Inspection of 8 January 2026 — Inspection Report
Immediate action notice. 08 January 2026 Two immediate action notices were issued to the registered provider in relation to two significant concerns identified under Regulation 23, Safeguarding the Health, Welfare and Development of Child. The service took immediate action which mitigated one of these concerns while the inspectors were present on inspection and a response which adequately mitigated the second concern was received on the 09 January 2026. Further details are available under general safety and fire safety section under Regulation 23.
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (d) Documentary evidence and discussion with a staff member showed that the staff member had lived in two different jurisdictions other than Ireland for more than six months as an adult. International police vetting was not available for one of the two jurisdictions. It is acknowledged that the staff member has made attempts to contact previous employers and has started the process to be internationally re-vetted. (3) Evidence showed that the curriculum vitae of one staff member did not provide full and accurate information. A full and accurate record is required to ensure the suitability of staff members
Provider's corrective action:
- (2) (d) Immediate action has been taken, and an application for the outstanding international police vetting has now been submitted. The service is currently awaiting the return of this vetting. Once received, the vetting documentation will be placed on the staff member’s file in accordance with regulatory requirements. Local management will ensure that all police clearance is in place prior to staff commencing work with Little Harvard. Senior Management will conduct audits to ensure compliance with all aspects of Regulation 9. (3) The staff member’s curriculum vitae has now been updated to include all relevant and accurate information, including full employment history and any required details. The updated CV is now held on the staff member’s file and will be maintained in line with regulatory requirements to ensure all staff records remain complete and up to date. Local Management will ensure that all staff members have a comprehensive curriculum vitae prior to their starting with Little Harvard to ensure compliance with regulation 9 and all relevant regulatory requirements
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (k) Out of a sample of 30 accident and incident records, eleven of these records did not include all the required information. This was evidenced by missing information as detailed below. • On one of the records there was no name or signature of the staff member who completed the form. • On two of these records there was no parent/guardian signature or date. • On seven of these records there was no date beside parent/guardian signature. • On seven of these records there was no manager’s signature. It is important that parents/guardians are informed on the same day of an accident/incident, so that they can appropriately monitor their child. Similar non-compliances were observed on the previous inspections which showed that the preventive actions provided by the registered provider has not been sustained
Provider's corrective action:
- (1) (k) Management has implemented additional control measures, as outlined below, to ensure ongoing compliance. Staff have received further training on the accurate completion of all accident and incident documentation. Local Management will now formally review and sign all accident and incident reports at the time of occurrence, prior to parent/guardian signature. In addition, monthly audits of accident and incident records will be carried out by management to ensure all documentation is complete, signed, and maintained correctly. These measures have been introduced to prevent any recurrence and to ensure consistent compliance going forward
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. The kitchen door which is adjacent to the wobbler 2 care room was observed to be left fully open and this room was unattended between 10 am to 10.10 am. During this time the inspector observed two large cooking pots upon the working oven, several drawers which provided easy access to sharp utensils, an unlocked press with cleaning agents, and one large object laid upon a small plastic container on a countertop in the centre of the room. This posed a significant safety risk to the Wobbler 2 children aged 1 1/2 to 2 years as the wobbler 2 door required little force to be pushed open and remained unsecured and accessible to children in this room throughout the morning. An immediate action notice was issued on inspection. It is acknowledged that the service took immediate action to address the non-compliance when the inspector highlighted the risk to the regional manager. A child safety gate was installed within two hours which mitigated this risk and a written response to the immediate action notice was received from the general manager on 9 January 2026 with reassurances that the safety gate will remain closed to restrict children accessing the kitchen area. 2. The door to the cleaning room storage area located on the corridor between wobbler 1 and wobbler 2 room was left open at 9.28am and unsecured with the safety latch not in place. This room contained cleaning agents at an accessible level to children, and the door was observed to be left unsecured until 9.58am. This posed a potential risk of safety. 3. Staff were not aware of the essential details of two new children who were transitioning into the service from home. There was evidence to show that the children had begun in the service on the 5 January 2026 and were in the process of a settling in period. The inspector was unable to attain the following information in the care room on the morning of inspection. o The child’s surname. o The child’s date of birth. o If the child had any allergies or intolerances. o If the child was receiving any form of medication. o Record of their attendance on the electronic platform which is used to record children on arrival and collection times. It is acknowledged that the person in charge was able to provide the children registration records and provide evidence that the children were marked in attendance by 12pm. However, it is important that staff are aware of this essential information from the start date of children. This posed a risk of safety. 4. One of the 30 garda vetting disclosures reviewed was not dated within the 3 years in adherence with early years inspectorate regulatory notice requiring services to renew staff garda vetting every 3 years. It is acknowledged that this garda vetting was applied for on 7 January 2026. However, documentary evidence showed this staff members garda vetting was three months out of date which posed a safeguarding risk. Fire Safety: 5. The service did not ensure safe evacuation routes in two rooms during sleep time. Evidenced by the following. o In the cot room used by the Wobbler 1 and Wobbler 2 children where 8 children aged between 1-2 years were observed to be sleeping. Movement around the room was hindered as cots were positioned less than 50 cm apart. Additionally, the emergency exit route through Wobbler 2 room which is used as the evacuation route for the cot room was obstructed by various play items. Outside, a sensory table was positioned in the area in front of a gate which leads to the fire assembly point. o In the Toddler 2 room there were 21 children aged between 2 ½ to 3 years on sleep mats which were not positioned 50 cm apart. Additionally, two of the sleep mats were positioned in front of the emergency exit door. Similar non-compliances were observed on the previous inspections which showed that the preventive actions provided by the registered provider has not been sustained. Cots and sleep mats need to be positioned 50cm apart to ensure staff have clear space to move around the room. Additionally, emergency exists, walkways and exit routes need to be kept clear to ensure the safe evacuation of children and staff in the event of an emergency. An immediate action notice was issued on site, and a response was received by the general manager on 9 January 2026 which mitigated these risks. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. A child safety gate was installed within two hours to prevent children accessing the kitchen area and to mitigate the identified risk. The service confirms that this gate will remain securely closed at all times to ensure children cannot access the kitchen. Management will continue to monitor this control measure to ensure ongoing child safety and compliance. 2. The matter was addressed immediately during the inspection, and the safety lock was secured on the cleaning storage door without delay. All cleaning agents are stored at a height inaccessible to children, and clear procedures have been reinforced with staff to ensure the storage area remains locked at all times. Local Management will conduct regular checks to ensure continued compliance and to eliminate any potential risk to children. 3. The two children in question had only attended the facility for 2 full days prior to the inspection. The manager had introduced the children to the staff and had full details of the children in her possession. The information had not been uploaded to the electronic system in place as of the date of the inspection, this was as a result of a system error. Local Management will oversee all new registrations to ensure that staff are fully informed of essential information from the child’s first day of attendance. Ongoing monitoring will be carried out to ensure consistent compliance and to safeguard children’s safety. 4. The garda vetting of the staff in question was applied for prior to the inspection. Since the inspection, the garda vetting has been obtained and place on the staff file. Management will continue to monitor all vetting renewal dates to ensure applications are submitted in advance of expiry and ongoing compliance is maintained. Fire Safety: 5. Two cots have been removed from the room thus allowing a minimum a 50 cm between each cot. The items obstructing the exit route have been removed and the area is now clear. In future, the children attending toddler room 1 & 2 will remain during sleep time in their own rooms and will not be combined together as was the case during the course of your visit. This will ensure that a space of a minimum of 50 cm is available between each sleep mat. No items will be allowed to obstruct exit routes going forward. Senior management recognises the importance of maintaining appropriate spacing to ensure children’s safety at all times. Enhanced governance and oversight measures have now been implemented to ensure this practice does not reoccur. Management will monitor sleep room arrangements on an ongoing basis to maintain full compliance with safe sleep guidance and regulatory requirements
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 19, 26, 28.