Inspection of 19 December 2025 — Inspection Report
Immediate action notice. Two Immediate Action Notices - Issued 8 December 2025
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (1)(a) On 19 December 2025, there was no named person to deputise as required. (b) On 8 December 2025, the designated person in charge was not on the premises between 12.05 – 12.40pm. (2)(a) & (b) 1. One adult who was on the premises on 8 December 2025 did not have any references from either a past employer or a source other than a past employer. 2. One of the seven validated references which was available, was not from the staff members most recent past employer. 3. Two further references were not accepted as neither reference was from a past employer or a source other than a past employer. (c) Garda vetting was not available for one staff member. An Immediate Action Notice was issued to the registered provider on 8 December 2025. It is acknowledged the service responded to this concern on 9 December 2025. The response was found to be adequate. (d) The requirement for police vetting could not be determined for two staff as they had either an incomplete or no curriculum vitae. (3) No documentation was available to review for one adult. Documentation was reviewed for a second adult, evidenced that the procedures specified above under 9(2) had not been carried out for this adult prior to commencing employment in the service. (4) One adult who was ready to work directly with the children on the day of inspection, did not have a major award in Early childhood Care and Education at Level 5 on the National Qualifications Framework or a qualification deemed by the Minister to be equivalent qualification
Provider's corrective action:
- (1) (a) The service has reviewed and implemented their staffing absences policy, to ensue this will not happen again, this will strictly be adhered to going forward. The service has issued all staff with the newly revised updated “staff absences policy” reminding them of the importance of this policy in relation to staff absences and emphasised that it must be strictly adhered to going forward, if not, then disciplinary measures may be implemented against them
- As per the services newly revised staff absences policy, new instructions have been issued within this policy whereby any domestic duties such as banking for the creche, shopping for consumables for the creche etc, will be done before work or after work from now on. (2) (a&b) 1. This person is no longer employed by the service for cover work and will not be used in any event going forward. 2. The service has obtained a new reference for this person. The service has revised their recruitment policy to ensure this will not happen again. 3. The service has obtained two new references for this employee. The service has revised their recruitment policy to ensure that the obtaining of a reference must be from a past employer or a source other than a past employer. (c) The service will no longer employ this person for cover work, and they will not be called upon in the future to cover any shifts. If there are no fully vetted and qualified persons available to work in the service, parents will be informed that the adult child ratio cannot be maintained and a sign will be put on the counter to say this. (d) The service obtained an up-to-date curriculum vitae for one staff member and police clearance for the second staff member. As per the newly revised recruitment policy, the service has implemented stricter rules and guidelines in this policy on having up to date curriculum vitae’s always on file and police clearance printed off and on file
- The service has decided to no longer use this cover person any longer with immediate effect. Regarding the second adult and garda vetting, the service has reviewed and updated their recruitment policy to ensure this does not happen again
- The service will no longer employ this person for cover work, and they will not be called upon in the future to cover any shifts. If there are no qualified and fully vetted staff members available to work in the service, the service will not open and parents will be informed that the adult child ratios cannot be maintained. A sign will be put up on the counter in the service
Regulation 11 — Staffing levels
- (8)(a) On 8 December 2025, two adults were not on the premises between 12.05pm – 12.40pm. One adult was present in the service when the inspector arrived at 12.05pm, a second adult arrived at 12.40pm (8) (a) On 19 December 2025, two adults were not on the premises during the inspection. One adult was present in the service when the inspector arrived at 11.05 am. The person in charge confirmed they had contacted another staff member at 11am to come in to work in the service. At approximately 2pm the person in charge advised the service will be closing for the reminder of the day as no additional staff arrived in the service
Provider's corrective action:
- The service has revised their staff absences policy to always ensure two staff are always on and have stressed the importance that it is strictly adhered to, the service has also put in new guidelines and actual times (am/pm) that staff must notify the service of any absence, to enable to better respond and get adequate cover in time
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (i) On 8 December 2025, the staff roster did not accurately reflect who was present on the day of inspection. On 19 December 2025, the staff roster did not accurately reflect who was present on the day of inspection. The person in charge was informed at the closing meeting on 8 December 2025 about the importance of the staff roster accurately reflecting the details of the staff on a daily basis. This was a non-compliance on the last inspection dated 14 February 2024, despite assurances from the registered provider during the corrective action and preventative action process
Provider's corrective action:
- The service have implemented a review of their staff absences policy, whereby the roster, which is up on the designated wall area, will reflect who is working on the premises in “real time
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: On 8 December 2025, two Immediate Action Notices were issued to the person in charge. 1. One adult posed an immediate safety risk to the children as they were available to work in the service but were not Garda vetted. 2. No adult on the premises had in date first aid training or was trained as a First Aid Responder- see Regulation 25 First Aid. The service responded to these concerns on 15 December 2025, the response was found to be adequate. On 19 December 2025, an Immediate Action Notice was issued to the person in charge. 3. One child exited the service unsupervised at approximately 1.25 pm through the fire escape route at the rear of the service. The fire escape doors were closed; however, no alarm activated when the door was opened. The person in charge followed procedures and the child was found safe and well at approximately 1.40pm. A RCM was held on 22 December 2025, to discuss the significant risk to children identified on the inspection. The response was found to be adequate. Infection Control: The following equipment was damaged and unable to be cleaned effectively for infection control purposes: 1. A child size table and a toy wooden kitchen were chipped in places. 2. Three large floor mats were ripped on each of the four corners. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. This person will no longer be called upon for cover work, and no person will be allowed to cover unless we as a company have strictly adhered to the staff recruitment policy. 2. One person completed a FAR Training course. The service will ensure that all staff have first aid training before they start work as per our revised Staff Recruitment policy and the service will continually monitor the dates of such certs for all staff new and old, so that they are always kept up to date and in date, always. On 22 December 2025. 3. A RCM was held to discuss the significant risk to children identified on the inspection. The corrective action and preventative actions provided by the service were found to address the risk identified. Infection Control: 1. These items of toys have now been removed from the creche. The service will endeavour to be more vigilant and will check more often for frayed or chipped toys. 2. The service ordered new mats and will remove the current mats that were frayed as soon as the other mats have been delivered in the coming days
Regulation 25 — First aid
- (1) An Immediate Action Notice was sent to the registered provider on 8 December 2025, as on the day of inspection, there were no adults on the premises trained in first aid for children. It is acknowledged the service responded to these concerns on 9 December 2025; however, the response was found to be inadequate. Two further opportunities were afforded to the service on 10 December and 15 December 2025. The response on 15 December 2025 was found to be adequate. This was a non-compliance on 14 February 2024, despite assurances from the registered provider during the corrective action and preventative action process
Provider's corrective action:
- One staff member completed a FAR first aid responder course. The service will ensure that all staff have first aid training before they start work as per the revised staff recruitment policy and the service will continually monitor the dates of such certs for all staff new and old, so that they are always kept up to date and in date, always
Regulation 26 — Fire safety measures
- (b) There was no annual record to show that the fire alarms had been serviced. This was a non-compliance on 14 February 2024, despite assurances from the registered provider during the corrective action and preventative action process
Provider's corrective action:
- The service obtained the annual fire alarms serving report from the shopping centre management. The service have put the next date due for the fire alarms servicing in their diary and will ask the shopping centre management on an annual basis that they give a copy of the servicing records for their records, so they are available always for inspection by the Fire Safety Officer or Tusla
Found compliant: Regulation 13, 19.