Inspection of 10 June 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (d) Police vetting was not available for 1 adult who had lived in a country other than Ireland as adults for a period of more than 6 months. (3) A review of available documentation demonstrated that the procedures specified in paragraph (2) were not carried out prior to 6 adults having access to children. • 5 adults had garda vetting disclosures dated after the persons start date. • 1 adult had references validated after their start date
Provider's corrective action:
- (2)(d) The adult is no longer present in the service. To ensure compliance and consistency, the service will require that all necessary documentation are in place before accepting any adults including work experience. This includes any police vetting that may be required, as is standard for all staff members joining the team. (3) While the service did delay the start dates for the staff members in question, they acknowledge that clear notes were not recorded in their files. One staff member’s second reference was validated after the start date due to difficulties contacting the referees. This was resolved once the service were able to speak directly with the staff member and confirm the correct contact information. To ensure compliance, the service have amended the new starter form to clearly show both the proposed start date and the actual start date. Additionally, to ensure that references are validated in a timely manner and to make process more transparent, the service have developed a new reference-checking form
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- Basic needs: 1. A child aged over 1 who was observed by a staff member to wake from their sleep remained in a cot room visibly and audibly upset for ten minutes following their sleep. It is acknowledged that when a different staff member entered the cot room, they lifted the upset child. Children’s transition from sleep should be responded to in an appropriate and timely manner to reduce potential upset and frustration. Physical and material environment: 2. The layout and limited availability of supporting resources in themed areas reduced children’s opportunity to engage in extended play opportunities for children in Toddler room 3 in building 2. • Areas of imaginative play such as the kitchen area, toy washing machine and work bench did not have sufficient supporting resources available for children to engage in meaningful play. • Books were stored in a closed woven basket and were not laid out in an inviting manner to encourage use. 3. In Toddler rooms 3 and 4 in building 2 chairs were stacked and unavailable to children outside of mealtimes. Chairs should be accessible throughout the day to support children engaging comfortably in tabletop activities
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. All staff have been retrained on service sleep policy. Any staff member covering the sleep rooms has been instructed that if a child is upset or not sleeping, the child must be attended to and lifted in a timely and appropriate manner. The management team will carry out regular spot checks in the sleep rooms and will discuss children's sleep routines during weekly team leader meetings. This will help ensure that all children are supported appropriately and in a timely manner. 2. Following the inspection, the management team and the team leader conducted a review of the toddler room 3. A new room layout was implemented, and additional toys were added to enhance the learning and play areas. The book storage was also reorganised to ensure that books are always accessible to the children. Management provides a toy inventory list to each room on a monthly basis. This allows the service to identify when new resources are needed and assess whether the room layout should be updated to reflect the children's evolving needs. 3. Immediately after the inspection the stacked chairs were unstacked and placed around the children’s tables. Staff were informed not to stack the chairs. The daily room risk assessment has been updated to ensure that all resources are accessible to children throughout the day
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. Chairs were stacked in groups of five in building 2 Toddler room 4 while children were present and playing in the room which posed a potential risk of injury. 2. In building 2 Toddler room 3 a cracked tray with a sharp edge used to store toys was accessible to children and posed a risk of injury. 3. The water temperature of the sink in the care room used for handwashing in building 2 baby room was 47℃ and posed a potential risk of injury. It is acknowledged that temperature reduced to 24℃ later in the day. 4. A nappy changing unit suitable for up to 12 months in building 1 was obserevd in use for children aged over the age two which posed a potential safety risk. Infection Control: 5. The nappy changing unit in building 1 had a foam mat with an additional charging mat placed on top. The bottom mat was observed torn with foam exposed this prevented effective cleaning and posed an infection control risk. 6. A leaking toilet and an extraction vent with a heavy layer of dust which caused a strong odour in sanitary area of building 1 posed an infection control risk. Safe Sleep: 7. A timely record of sleeping children was not maintained for two sleeping children under two years old. The sleep check recorded demonstrated checks had not been recorded for the children between 10.30- 11.00am. The practice and recording of comprehensive and timely physical sleep checks helps provide for children’s safety. 8. A child over two years old in building 1 was not provided with suitable facilities for sleep. Staff informed the inspector that a child who was observed asleep on sofa within a care room had been asleep for twenty-five minutes. This is not in line with service policy which advises children over two needing sleep will be provided with an individual sleep mat or child bed. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. Immediately after the inspection the chairs were unstacked and placed around the children’s tables. Staff were informed not to stack the chairs. Management have updated the daily room risk assessment to include the chairs. 2. Following the inspection the tray was removed. They have updated the daily risk assessment and the team leader’s daily risk assessment to include checks on the condition of all storage boxes, with removal when necessary. 3. The water temperature gauge in this room was adjusted to a lower setting, and the correct temperature has been maintained. The team leader for the building regularly checks the temperature to ensure it is maintained at the correct level. 4. The unit was removed, and a new unit was purchased. When purchasing new large equipment for the building, management will ensure it meets the appropriate age requirements. A new risk assessment form has been implemented to support this process. Infection Control: 5. The changing unit and mat have been replaced. Management have updated the daily risk assessment for the changing areas to ensure that changing mats are kept in good condition. 6. When the issue was highlighted by the inspector on the day, on-site maintenance staff promptly cleaned the extraction vent and repaired the leaking toilet. Management have added a section to the daily maintenance checklist to include checks of the toilets and ventilation fans. Safe Sleep: 7. All staff have been retrained on the sleep policy, and anyone covering the sleep rooms has been informed of the importance of completing the paperwork in a timely manner. The Management team will complete spot checks in the sleep rooms and paperwork so they can ensure that sleep checks are being maintained. 8. All staff have been retrained on the sleep policy and reminded that if a child falls asleep in the cozy area, the building team leader should be informed so that a bed can be provided for them. Management have added a spot check to the team leader’s daily risk assessment to identify if any child requires a bed
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 25, 26.