy. Some of the other children began to imitate this behaviour pushing the tables and throwing a chair, during which another child was observed to fall off their chair and displayed signs of being hurt, was upset and crying. It is acknowledged at approximately 12.14 that the staff member did try to distract the children by singing a song at the table. During the transition period from handwashing to serving of the dinner in the Pre-Preschool Room a staff member was observed to use inappropriate responses such as “stop that”, “that’s enough”, “stop stop” while trying to encourage the children back to their seats. This negative language was not considered suitable for the children aged 2 years attending this room
Provider's corrective action:
- The registered provider has purchased an indoor climbing frame with a slide, large foam construction blocks and floor climbing plots so that these can help with transitions and decrease the challenging behaviour within the room. This equipment allows the children to participate in safe risky play within the care room that is supervised by the staff team, that will hopefully help to reduce the amount of climbing on furniture in the room, as they now have safe opportunities to climb. The routine in the Pre Pre room has been altered so to help children transition and that they are not seated for long periods. All members of the staff team have been given a copy of the managing behaviour policy, and this policy was thoroughly discussed at the inspection feedback meeting on the 08/10/2024 where all the team were in attendance. Positive reinforcement, appropriate language to be used with children and that all interactions with children should be of a calm, friendly, positive and respectful manner were discussed. Also discussed was how children should be distracted from unwanted behaviour before it escalates and causes behavioural issues within the room. There is currently a third member of staff rostered at 11.30 each day for the pre pre room so that they can assist during lunch time. This extra member of staff in the room will also help for a less chaotic dinner time as transitions are straightforward. All members of the team of staff have been given literary information guide on supporting transitions
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- The registered provider did not ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of a pre-school child attending the service and that the environment of the service is safe: General Safety: 1. Garda vetting was reviewed for all staff members and one disclosure was not dated within the previous three years in adherence to with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice ‘EYI-RN12.3 Renewal of Garda Vetting’. 2. In the Preschool Room there were unprotected sharp corners on the brown and white shelving units and the white shelving unit outside, these are an injury hazard. 3. The wooden microwave in the kitchen area in the Preschool Room was unsecured and a potential impact hazard. 4. In the Pre-Preschool Room, on two occasions children were observed to use the toilets which were located outside the care room in the corridor while both staff remained in the care room. The door between the hallway and the care room closed and had a magnetic coded lock which children could not use. One child required the assistance of the inspector to return to the care room. In addition, this corridor contained the external door to the outdoor area which was observed to be unlocked on both these occasions and a child had potential access to the outdoor area unsupervised and unknown to the staff in the care room. These are safety risks. Infection Control: 5. In the Pre-Preschool Room, a staff member was observed to assist a child to wash their hands after getting their nappy changed while wearing the same gloves and apron they used to change the nappy. The staff member also helped a child who was using a soap dispenser while washing their hands after toileting still wearing the same gloves and apron. This is a cross contamination and infection control risk and is also at variance with the service Nappy Changing Policy
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective & Preventive Action General Safety: 1. Garda vetting has been applied before and obtained. The manger has ensured that Garda vetting has been completed within the 3 years renewal time frame for all members of the staff team. The manager and the board of directors will work together to effectively manage staff files to ensure that Garda vetting is completed and processed in time before the yearly renewal date. All staff files have been checked and the renewal dates for Garda vetting has been recorded to prevent this happening in the future, this is also in line with the updated recruitment policy. 2. The corners on the brown units have been fitted with corner cushions. The white unit in the preschool room has been removed. The white unit outside has been removed. The registered provider has updated the risk assessment policy in order to help eliminate health and safety hazards within the setting. 3. The wooden microwave has been removed from the preschool room. The registered provider has updated the risk assessment policy in order to help eliminate health and safety hazards within the setting. 4. A magnetic lock has been fitted to the external door. The magnetic lock has been disabled on the internal door so that the children can now push open and pull open the door with assistance of a staff member. A member of staff will stand between the fire door and toilet door and discreetly observe the children in order to ensure that they are supervised at all times. At the inspection feedback staff meeting on the 08/10/2024 there was a discussion on staff Supervision. Areas of concern were discussed such as staff roles and responsibilities when it comes to effective supervision of the children in their care, other items discussed included decisions that affect the care and safety of children such as regular, uninterrupted supervision. The registered provider and the staff also discussed this matter at a team meeting in the Pre Pre room so to ensure that this change in practice has taken place. The current toileting policy has been updated to address this issue of guaranteeing the supervision and safety of the children in the care of the service. A risk assessment on the fire door in the Pre Pre room was completed after the magnetic lock was disabled. 5. The current nappy changing policy has been updated to highlight that staff must remove their gloves and apron before washing the children’s hands. The updated nappy changing policy was discussed at the at the inspection feedback staff meeting on the 08/10/2024. All staff are now aware of the proper procedure that should take place when changing nappies in relation to the discarding of gloves and aprons immediately after the child’s nappy has been changed before they assist with the child’s hand washing
Regulation 29 — Premises
- 1. In the sanitary area of the Preschool Room the paint at the bottom of the wall meeting the floor was bubbling, in disrepair and required repainting
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. In the sanitary area, new PVC skirting board was fitted, the walls were cleaned and painted. The registered provider has updated the risk assessment policy in order to help eliminate health and safety hazards within the setting
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 20, 25, 28.