The registered providers did not take appropriate measures to ensure that all adults were suitable to work in an early years service prior to their commencement as follows. Police vetting available for one adult was dated after the adult commenced employment. The adult commenced employment on 11 February 2026 and police vetting was obtained on 16 February 2026
Provider's corrective action:
Our Recruitment Policy and Procedure is that once the HR has received all of the new staff members files they will upload them to Tots portal and will report this to the Compliance manager to check the staff members file is fully compliant. This did not happen and the notification was sent straight to the service manager. The service Manager downloaded the staff’s file. Ticking off the items and missed out on the criminal clearance. There were a number of factors that went wrong here and we have communicated this throughout the H.R. department, the service managers and Area Managers. This policy outlines the steps in which to follow so we are compliant in our Recruitment, Staff files and Induction Training paperwork. The service manager has been given further training surrounding staff file processing and will now report to her area manager before starting a staff member in future
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
Infection Control: 1. Some nappy changing practices observed during the inspection were inadequate for infection control purposes and at variance with the service’s nappy changing procedure. Staff were observed redressing the children and cleaning the changing mat while wearing the same gloves used for nappy changing. Safe Sleep: 2. It is acknowledged that sleep plans for seven children attending the Wobble room who sleep on suitable floor beds had been completed by parents. However, these plans had not been completed and finalised by the service. There was no requirement in the safe sleep policy available to complete sleep plans and risk assessments for children which is at variance with current Tusla guidelines on safe sleep. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
Infection Control: 1. Training in our nappy change policy and spot checks have been carried out to show staff are compliant with following the procedure listed in our nappy changing policy. Staff training and regular spot checks whilst staff carry out nappy changing will be observed and documented going forward. Safe Sleep: 2. All sleep plans have been completed by the service and signed off as appropriate. The safe sleep policy has been updated and read by all staff and management and adherence to policy will be spot checked regularly by the service manager and area managers when they carry out pre-Tusla inspections in the services. There are now 4 area managers working in the company and each area manager has been assigned her own buildings to carry out pre-Tusla inspections on and support each service. This will entail a much more vigilant team making sure sleep plans and adherence to policy via spot checks in practice will be carried out much more regularly. This support will highlight areas of training and support in services that is required reduce the non-compliances
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 16, 19, 25.
Inspection of 30 September 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
1. The registered providers did not ensure that suitable care practices were in place for all children in the service. Provisions for children’s sleep requirements were observed to be service led rather than child led in the Wobble room. The designated nap time in the room did not meet the needs of all children attending and children were not provided with the opportunity to sleep when they displayed signs of tiredness contrary to the service policy on safe sleep. The inspector observed that three children in the Wobble room who were displaying signs of tiredness including yawning were not placed to sleep in a timely manner. One of these children was observed to be falling asleep in their highchair while eating their dinner. The child was observed to fall asleep in their highchair following their meal before being placed to bed by a member of staff. The other two children were placed to sleep 1 hour and 1 hour and 43 minutes respectively after they were first observed displaying signs of tiredness. Although the adults acknowledged that the children were tired, they were not placed to sleep until the designated nap time after dinner. The sleep practices observed during the inspection do not meet the basic care needs of children and are not in line with suitable child centred care practices
Provider's corrective action:
Implementation of Individual Sleep Routines: Each child’s individual sleep requirements have been discussed with parents and recorded in their care plans. Staff will now follow child-led routines, ensuring that children who show signs of tiredness are placed to rest or sleep promptly. Staff Training: All staff in the Wobble Room have completed refresher training on the service’s Safe Sleep Policy and child-led practice. Training focused on recognising signs of tiredness and responding appropriately in line with the child’s needs. Sleep Environment Review: The sleep area has been reorganised to ensure beds/cots are always available and accessible throughout the day to support flexible, child-led rest times. Immediate Oversight: The Room Leader now monitors daily sleep logs to confirm that children’s cues are acted upon. The Person in Charge will complete weekly checks to ensure compliance. Ongoing Staff Supervision and Review: Sleep routines and practices will be a standing agenda item at monthly team meetings and individual staff supervision sessions to reinforce consistent implementation. Parental Collaboration: Parents will be consulted regularly regarding their child’s current sleep patterns at home, and care plans will be updated to reflect any changes. Continuous Quality Monitoring: The Person in Charge will include sleep practices in the service’s internal audits and annual self- assessment to ensure continued compliance and best practice
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
Infection Control: 1. Some handwashing practices observed were inconsistent and at variance with the policy in place in the service posing a risk of the transmission of infection as follows. - While it is acknowledged that children’s noses were cleaned promptly, staff were observed to clean a child’s nose on two occasions and did not wash their hands following this, posing a risk of the transmission of infection. - A child’s hands were not washed following nappy changing. The child was observed lifting the lid of the bin in the changing area before being brought back to the care room. 2. Two of the six cot mattresses in the cot room did not have a waterproof cover posing a risk of the spread of infection as they could not be adequately cleaned and disinfected. 3. The changing mat used by the Toddler room was observed to be torn posing a risk of the spread of infection as it could not be adequately cleaned and disinfected. Safe Sleep: 4. Procedures and practices in place in relation to safe sleep were inadequate and contrary to the service policy on safe sleep posing a potential risk to the health and safety of children as follows. - Sleep checks were not carried out every 10 minutes in the cot room contrary to the service’s policy on safe sleep. Between 12:53 and 13:14 no sleep check was carried out on the 5 children who were sleeping in the cot room. - Sleep checks for children sleeping in the cot room during this period were recorded retrospectively. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
Infection Control: 1. Staff Practice Correction: All staff have been reminded of the Infection Control and Hand Hygiene Policy, with emphasis on mandatory handwashing: After assisting a child with nose wiping. After nappy changing. Before and after contact with bodily fluids or contaminated materials. Immediate verbal feedback was provided to the staff members observed during inspection. Policy Reinforcement: The Infection Control and Hand Hygiene Policy has been reviewed and reissued to all staff. Each staff member has signed to confirm understanding and commitment to adhere to the procedures. Hand Hygiene Refresher Training: All staff have completed a refresher training session on Hand Hygiene and Infection Control Procedures (delivered on 30th September 2025]). Demonstrations and visual posters on the correct handwashing procedure (following HSE guidance) have been placed at each sink area. Ongoing Monitoring: The Room Leader will complete a daily hygiene and handwashing observation checklist. The Person in Charge will conduct weekly spot checks to ensure compliance with hand hygiene and infection control practices. Staff Supervision & Continuous Training: Infection control practices will be discussed at monthly staff meetings and included in supervision sessions. Annual refresher training on Infection Prevention and Control will be provided for all staff. 2. Mattress Replacement: The two cot mattresses without waterproof covers were replaced with new, wipeable, waterproof mattresses on. All cots were inspected to ensure that covers are intact, clean, and fit for purpose. Environment and Equipment Maintenance: A monthly equipment audit will be conducted to ensure that all cots, mattresses, and changing materials remain in good hygienic condition and are replaced when required. Environmental Cleaning Review: The sleep and changing areas have been audited to confirm that all surfaces and materials are easy to clean and disinfect. 3. The torn changing mat was immediately removed from use and replaced with a new, undamaged mat that can be properly cleaned and disinfected. Staff have been reminded to conduct daily inspections of all changing mats and equipment to ensure they are intact and safe for use. Safe Sleep: 4. Staff were immediately reminded of the service’s safe sleep policy and the requirement to perform and record sleep checks every 10 minutes. Sleep checks for all children in the cot room were monitored closely to ensure compliance. Ongoing training and reminders for all staff on safe sleep procedures have been reinforced. An alarm has been set up to ensure that sleep checks are conducted on time and recorded accurately. Management will conduct regular audits of sleep check records to ensure compliance with the policy
Regulation 25 — First aid
A person trained in First Aid Responder (FAR) was not available to the children at all times. The staff roster evidenced that there was no person available to the children with the required FAR training between 07:00 and 08:00 on the day of inspection. This posed a risk to the care, safety and welfare of children in the event of an emergency
Provider's corrective action:
The staff roster was immediately adjusted to ensure that a FAR-trained staff member is present at all times. We now have four FAR-trained staff members on site, providing increased flexibility and ensuring continuous coverage throughout operating hours
(d) Police vetting certificates were outstanding for four staff members who lived in a state other than the State for a period of longer than 6 consecutive months
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action The outstanding police vetting certificates for the four staff members have now been obtained and are on file. Preventive Action Ensure that all future staff members complete police vetting for any state in which they have resided for more than six consecutive months before starting work. This will be achieved by reinforcing our recruitment policy, vetting policy with the HR team, clearly communicating the requirement for police certificates from all relevant states and providing detailed guidelines for managing the process effectively
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
Fire Safety: Twenty-one children were present in the pre-school room located on the first floor of the premises. A review of the attendance record indicated twenty-two children were present the previous day and on various dates throughout September and October 2024 there were up to twenty-one children present. The number of children being accommodated on the first floor on the day of inspection was contrary to the fire safety certificate issued to the service stating, 'No more than 20 children (who are not sleeping) shall be accommodated at first floor level of the building'. Action submitted by the Registered Provider Corrective Action Two children have been relocated from the preschool room on the first floor to the preschool rooms on the ground floor to ensure compliance with the fire safety regulations. This adjustment reduces the number of children on the first floor to no more than 20, as stipulated in the certificate. Attendance records have been reviewed to confirm that no further breaches have occurred and that the current numbers align with the fire safety requirements. Preventive Action A daily monitoring system will be implemented to ensure that the number of children on the first floor remains within the limit outlined in the fire safety regulations and room numbers; this will involve checking the attendance books and inspecting the preschool room on the first floor each day. Supporting documentation submitted Document X 1 Summary Comment Following review of the written response and supporting documentation, the requirement for Regulation 23-Fire Safety, has been met