Inspection of 14 November 2024 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (4) Documentation was not available to demonstrate that one staff member who was observed working directly with children on the day of the inspection held at least a major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at Level 5 or above on the National Framework of Qualifications or a qualification deemed eligible by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs
Provider's corrective action:
- (4) Staff member has been removed from the morning preschool staff rota. Staff member will not be permitted to re-commence without the minimum level 5 childcare qualification on file. Summary Comment The registered provider submitted details of the corrective and preventative actions taken in the service to address the non-compliance. Based on this information the non-compliance under Regulation 9 has been addressed
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (i) There was no staff roster available. In addition, the arrival and departure record had been pre-populated for staff at 13:30 and 14:00 when the inspectors reviewed the records at 11:00hrs
Provider's corrective action:
- (i) A rota is now in located on the wall in the service. Rota will be distributed every Friday for display on the wall and for files
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- The following observations did not ensure that the children’s well-being and development were being supported in the service: Basic Needs: 1. There was no documentation available in the care room detailing important information on the care, supervision and strategies required for children who had additional care needs attending the service. This information should be readily available in order to provide and plan for children’s safe care and development
Provider's corrective action:
- s Basic Needs: 1. Children who require additional supports in the service now have their goals printed and placed on file. Evidence of supports used to reach these goals inclusive of supporting documentary evidence of meetings/correspondence with parents/primary care teams have also been filed. Communication books and files will be set up in September with progress and goals updated frequently. Room leaders will be supported in maintaining these files
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- The Inspectorate is not assured that adequate steps have been taken to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the pre-school children attending the service based on the following observations made during the inspection: Infection Control: 1. Inadequate handwashing practices were observed during the inspection as evidenced by the following: • A staff member did not wash their hands after changing a child following a toileting accident. In addition, this staff member did not wear gloves and was observed to return the child to the classroom which resulted in multiple opportunities to touch and contaminate surfaces. This staff member was also observed then to put the children’s food place mats on the table and on which the children’s snack was served directly. This is a cross-contamination risk. • Handwashing was not observed after the children returned from outdoor play. 2. No disposable aprons were available in accordance with the services nappy changing and toileting policy and as per best practice guidelines. General Safety: The following posed a potential risk of injury to the children: 3. An elevated ramp in the outdoor area does not have secure boundary, posing a potential fall risk for children who were observed playing on ride on equipment on the ramp. 4. There was no safety/impact surface present in the outdoor play area accessed by the pre-school children and which contained 2 pieces of climbing equipment e.g. a slide and an activity centre. 5. The playhouse in the outdoor area was observed to have serrated edges which could cause injury to a child
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective & Preventive Actions:SS Infection Control
- • All staff have completed training on correct hand washing and infection control. Signs have been placed over the sinks to serve as a reminder. • Handwashing on returning from outdoors has also been written into the routine as a reminder when training staff on the importance and effectiveness in infection control. Part of staff induction/supervision and staff meetings will include infection control protocol and best practice. 2. Disposable aprons are now available in the service. The use of disposable aprons will be monitored and ordered as required. General Safety: 3. The children will not be permitted to use the elevated ramp only the flat ground for the use of ride on cars. The registered provider will look into erecting a railing upon discussion with the school Board of Management. 4. The small outdoor play climbing frame was immediately removed. All safety instructions will be read prior to the equipment being used. 5. The broken window from the play house was removed. All outdoor equipment will be inspected thoroughly as per risk assessments which are carried out daily. All staff will be trained in effective risk management procedures
Regulation 29 — Premises
- (c) The sanitary facilities in the service were cold and the temperature was recorded at 15.6 0 C at 11:24. This is outside the required temperature range of 18-22 0 C to ensure the children’s safety and comfort
Provider's corrective action:
- (c) A meeting was conducted with the principal and registered provider regarding sanitary room temperature guidelines. The principal has ensured the registered provider that the timer will be adjusted and the heating kept on longer to ensure room meets required temperature standard. The room temperature in the bathroom will be monitored closely to ensure it maintains between 18 – 22 degrees and should it drop the principal will be contacted to rectify this issue immediately. Summary Comment The registered provider submitted details of the corrective and preventative actions taken in the service to address the non-compliance. Based on this information the non-compliance under Regulation 29 has been addressed. Implementation and sustainment of the corrective and preventive actions will be assessed at the next inspection
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 25.