Inspection of 11 June 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (4) Nine of the adults did not hold a relevant childcare qualification or a qualification deemed to be equivalent. A qualification recognition letter had not been sought for any of the adults. A number of adults held third level degrees in other disciplines and were registered with the Teaching Council
Provider's corrective action:
- The registered provider submitted the following response: Corrective and Preventive Action The service try to employ staff with an Early Years background but they also need to comply with the Department of Education requirements of holding a Teaching Council Number. Unfortunately, those with an Early Years qualification can only hold a temporary Teaching Council Number as the Teaching Council do not recognise their degree as a relevant teaching qualification. This makes it difficult to recruit staff into the sector and encourage them to stay. While the service do currently have two staff with the relevant qualifications so that one is in each class to meet the 1:6 ratio required by TUSLA, the service recently had a staff member leave with the relevant early years qualification. The service will continue to try and employ staff with a background in Early Years that will qualify for a temp Teaching Council Number. The sector as a collective are trying to enter into discussions with the Teaching Council about a new and specific route for those with Early Years qualifications to hold a Teaching Council number while they are employed in the service’s specific area
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 15, 19, 23, 24.