Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
General Safety: 1. The kitchen door though closed was not secured, this may give potential access to the children in the Swans room to the kitchen where hot ovens, cleaning agents and kitchen equipment was accessible. This poses a risk to the children who may get access to the kitchen. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
General Safety: 1. The door to the kitchen was immediately locked when identified it was unlocked. The staff were sent a reminder to ensure the kitchen door is closed and locked at all times
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 15, 16, 19, 21, 29.
Regulation 10 — Policies, procedures etc. of pre-school service
The following policy was assessed and did not contain the required information to guide the staff: 1. The healthy eating policy did not indicate how food was prepared and stored in the service. Not indicating how food is stored particularly food that is brought in from children’s homes may allow for this food not to be stored correctly and may cause illness in children
Provider's corrective action:
1. The healthy eating policy has been updated and will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is up to date
Regulation 15 — Record of pre-school child
(1) (f) The registered provider did not hold on file or have available to the staff the details of the information required to provide emergency assistance in the event three children required same. Three children were noted to being in potential need of emergency medication, which was available onsite, however a guide for staff on when to use this, e.g. the signs and symptoms for the child were not available to guide the staff should the need arise. Not having accurate plans in place may delay the administration of the emergency medication to the child that may require same
Provider's corrective action:
(1) (f) A detailed care plan has been put in place for all children that require same for medication administration in the service. These plans have been drafted between the setting and parents and are easily accessible to all staff working with the children should the need arise
Regulation 29 — Premises
(d) The service was not maintained as required. The skirting boards in the hallway where the children from the Swan room stored their coats and bags was missing and exposed an area between the wall and the ground that contained dirt and debris and was not easily cleaned
Provider's corrective action:
(d) The skirting boards have been replaced and the hallway cleaned, the registered provider has assured that all maintenance issues will be checked frequently and maintained as required
(1) (b) During the operation of the service on the day of inspection due to holiday leave the service did not have a named deputy person in charge on duty at all times. The deputy person in charge was rostered to work from 9.00-18.00, no person had been named to act as deputy between the opening time of the service and 9am. Not having a named person in charge of the service at all times may hinder appropriate action being taken in the event of leadership being required. (2) (d) Police vetting was required for two staff members who had lived in a country outside of Ireland for greater than six months. One vetting was available however had not been translated. The second police vetting was not on file. Not appropriately vetting staff prior to them starting in the service may allow unsuitable staff work with children
Provider's corrective action:
(1) (b) The roster has been updated to reflect a named deputy person in charge at all times for the service. Staff have been made aware of the managers for the service and the notice is now on display in one of the care rooms. (2) (d) Both police vetting decelerations have been completed and are translated. The file checklist has been updated to ensure the manager assess the need for police vetting for all staff prior to commencement
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
General Safety: 1. Six children were not signed in on their arrival and should a fire or other emergency occur these children may not be accounted for. The person in charge rectified this immediately once identified. Infection Control: 2. The white shelving unit near the kitchen door was missing some protective strips and this allowed for porous wood to be exposed, posing a risk of cross infection as it was not easily cleaned. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
General Safety: 1. The children were signed in immediately and the staff were issued in writing a reminder regarding signing in children on arrival to the service. Infection Control: 2. The sealant strip has been replaced on the shelving unit and the staff were requested to assess the classrooms daily and inform management should repairs be required
Regulation 25 — First aid
(1) The registered provider did not ensure that a person trained in First Aid Responder was immediately available to the children at all times. The roster indicated that for a period of time in the morning and again in the evening no staff member was available to the children with in-date first aid training. An immediate action notice was issued to the service on 09/07/2024 to mitigate the risk and ensure a staff member with first aid training was on duty at all times. A response was received from the registered provider on 09/07/2024 indicating that all staff would be FAR trained within the week and a copy of the roster indicating the FAR cover for the service until additional staff were trained was received
Provider's corrective action:
(1) All staff in the service have been FAR first aid trained. The registered provider has put a training list on the notice board to identify when training will expire for all staff to be aware of same
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 16, 19, 22, 26, 28.