Inspection of 17 April 2026 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- 1. There was no evidence of the validation of three written references available in respect of two adults reviewed from a past employer or from a source other than a past employer. 2. There was no written reference available in respect of one adult reviewed from a past employer or from a source other than a past employer. (3) There was no evidence to indicate that procedures in respect (2)(a)(b) were carried out by the registered provider prior to the employment of two out of eight staff present on day 1 of inspection
- 1. An induction training checklist was not in place to demonstrate that the service had provided any training to staff on the policies, procedures and statements of the service specified in Schedule 5 beyond the staff signing to indicate that they had read and understood the policies and procedures of the service. 2. The staff training policy in reference to induction training stated that the “length of induction is tailored” and the availability of “an individual training record”. There was no evidence to indicate the length or duration of the induction process tailored to individual staff members. An individual training record was not available for review for staff members
- 3. In respect of the staff files reviewed there was no evidence of training undertaken in t he Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 and Childcare Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2016
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. The Manager reviewed the matter and confirmed that employment verification has now been completed for the employees concerned. 2. Management made all reasonable efforts to obtain outstanding references for this employee. The employee is no longer working in the service. Going forward, no employee will be permitted to commence work or have access to children until all required recruitment and vetting documents have been received, checked, verified where applicable, and recorded on the staff file. This includes, but is not limited to, Garda Vetting, proof of qualifications, identity documentation, and two verified written references. As a prevention the service has created a new recruitment checklist and introduced a strict “no start without a complete file” control. The Manager will complete and sign a Pre-Hire Checklist before any new staff member starts work. This checklist will confirm that all required documentation is in place before employment commences. Also, we created an Employment Verification Form that will be sent to verify references. 3. A full audit of current staff files has also been completed to ensure that all possible corrections were made. In addition, the service has introduced a Pre-Hire Checklist to ensure that all required recruitment, vetting and reference documents are obtained, checked and recorded before an employee commences work. 9(7)(a) 1. The service has developed a comprehensive Induction Checklist for all new employees. The checklist is divided into clear categories to ensure that all required induction areas are covered in a structured and consistent way. Each task must be confirmed by both the employee and the employer, with signatures and the date of completion recorded. This ensures that there is clear evidence that each part of the induction has been completed and understood. The induction process is detailed and may take more than a few days to complete, depending on the employee’s role, responsibilities, and training needs. The Manager, or a designated person, will be responsible for completing the Induction Checklist for all newly hired employees and, where required, existing employees. The structured format of the checklist will allow Management to track the progress of each employee’s induction and monitor the length and completion of the overall induction process. Each section will be signed and dated by the relevant parties to provide clear evidence that the required induction tasks have been completed. 2. The service has created a comprehensive Induction Checklist, which will be completed with all employees. The length of the induction process may vary depending on each employee’s previous experience, country of education, role, and individual capabilities. The induction process will therefore be adjusted to meet the needs of each employee and to ensure that a ll required areas are properly covered and understood. As different employees may require different amounts of time to complete the induction process, the flexible wording in the policy regarding the length of induction reflects this approach. The structured format of the checklist will allow Management to track the progress of each employee’s induction and monitor the length and completion of the overall induction process. Each section will be signed and dated by the relevant parties to provid e clear evidence that the required induction tasks have been completed
- 3. The service developed a specific training session on the Child Care Act. This individual training applies now to all employees. Completion of this training has been added as a required part of the Induction Checklist. Both the training sheet and the relevant section of the Induction Checklist must be signed and dated by the employee and the Manager as evidence that the training has been completed and understood
Regulation 10 — Policies, procedures etc. of pre-school service
- The following policy was found not to be in keeping with the requirements of Regulation 10. 1. The Risk Management policy did not state how long the risk management records will be kept
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. The service has updated the Risk Management Policy by adding a table specifying the relevant retention periods for risk management records. This update provides clear guidance to Management and staff on how long these records must be retained and ensures consistency in record -keeping practices. The service has also reviewed the retention requirements set out in other relevant policies to ensure that they are aligned with applicable legal and regulatory requirements
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- Basic needs of children: 1. The staff members did not respond promptly to children displaying signs of sleep and put them in a cot for sleep as evidenced by the following observations: • A child was observed lying on the ground in the outdoor area with their eyes closed. The child was observed a little later lying across a swing seat. The Early Years Inspector requested that the child be provided with a cot for sleep. • A child was observed sleeping in a staff members arm with a soother and a comfort blanket. 2. There was no evidence of menu planning for the afternoon snack and evening meal for the children on a daily basis. 3. Milk was not offered to the children as a drink with meals. Physical and material environment: 4. In the Maple Tree room, a window blind was not in place on the single large, glazed panel window to support the regulation of the room light and temperature for the comfort of the children age 1- 2 years in attendance. 5. The physical and material environment in Cedar room was not constructively planned, considered or presented from a child’s perspective. The indoor environment did not have interesting play and learning spaces which provided developmentally appropriate, challenging, diverse, creative and enriching experiences that facilitated child led play. It is acknowledged that there was materials and resources present however they were on shelving out of reach of children or in protective covers / boxes. 6. The defined areas of interest were inadequately resourced and presented as evidenced by the following observations: • The home corner consisted of a wooden play kitchen unit placed against a wall on one side of an external door. There were five pieces of associative equipment on top of a resource unit on the other side of the external door, a buggy with a doll was located in another part of the room , there was no obvious dress up clothing, no real-life materials. The area was not an inviting space for the children to engage in child led play and limited their imaginative play. • The construction area consisted of a wooden unit against a wall . A wooden carry box and a toy drill were observed on the resource unit alongside the materials for the play kitchen. • There were five hardback books on the ground in the reading area some of which were ripped apart. • There was no sensorial area provided. Sensorial materials such as sand, water, shredded paper, rice/ pasta/ lentils mix were not available. A selection of coloured p laydough was observed in small containers stored on a shelf in a resource unit. • There was no evidence of natural, real life or open-ended materials available to the children for self-directed imaginative play opportunities 7. There was no evidence that a programme of activities had been developed by the staff members in Cedar room to support the children ’s learning and development . The transition following snack and after the children returned from outdoor play lacked planning and preparedness to ensure that the children were continuously engaged in their play . Activities were adult led and the children were managed as a group rather than play choices offered. Children were observed wandering , sometimes running around the room aimlessly, climbing on tables, two children were observed writing on the walls with colouring pencils. Some children interacted with the Early Years Inspector. This was a non-compliance following inspection conducted on 26 January 2026. The corrective action submitted by the registered provider following the inspection failed to prevent recurrence of this non-compliance
Provider's corrective action:
- Basic needs of children: 1. All staff members have been reminded of the importance of meeting each child’s individual sleep and rest needs and utilize our big sleep room. At the time of the inspection, the service was in the process of implementing a revised sleep routine. There were also a number of new children attending the service, each with different sleep needs. Since then, the new sleep routine has been successfully implemented and allows staff to better respond to the individual sleep and rest requirements of each child. Management has also reinforced that parents’ individual requests regarding sleep and rest should be considered and accommodated where appropriate . In addition, the main sleep room has been rearranged, and the new classrooms have been adjusted so that they can also be used appropriately during sleep and rest times. These changes will support a more flexible approach and help ensure that children’s individual sleep and rest needs are consistently met. 2. The service has created a weekly menu that clearly includes both the afternoon snack and the evening meal. The weekly menu is kept available in the Creche at all times. The service also ensures that sufficient food supplies are maintained on site to meet the children’s needs for the full week, in line with the weekly menu. 3. Children who can have milk are offered milk on a daily basis, particularly at breakfast time. All Educators have been informed that milk should be offered to children with all meals, where appropriate and in line with each child’s dietary requirements, allergies, and parental preferences. Physical and material environment: 4. The roller blinds were installed in the Maple and Cedar room. 5. We acknowledge that the organisation of this room required significant improvement at the time of the inspection. Some resources and toys were not being made sufficiently accessible to the children, which limited the quality of the learning environment and children’s opportunities for independent play and exploration. Since the inspection, the service has taken a number of corrective actions to improve the room environment. Additional toys, materials and learning resources have been purchased from a range of providers, with a significant investment made to support the d evelopment of the room. As a result, the classroom is now more inviting, better organised, and more suitable for supporting children’s play, learning and development. Roller blinds have also been installed in the room to improve the environment and support children’s comfort throughout the day. We also bought more play dough and sensory items like lava tiles. All Educators have been informed that children must have appropriate access to toys, resources and learning materials, and that these items should not be hidden or stored away from the children unless there is a specific safety reason. The service has also requested support from an external agency to support quality development. These measures will help ensure that the classroom remains well resourced, inviting, and appropriately organised for the children. 6. The service supported the Educator in reorganising the areas of interest within the room to make the learning environment more inviting, accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children. The following improvements have been made: • The home corner has been relocated to a more suitable area of the room and additional resources have been added to support imaginative and role-play activities. • A full-size dress-up area has been created and fully equipped with appropriate materials. • Real-life materials are now available in clearly accessible containers within the room. • The different areas of interest have been more clearly separated, making the room easier for children to navigate and encouraging more focused play. • The construction area has been placed separately and has been equipped with a wider range of new toys and resources, including interactive toys. • Additional books, including interactive books, have been added to the room to support language development and early literacy. • Natural materials have also been introduced to support sensory exploration and open-ended play. 7. The service has always supported Educators in obtaining materials and resources needed to arrange their classrooms effectively. However, we recognise that encouraging Educators to plan and provide interesting activities may not always be sufficient, and that external guidance may be required in some circumstances. For this reason, the service has sought external support from the County Childcare Committee and a quality improvement organisation. The newly appointed Educator has also created a programme of interesting and age-appropriate activities for the children. During April and May, the main topics included well-known painters and different artistic styles, including painting with geometric figures and creating portraits inspired by fruit and vegetables. Following the implementation of the above changes, children are now more actively engaged in meaningful play and planned activities
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. Visibility strips were not in place on the glazed panels throughout the premises for young children to recognise glass. It is acknowledged that the registered provider took a temporary corrective action when the hazard was brought to their attention by the Early Years Inspector. 2. In Cedar room, eight children age 1-3 years were unable to place their feet on the ground for stability as the chairs they were sitting on were the wrong height for them to sit on safely. This created a risk of injury to a child if they were to fall off a chair. 3. In the Maple Tree room where five children age 1 - 2 years were in attendance it was observed that the highchairs in use did not offer a sufficient base of support to the children as footrests were not in place on the highchairs. 4. In Cedar room, a child was observed to have uncut grapes and olives for their snack. Th e staff members took corrective action when requested by the Early Years Inspector. 5. A roll of plastic bags was placed on the radiator in the sanitary area in Cedar room and accessible to a pre-school child. Infection Control: 6. A step-by-step nappy changing procedure was not displayed in the nappy changing areas to aid staff with the hygienic changing of children’s nappies. 7. The nappy changing practice observed was inadequate for infection control purposes: • Staff did not wash their hands before nappy changing. • As there was no area or space provided soiled nappies placed in disposable nappy bags were placed into the wash hand basin. • The children were redressed by the staff wearing the gloves used for nappy changing. 8. The surface cleaner used to clean down the nappy changing mat after use was not used as per the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure appropriate infection control measures. 9. Paper towel rolls were not placed in dispensers for hygienic dispensing for infection control purposes in the Birch, Cedar and Maple Tree rooms. 10. Sanitary accommodation was used for storage as evidenced by the following observations and posed a potential risk of cross contamination: • Paint brushes and trays were observed in one of the wash hand basins in the sanitary accommodation shared between Birch and Maple tree rooms • Play equipment and children’s clothing was stored in the sanitary accommodation in Cedar room. Administration of Medication: 11. Emergency medication for a named child was stored in a refrigerator contrary to the directions for storage detailed on the medicine. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. Visibility strips have now been installed on the high -level windows in the classrooms to improve visibility and reduce the risk of accidental collisions, thereby supporting children’s safety within the service. Going forward, all high-level windows will have visibility strips installed at children’s eye level. 2. The service has ensured that the Cedar Room is equipped with both lower-level and higher-level chairs, so that seating can be selected according to each child’s height and individual needs. All Educators have been instructed to select and use chairs according to each child’s height, to ensure that children are seated safely and comfortably, with their feet able to touch the floor where appropriate. 3. In the Maple Tree Room and other rooms attended by children aged 1–2 years, the legs of the highchairs have been shortened to ensure that children can touch the floor with their feet while seated. This supports safer and more comfortable seating during mealtimes and activities. In addition, further highchairs have been purchased so that the service has sufficient seating available, including spare chairs where needed. In the rooms for children 1-2 years only highchairs with short legs will be used. 4. All Educators have been reminded of the requirement to check children’s snack boxes to ensure that pieces of fruit and other food items are cut to an appropriate size and do not present a choking risk. The service has ensured that all Educators are aware of the requirement to check children’s snack boxes and monitor the size of fruit pieces and other food items to reduce any choking risk. Parents have also been reminded of the importance of cutting fruit and other food items into appropriate sizes before sending them into the Creche. 5. The service has ensured that all Educators are aware of the risk that a roll of plastic bags, or similar items, can pose to children. Educators have been reminded that such items must be kept out of children’s reach at all times and stored safely to reduce any potential risk. All Educators and the Manager have been reminded to remain vigilant during daily risk assessment and to regularly check the rooms and areas used by children for any items that may pose a risk, including plastic bags or similar materials. Any such items must be removed immediately and stored safely out of children’s reach. Infection Control: 6. The service has developed a visual nappy changing procedure , which is now displayed beside each nappy changing unit. This provides clear and consistent guidance for staff and supports good hygiene practice during nappy changing routines. 7. The manager made sure that all employees are aware of the proper procedure of changing nappies. During the next team meeting, the service will provide a refresher session for all employees on the nappy changing procedure to ensure that the process is understood and followed consistently. In addition, nappy changing training has now been included as a required part of the Induction Checklist for all new employees. This will ensure that all staff receive clear guidance on the correct procedure before carrying out nappy changing duties. 8. The manager made sure that the proper surface cleaner is used in nappy changing procedure and informed educators of a proper use. Only proper surface cleaners will be used and according to their purpose. 9. Blue rolls dispensers were installed beside every nappy changing unit. Management is now aware that blue roll should not be left loose or unsecured in the nappy changing area. Going forward, blue roll will only be used from an appropriate dispenser to ensure it is stored and accessed safely during the nappy changing procedure. 10. The service has ensured that all Educators are aware of the risks associated with leaving items in hand wash basins or in other parts of sanitary areas . Educators have been reminded that hand wash basins must remain clear and accessible at all times to support proper hand hygiene and to reduce any potential health and safety risks. Administration of Medication: 11. The Manager has confirmed that this particular medication is now stored outside the fridge, in line with its storage requirements. Educators who have access to the kitchen have been informed of the correct storage requirements for this medication and have been reminded to ensure that medication is stored in line with its individual instructions at all times
Regulation 26 — Fire safety measures
- (1) (a) Fire drills were not undertaken on a monthly basis. Records indicated that a fire drill was undertaken on the 14/04/2026. Fire drills must be undertaken on a monthly basis to familiarise children with the routine of existing the building in the event of an emergency occurring
Provider's corrective action:
- (1)(a) The service identified that fire drills had not been carried out during the January –March period. We acknowledge that this was identified later than it should have been and that fire drills must be completed regularly in line with the service’s fire safety procedures. Since this was identified, two fire drills have been carried out. The service treats fire drills and evacuation practice very seriously, and Management has reviewed practical arrangements to improve the effectiveness and speed o f evacuation. As part of this review, the service tested different evacuation methods and purchased special evacuation carts for children aged 1 –2 years. These have proven to be more effective than using cots on wheels and have helped to improve the evacuation process f or younger children. Fire drills are now scheduled in the service calendar for approximately the middle of each month
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 15, 16, 27, 33.