# The Willow Tree Children's Centre, Tralee — inspection reports and findings > The Willow Tree Children's Centre (Tralee, Co. Kerry): what Tusla inspections found — 2 published inspection(s), non-compliances and the provider's corrective actions. ## The Willow Tree Children's Centre Sessional · 1 - 6 Years · Tralee, Kerry · Tusla ID **TU2016KY001** · Registered since 1 January 2026 An inspection records what inspectors saw **on one day**; services respond with corrective actions — [how to read this](/methodology.md). #### Inspection of 8 June 2026 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) ##### Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment - (d) See the statutory notice section in relation to Improvement Notice IN1121 served ##### Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The inspector observed the door leading into the toilet in the Catkins room was secured on occasions during the session. This restricted the 5 children who were toilet trained to use the toilet independently as they needed to - 1. Staff were informed at a staff meeting held in July of the importance of keeping the door leading to the toilets unlocked, so that children can access the toilets as they need to. Signage has been placed on the door leading to the toilets as a reminder for staff to keep the door unlocked ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - General Safety: 1. In the Catkins room, there were 5 feeding chairs stacked on top of each other, with the tables for attaching to the chairs stored loosely on the floor beneath them, posing a risk of injury to the children. Acorns room 2. There was a large container of glue on the floor in the playroom posing a risk of injury to children. 3. There was storage boxes stacked on top of a 4-drawer storage unit in the lobby of the sanitary accommodation posing a risk of injury to children. 4. There was an unsecured cable attached to a fan placed on the floor and there was a fan with an unsecured cable attached accessible on low level shelving, both posing a risk of injury to children. 5. In the outdoor area designated for the children in the Catkins room, the wheels on the red sand/water container were broken, it was unsteady posing a risk of injury to the children. 6. The office door was not secured on occasions when not in use posing a risk of injury to children. Infection Control: 7. The children in the Catkins room did not wash their hands before the morning snack posing a risk of cross infection. 8. The nappy changing practice observed on inspection in the Catkins room demonstrated that a child did not wash their hands after nappy changing posing a risk of cross contamination. 9. There was no pedal bin provided in the adult sanitary accommodation and in the outdoor play area posing a risk of cross infection as the lid of the bin was touched each time when disposing of waste. 10. There was an open bag of clothes that included for example hats and gloves for children stored in the nappy changing room in the Catkins room, posing a risk of cross infection. Action submitted by the Registered Provider - General Safety: 1. The highchairs and tables were removed from the playroom into a designated space in the kitchen located beside the playroom. The staff were informed the chairs and tables will be stored in the kitchen and returned to the kitchen storage when not in use. Acorns room 2. The glue has been placed up high on the arts and crafts wall unit in the playroom. The staff were reminded of the dangers of glue being accessible to the children and reminded to keep it up high out of the reach of the children. 3. The box has been removed and relocated to the kitchen. The provision of a new unit with lockable doors is currently under review. 4. The fans have been removed from the room. An air conditioning unit has been approved by the board of management, it will eliminate the need for use of fans during the warm weather. 5. The sand/water tray has been replaced. There will be regular checks of the equipment and materials carried out to ensure they are safe and in working order. A checklist is provided for the staff members to inform of any issues with toys and equipment. 6. A hook has been installed up high to store the key to the door when the office is not in use. Signage has been placed on the door as a reminder to staff and management to lock the door. Infection Control: 7. Staff have been reminded of the importance of handwashing before eating. Reminder handwashing signage has been placed in the room. 8.The staff have been reminded of the importance of washing the children’s hands and their own hands after nappy changing. Signage has been displayed in the nappy changing area as a reminder to staff. The staff were asked to read the illness prevention and infection control policy. 9. Pedal bins were purchased and put into the staff bathroom and in the outdoor area. Regular checks of the equipment and materials will be carried out to ensure they are suitable, safe an in working order. 10. The bag has been removed while awaiting a new secure unit with lockable doors ##### Regulation 30 — Minimum space requirements - • Adequate floor space was not provided for children’s free movement and play in the Catkins room in the afternoon. • There were 17 children ranging in age from 2 years to 5 years attending the service on a part-time and full day care basis. Some of the children present had moved from the Acorns room. For the 17 children present in the room, the total floor space required at any one time is 39.95 square metres for children’s fee movement and play. • The room measurements on file were 30.7 square metres. Allowing 2.35 square metres free floor space for children aged 2 years to 5 years on a full day care basis, the room can accommodate 13 children - A staff ratio and room spacing calculator was completed and templates completed to ensure that the service adheres to the room space requirements and staff ratios at all times throughout the day Found compliant: Regulation 11, 25. #### Inspection of 1 November 2023 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - General Safety: 1. The playroom entrance doors with the high-level door handles were not secured to prevent unauthorised persons entering the rooms via the unsecured main entrance door to the building. 2. Cables attached to the wall mounted T.V and to a filtration unit in the Acorns room and to a filtration unit in the Catkins room were not secured, posing a risk of strangulation to children. 3. There was a bottle of sanitizer and 2 open packets of baby cleansing wipes accessible to the children in the Catkins rooms posing a risk of poisoning to children. 4. There were 7 feeding chairs stacked on top of each other and an unsecured foldable room divider that was not in use stored in the Catkins room posing a risk of injury to the children should they fall over on them. 5. The door of the adult sanitary accommodation sanitary located within the sanitary accommodation serving the Catkins room was not secured. There were personal hygiene items such as sprays and lotions accessible on a low-level shelf posing a risk of injury to children. 6. There were packets of baby cleansing wipes stored in the open low-level trays under the nappy changing unit accessible to the children posing a choking risk. 7. Within the sleep room the following posed a risk of injury to children. - play materials stored in the room, some of whom were stored under the cots in open plastic bags - a double socket 1 serving the heating/ventilation unit and 1 unsecured cable serving the music outlet system. - a shelf within reach of a child in the cot beneath where the individual cot bed linen was stored posing a risk of suffocation and strangulation to children. Infection Control: 8. The seat of the vinyl adult chair was torn, and the corners of the soft orange floor mat children were using to play on was torn and posing a risk of cross infection as the items could not be adequately cleaned. 9. There was dust evident on the floor under the cots in the sleep room and in the Catkins room posing a risk of the spread of infection. 10. Soothers were observed uncovered and not labelled on open shelving in the Catkins room and in the sleep room posing a risk of the spread of infection. 11. On speaking to staff, when cots are shared the individual linen was changed, the cots were not cleaned down posing a risk of cross infection. 12. Some of the soft toys were not in a clean condition posing the risk of cross infection. Action submitted by the Registered Provider The designated person in charge stated that: - - General Safety: 1. The staff continue to ensure that the doors from the lobby into both rooms are locked at all times. A fob entry and exit system will be installed week beginning December 4th 2023. A staff meeting was held highlighting the importance of locking the doors at all times until the installation of the fob system. 2. In the Acorns room the cables for the TV are no longer hanging down, they have been secured to the back of the TV and the filtration unit has been secured to the wall using a wall mounted conduit to prevent the children accessing the loose wires. The wires to the filtration system in the Catkins room have been secured behind a cabinet which has been placed in front of the plugs and cables so the children can no longer access them. All staff are reminded to ensure that all wires and plugs are out of reach of children at all times and to constantly check for health and safety risks around the room. 3. The bottle of sanitiser is now on a higher-level hook located near the cleaning room; the baby wipes are now kept up higher on top of the fridge. 4. The highchairs are now stored in the kitchen, they will only be in the catkins room if in use. The room divider is now stored in the office when it is not in use. 5. A high-level lock has been fitted to the outside of the adult toilet. This door is kept locked all of the times to prevent the children accessing the personal hygiene materials inside. All the staff are aware of this. 6. Two high level shelves have been installed in the changing room to store the wipes. Storing the wipes on the new high-level shelves in the changing room does ensures they are out of reach of the children’s reach. 7. Play materials previously stored in the sleep room are now stored in vacuum bags in the kitchen. The double socket in the sleep room near the cot has a locked cover over the plugs. The unsecured cable of the music system has been secured with a wall mounted conduit. The cot close to the shelves has been lowered by 2 inches, the baskets on the shelves have been turned so as they are not flush with the edge of the shelf ensuring they are not within children’s reach. Staff know the importance of not storing materials in the sleep room. Infection Control: 8. A new armchair has been purchased, awaiting its delivery. A big part of the staff meeting was health and safety and the responsibility of the staff to assess the environment constantly and remove anything broken or torn. The floor mat was replaced with a new foam shape. 9. There are no longer materials being stored in the sleep room, it can now be easily cleaned. This has been addressed with the cleaner. 10. Labelled soothers are now kept in individually labelled boxes and the staff have been informed of this practice to prevent cross contamination. 11. Cots are now cleaned between use; a separate electronic cleaning record has been devised to document this. During the staff meeting the staff were shown the said cleaning sheets and this practice is now implemented. 12. The soft bodied baby toys are replaced with hard bodied babies ##### Regulation 25 — First aid - (2)(a) The first aid box in the Catkins room was not adequately stocked. The following items were not in stock in addition to the contents provided: • 5 individually wrapped triangular bandages. • Pocket face mask • Water burns dressings (1 large) - The designated person in charge stated that: - Corrective and Preventive Action 1. The first Aid boxes have been checked and the items missing have been added. The boxes will be checked regularly and stocked according to the recommended contents list Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 16, 19, 26, 28, 29. ### Other services in Kerry - [Tigh na Leanai](/creche/tigh-na-leanai-tralee.md) Tralee - [Tiny Tots Playschool/Nursery](/creche/tiny-tots-playschool-nursery-tralee.md) Tralee - [Tír na nÓg Preschool](/creche/tir-na-nog-preschool-tralee.md) Tralee - [Wise Owl Shanakill](/creche/wise-owl-shanakill-tralee.md) Tralee - [Bright Sparks Montessori](/creche/bright-sparks-montessori-ballybunion.md) Ballybunion - [Currow Playschool](/creche/currow-playschool-killarney.md) Killarney - [Naionra An Chaisleáin](/creche/naionra-an-chaisleain-castlegregory.md) Castlegregory - [Happy Valley Childcare](/creche/happy-valley-childcare-castlemaine.md) Castlemaine - [Starlight Starbright Montessori Pre School](/creche/starlight-starbright-montessori-pre-school-tralee.md) Tralee - [St. Oliver's Pre-school Ballycasheen CLG](/creche/st-oliver-s-pre-school-ballycasheen-clg-killarney.md) Killarney [Alert me when a new report is published](/help.md) · [Dated report on this service — €19](/report.md) --- Página: https://creche-inspection-reports.pages.dev/creche/the-willow-tree-children-s-centre-tralee/ Fonte: Tusla Early Years Inspectorate Recolha: 2026-09-11