Inspection of 18 February 2026 — Inspection Report
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. The outdoor area was not sufficiently maintained to prevent a possible injury. The inspector observed the following. • The edging of the safety surface was worn, and sections was exposed which created a trip risk. • A section of the safety surface had a dip, which could lead to a trip. This dip was located near a large wooden piece of play equipment. • The inspector was informed that the large swing had broken and whilst it had been repaired it was fraying again. • A piece of large climbing equipment was worn at the base and was unstable. 2. The outdoor area was not sufficiently maintained to prevent a possible risk of cross contamination. An area under the climbing frame had a dip in which water was pooling and was not draining. There were toys in this area and staff informed the inspector that children liked to play in this section. 3. The service did not demonstrate compliance with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice requiring services to renew Garda vetting every three years. Following a review of staff members employment in the service one staff member required an updated vetting disclosure
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective & Preventive Action General Safety: 1. The registered provider stated that the non-compliance was brought to the Board of Directors attention and discussed. The Finance sub-committee have approved the upgrade of the playground. Quotes are currently being obtained, and a tender process will be implemented. Work will be carried out as soon as possible. As a preventive action it was stated that once the playground is completed a scheduled annual maintenance and health and safety audit will be conducted of the playground. 2. The toys stored under the climbing frame have been removed and are now stored in the shed. Staff will monitor the area for pooling water and block off area at times that it is unsafe for children to play in. This monitoring has now been added to our daily risk assessment to remind staff to check the area. 3. The Garda Vetting for the staff member in question was submitted to the Inspectorate. This was an oversight and a Garda Vetting list will be maintained in a password protected file and checked regularly to ensure this doesn’t occur again
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 15, 21, 25, 27.