Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
Infection Control: 1. The services nappy changing policy was observed not to be implemented as evidenced by the following: • In the sanitary area that was used for the children attending the Baby/ Wobbler room to have their nappies’ changed staff were observed to use a non-pedal operated sanogenic bin to dispose of nappies. This is an infection control risk as all nappies must be disposed of using a lidded pedal operated bin. • The inspector observed that 3 children were not assisted to wash their hands after nappy changing in the Toddler room, furthermore staff members did not always wash their hands between changing children’s nappies. • The nappy changing mat was not cleaned using disinfectant in between nappy changing of 3 children. 2. The seat that was available and used in the Baby/ Wobbler room was heavily stained and posed an infection control risk. Action submitted by the Registered Provider Corrective Action Infection Control:
• A lidded, pedal-operated bin was immediately sourced and placed in the nappy changing area of the Baby/Wobbler room to ensure hygiene, hands-free disposal of nappies and to support effective infection control practices. • The Toddler room staff were immediately reminded of the hand hygiene procedure during nappy changing routines. Children are now consistently assisted to wash their hands after each nappy change, and staff members are required to wash and sanitise their hands between every nappy change in line with infection control procedures. Staff are reminded that visual guidance for the nappy changing procedure is displayed in the changing area to support consistent hygiene practices. • All the staff members in the baby and Toddler room were immediately reminded that the nappy changing mat must be cleaned and disinfected after every individual nappy change in line with the service’s Infection Control Policy. Staff are reminded that visual guidance for the nappy changing procedure is displayed in the changing area to support consistent hygiene practices. 2. The seating in the baby room was immediately cleaned and sanitised, and a regular cleaning schedule has been reinforced to ensure all seating is cleaned daily and deep cleaned weekly. Preventive Action
• Staff were reminded of infection control procedures and the correct disposal methods during nappy changing routines. The Infection Control Policy was reviewed with all staff members to reinforce best practice and ongoing compliance. • The Infection Control Policy and nappy changing procedures were reviewed with all staff members in the Toddler room. Room leaders and management will carry out regular monitoring and spot checks to ensure compliance with hand hygiene practices and to support ongoing good practice within the Toddler room. • A disinfectant spray and cleaning materials are now maintained beside the changing area to ensure easy access and consistent practice. The nappy changing procedure was reviewed with all staff members, and regular monitoring and spot checks will be carried out by management and room leaders to ensure full compliance with hygiene and infection control procedures. 2 The Manager and Assistant Manager will continue to carry out daily room checks to monitor cleanliness standards and reduce any infection control risks. Staff have also been reminded of infection control procedures and cleaning responsibilities. Supporting documentation submitted Photographic evidence that staff have been updated on the infection control policy. Summary Comment The inspectors have reviewed the actions and evidence submitted. The noncompliance identified under regulation 23 - Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child has been adequately addressed
Regulation 26 — Fire safety measures
(b) A record was not kept of the number, type and maintenance of the smoke alarms in the premises
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action (b) The service smoke alarm report submitted. Preventive Action (b) On a yearly basis, the Manager and Assistant Manager will check and verify that smoke alarm reports are available on site for inspections and for record-keeping purposes
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 19, 24.
Inspection of 11 February 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
Basic needs: 1. In the Baby room the children’s water bottles were stored in a container on a high shelf both out of sight and reach of the children, this did not facilitate the children in asking for or gesturing that they wanted a drink of water throughout the day. Physical and material environment: 2. There were no supporting play materials available for the play kitchen or the construction bench that were available in the outdoor play area to enable the children to extend their play. 3. The family wall that was on display in both the Tweenie room and the Toddler room was positioned at too high a level for the children to view this does not enable the children to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness in the service and to maintain links with family and home. Programme of Activities and its Implementation: 4. The inspectors were informed that an individualised care plan had not been developed for a child who may at times require additional support from staff members when in attendance in the service, taking account of the child’s strengths, interests and preferences in order to facilitate meaningful interactions and activities
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action Basic needs: 1. The baby room now has a low-level designated small table for children to access their drinks throughout the day. Physical and material environment: 2. Manager added more supporting materials for the play kitchen in the outdoor play area. Also added supporting play materials for the construction bench in the outdoor play area to enable the children to extend their play. 3. Staff is offering family books to all age groups so they can identify their family and demonstrate with their peers their family photos at any time of the day. Programme of Activities and its Implementation: 4. Staff in the Montessori room received individual training to make sure they are using a care plan. Educators were urged to maximise the chances for the children-initiated activities and focus on their planner and daily activities. Preventive Action Basic needs: 1. Manager and Assistant Manager to check the room on a daily basis to ensure that children have access to their drinks to support throughout the day. Physical and material environment: 2. Manager and assistant Manager will make weekly checks to make sure the defined areas are kept well maintained. All adequate toys are available for different age groups at all times. 3. Manager and assistant Manager will make daily checks to make sure the Family book will be accessed by the children at any time of the day. Programme of Activities and its Implementation: 4. Manager and assistant manager will check the room once a week, and management will make sure that staff members receive yearly and ongoing training for their care plan
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
General Safety: 1. The rear door of the service which leads to the outdoor play area was partially blocked by a child’s bed and art easel, this could pose a risk of obstructing exiting the building in the event of an emergency. Infection Control: 2. The inspector was informed by a staff member in the Baby room that she placed soothers under running water to sterilise them. The absence of robust procedures in respect of soother management poses a risk of contamination for the children in attendance. 3. The water at both the sink in the Baby room and at the sink in the sanitary facilities used by the children attending the Baby room was cold. Cold water does not achieve effective hand washing. 4. The staff member in the Baby room informed the inspector that modelling dough is made once weekly in the care room, this is shared amongst the children, used repeatedly and then disposed of. Based on the age range and development stage of the children attending this care room this practice could increase the risk of cross contamination. Safe Sleep: 5. A staff member was observed checking the children who were sleeping in the sleep room adjacent to the Baby room by standing at the door of the sleep room and looking towards the cot. The children were not individually checked to ensure that their colour, breathing and position were satisfactory. Action submitted by the Registered Provider Corrective Action General Safety: 1. The bed that was blocking the rear entrance has now been removed. Clear exits are always available through the back door. Infection Control: 2. Baby room staff members received individual training on the Soothers policy and the proper sterilisation protocol. 3. Both the sanitary area sink, and the baby room sink have warm water for efficient hand washing. Manager fixed the thermostat to the recommended temperature between 38c -41c and will keep an eye on the temperature on a regular basis. 4. Play dough is made on a specific day separately for each room. After children have finished playing, teachers will put the play dough in the bin at the end of the day. Safe Sleep: 5. Individual training/instructions provided on how to conduct sleep checks in compliance with rules and in accordance with Safe Sleep Policy and Procedure, given to staff members working in the baby room. They will be making sure that each child is checked (physically) on for their colour, breathing, and positioning every 10 mins. Preventive Action General Safety: 1. To ensure that there are never any risks on the premises, the manager and assistant manager will conduct regular inspections. Educators will document any risks discovered on the premises using the risk assessment. Infection Control: 2. Staff members will receive annual/ frequent training if needed. Manager and assistant Manager to make sure that the proper Soother protocols are monitored on a regular basis and stay compliant. 3. Manager has created a record sheet for taking the temperature throughout the day. The temperature of the sanitary and baby room sinks will be monitored and checked by the manager and assistant manage. 4. Following children's use, the manager and assistant manager will ensure that the play dough is disposed of in the bin after use and not shared in other rooms. Safe Sleep: 5. Every ten minutes at bedtime, the manager and assistant manager will make sure that the educators are checking on each child's colour, breathing, and posture, physically. Supporting documentation submitted Photograph of clear exit. Staff training records in relation to soother care and conduction of sleep checks. Copy of water temperature recordings. Summary Comment The inspectors have reviewed the actions and evidence submitted. The noncompliance identified under regulation 23 - Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child has been adequately addressed
Regulation 26 — Fire safety measures
(b) A record was not kept of the number, type and maintenance of the smoke alarms in the premises. This non-compliance was observed at the last 2 inspections of the service on the 21/03/2023 and the 02/04/2024 and remains outstanding
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action (b) The service Smoke Alarm report was submitted. Preventive Action Every six months, the Manager and Assistant Manager will check and verify that smoke alarm reports are available on site for inspections
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 20, 22, 24, 25, 28.
Immediate action notice. An immediate action notice was issued to the registered provider on the day of inspection as the corridor leading from the front hallway to the Tweenie room and onwards to the rear hallway and exit to the garden was cluttered with stackable beds and children’s coats, hats, and bags. This posed a risk of obstructing children and adults from exiting the building in the event of an emergency. It is acknowledged that a satisfactory response was received from the registered provider on the 04/04/2024 indicating that the area had been cleared.
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
Basic needs: 1. There was a lack of natural and sensory materials in the care rooms in order to facilitate sensorial play experiences or encourage the children’s creativity and imagination. For example, sensory type materials such as sand, water, rice or pasta trays were not available to the children attending the Baby room, the Tweenie room or the Montessori room. In the Baby room one treasure basket was available which was stored in an adjoining alcove and therefore out of sight of the children. This treasure basket contained balls of aluminium foil and a plastic bag with feathers; there were insufficient contents in the treasure basket and additionally the barrier properties of the plastic bag significantly reduced the sensorial responses for the children when accessing this material. In the Toddler room dried pasta was stored in a lidded container which required the assistance of an adult to open and therefore was not always accessible to the children. This non-compliance was observed at the last inspection of the service on the 21/03/2023 and the registered provider stated in the corrective and preventative action plan submitted to the Early Years Inspectorate that natural and sensory materials had been added to the rooms, however this has not been sustained. 2. The Tweenie room was sparsely equipped with play materials and equipment to adequately support child- led play experiences for the children in attendance. This was evidenced in the lack of clearly defined play areas and the small amount of play materials provided which were generally placed randomly in boxes on shelving units. For example, a wooden kitchen was available but supportive play materials were limited to one slice of plastic toast, one purple lid, one purple plate, one blue cup, one small pink plastic pan, one wooden spatula and a dustpan and brush. Furthermore, the remaining toys accessible to the children in this room consisted of five wooden peg puzzles, a small box with trucks and diggers, a small box of animals and two small boxes of blocks which were inadequate to support play and extend the children’s interest, curiosity and learning. 3. There was an over-reliance on plastic toys and supportive equipment in the kitchen area in the Toddler room and a lack of real, natural and textured materials, such as real-life packaging, utensils or pans. 4. There were a limited number of books provided in the Tweenie room and the Toddler room and many of the available books were tattered and torn, some with all pages missing apart from the covers. 5. In the Tweenie room and the Toddler room the children’s water bottles were stored on shelves out of most children’s reach. This prevented children from taking a drink spontaneously if they desired during the day, without the assistance of a staff member. 6. The family wall that was on display in the Baby room was positioned at too high a level for the children to view. There were no family photographs on display in the Tweenie room or the Toddler room. This does not enable the children to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness in the service and to maintain links with family and home. Programme of Activities and its Implementation: 7. The inspectors were informed that individualised care plans had not been developed for children who may at times require additional support from staff members when in attendance in the service, taking account of the child’s strengths, interests and preferences in order to facilitate meaningful interactions and activities
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action Basic needs: 1. Every room has been created with sensory items, such as sand play, water play for children, and various coloured pasta and rice. Baby room: A treasure basket is set up for an activity that involves exploring naturally textured materials, identifying various textures, addressing the five senses, and recognising sounds. toys with various textures that may be felt and touched. 2. Replaced all of the old, worn-out toys in the Tweenie room with brand-new toys, including kitchen sets and utensils, tea sets, play food, pots and pans. The Tweenie area has now been updated with new toys and tools, and the construction site is re-arranged. The playing areas are now defined and labelled. 3. Things like Natural materials had been added in the toddler room kitchen area, such as a few empty milk cartons, few egg cartons, cereal boxes and much more. 4. The Toddler room and the Tweenie rooms are filled with new books. For easy access, all the books are kept organised and accessible throughout the day in both Tweenie and Toddler rooms near the Books Corner. 5. The Tweenie and Toddler rooms now have a low-level designated shelf for children to access their drinks throughout the day. 6. The family wall in the Baby, Tweenie & Toddler room has been fixed and placed according to the child's eye level and fully updated. Programme of Activities and its Implementation: 7. Staff in the Montessori room received individual training to make sure they are using a weekly plan. Employees were urged to maximise the chances for child-initiated activities and focus on their planner and daily activities. Preventive Action • Manager and assistant manager will make daily checks to make sure all the sensorial materials are available at all the time. • Manager and assistant manager will make weekly check to make sure the defined areas kept all well maintained. All adequate toys are available for all different age groups. • The manager or assistant manager will assess the children's needs and report any necessary changes, if any, that take place. • Manager/Assistant Manager to check the room on a daily basis to ensure that children have access to their drinks, books, family wall and support throughout the day. • Management will ensure and continue training staff annually and when needed about their weekly planning and Manager/Assistant Manager will check the room on a weekly basis. Staff will engage with Better Start team to work in our curriculum development to make sure the children are having the best meaningful learning experience
Regulation 20 — Facilities for rest and play
1. There were an insufficient number of cots available in the service. The attendance records indicated and staff members confirmed that 11 children aged between 12 months and 18 months and 2 children aged 1 year 8 months and 1 year 9 months attend the service on the busiest days. There were 7 cots available on the premises; however, 9 cots were required to meet the children’s sleep needs. 2. The floor bed used for a sleeping child aged 1 year 9 months was not fitted with a mattress. This is at variance with national best practice safe sleep guidelines which states that when a floor bed is used for a child aged less than 2 years, it must be fitted with a firm and perfectly fitted mattress at least 6cm in depth, designed to fit the specific floor bed
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action
1. The children sleeping routine was organised by different sleep routine on a daily basis, for example some children taking naps around 9:30-10:00 and the other group of children will have a nap after 12:00 to make sure all the children under two years old who are not ready to move to a cot bed would have a cot available. 2. One of the youngest children under the age of two was seen to be at a significant risk of stress. A risk assessment was completed on April 23, 2024. In a discussion with the parents, it was agreed to try settling the child into a toddler bed. Preventive Action To ensure that the cots in the sleep area are available for the younger children, there will be weekly or daily checks
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
General Safety: 1. The milk for use by the children attending the Baby room which was supplied by the children’s parents and stored in the fridge in the care room was heated up in a microwave oven in the care room. This is a safety concern due to the risk of uneven distribution of heat and the potential danger of causing a burn to a child’s mouth and throat. 2. A trailing flex from an air conditioning unit was accessible to the children at the side of a cot in the sleep room. 3. Three of the four wall mounted boards in the outdoor area were peeling at the corners with rust present on the exposed surface which could cause injury to a child. This non-compliance was observed at the last inspection of the service on the 21/03/2023 and the registered provider stated in the corrective and preventative action plan submitted to the Early Years Inspectorate that the boards in the outdoor area were removed with immediate effect to avoid any injuries, however they remained in place on this inspection. Infection Control: 4. The inspector was informed by a staff member in the Baby room that there was no means of sterilising soothers, and she placed the soothers under running water to sterilise them. The absence of robust procedures in respect of soother management poses a risk of contamination for the children in attendance. 5. Hand washing practices were observed to be ineffective in the service as evidenced by the following: ➢ The children attending the Baby room did not have their hands washed following nappy changing or before they had their morning snack. ➢ The children in the Tweenie room were not observed being facilitated to wash their hands before morning snack. ➢ Staff members were observed not to wash their hands following nappy changing. Safe Sleep: 6. In the Baby room children’s sleep checks were not recorded in a timely manner. A child was placed to sleep at 10am and the first sleep check was recorded at 10:20am. All sleeping children must be checked every 10 minutes noting their colour, breathing and position from the time they are placed to sleep. 7. A staff member did not remain in the Toddler room at all times when children were sleeping on floor mats after dinner. This posed a risk that children who were awake could leave their mats unsupervised and climb, trip, fall, disrupt the sleep of or cause harm to another child. 8. The sleep plan in place for a child aged 1 year 9 months who was facilitated to sleep on a stackable bed was not sufficiently detailed as it did not incorporate a completed risk assessment before moving the child from a cot to a floor bed. Furthermore, the care plan did not include any supporting evidence to indicate that the child was developmentally ready to move from a cot to a floor bed. Fire Safety: 1. The designated fire door leading from the Tweenie room to the rear of the premises was locked with no key available. This is a fire safety risk in the event of evacuating the building. 2. The corridor leading from the front hallway to the Tweenie room and onwards to the rear hallway and exit to the garden was cluttered with stackable beds and children’s coats, hats and bags. This posed a risk of obstructing children and adults from exiting the building in the event of an emergency
Provider's corrective action:
General Safety: 1. Staff members in the baby room received one-on-one training on how to warm milk and feed the infants. Staff members were provided the bottle warmer for warming the bottles. 2. The trailing flex will not be accessible to the children due to the air conditioning unit being moved to the other side of the cot room and not reachable to children. 3. In order to prevent any injuries, the four wall-mounted boards in the outdoor area were immediately removed. Infection Control: 4. Staff members received individual training on the Soothers policy and the proper sterilisation protocol. 5. Staff members in the Baby Room, Tweenie Room and Toddler Room receive one-on-one training on proper hand washing techniques in accordance with the infection control policy. Children's hands should be washed before and after every meal as well as following a nappy change. When changing nappies, staff members should always wash their hands. Safe Sleep: 6. Staff members in the baby room received one-on-one training on how to perform sleep checks in accordance with regulations and the Safe Sleep Policy and Procedure. Every 10 minutes they will check each child's position, respiration, and colour. 7. One staff member will be present in the toddler room at all times to check children's colour, breathing and position and reduce unacceptable causes. 8. One child under two was observed to be at a high risk of experiencing stress when climbing into the cot to go to sleep. A Risk Assessment was completed on 23/4/2024 a. Attempting to get the youngest child into a toddler bed was the decision made after a concurrent conversation with the parents. Fire Safety: 9. As requested, the locked door in Tweenie room was immediately replaced. Manager has now installed thumb-turn locks to replace the old locks, enabling access to the emergency exit. 10. As requested, Immediate action was taken in regard to the corridor that was blocked with various items and obstructed the emergency exit. All items are now removed from the corridor. Stackable beds were relocated to the corner of the corridor and not obstructing an emergency exit
Regulation 24 — Checking in and out and record of attendance
(3)(a)(b) A system was not in place to ensure that no person other than the children and their parents or guardians, employees, approved students or authorised visitors could enter the service. The early years inspectors were not requested to record their attendance on the premises or the purpose of their visit
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action (3)(a)(b) Manager and Assistant Manager has placed a visitor’s book at the entrance and will make sure anybody visiting the creche will be given a visitors’ book to record their attendance. Preventive Action Manager and Assistant Manager will make sure that visitor’s book is available at all the times throughout the day. Summary Comment The actions as stated by the registered provider in relation to Regulation 24 - Checking in and out and record of attendance have been reviewed and accepted. 23/05/2024: The Early years inspector was requested to sign in to the visitor’s book on arrival to the service, the actions as stated by the registered provider in the corrective and preventative actions have been implemented
Regulation 26 — Fire safety measures
(b) A record was not kept of the number, type and maintenance of the smoke alarms in the premises. This non -compliance was observed at the last inspection of the service on the 21/03/2023 and remained outstanding at the publication of the report
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action (b) Smoke Alarm. Manager is in process to set up as a separate record keeping of smoke alarm from the rest of the Estate and separate the service. The smoke alarm has been tested as part of the Estate and manager is waiting for the separate report for our premises which may takes up to 3 weeks. Manager is making daily contact with the company to explain the situation. Preventive Action Keep making the contact with the company for speedy progress
Regulation 29 — Premises
(d) 1. The paint on the walls in the Montessori room was extensively chipped with plaster exposed underneath which prevented the walls from being cleaned effectively. 2. The wire grid cover on the radiator was badly rusted and peeling in the sanitary accommodation adjoining the Toddler room. The surface could not be adequately cleaned as a result
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective Action (d) 1. The walls in the Montessori room are now painted. 2. The wire grid cover on the radiator in the toddler room toilet has now been painted. Preventive Action (d) 1. Manager/Assistant Manager to check the rooms on a regular basis to ensure walls are cleaned and reports any wear and tear that needs to be fixed. 2. Manager/Assistant Manager to check the rooms on a regular basis to ensure that all the equipment including radiator covers are all in good condition and cleaned