Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
General Safety: 1. An unsecured blind cord was observed within reach of children in the ECCE room posing a risk of injury. Infection Control: 2. In the sanitary area on the first floor, the wall behind the toilets in each of the seven toilet cubicles was damaged. Paint was missing in places, plaster was exposed and a hole in the wall was observed in one cubicle. These surfaces could not be cleaned effectively and could harbour bacteria. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
General Safety: 1. The cord was removed immediately to eliminate any potential risk to the children in the room. A representative from a blinds company attended the service, measured the windows, and has supplied and installed new blinds 31/3/26. They also inspected all blind clips and have issued replacements for any that were found to be loose or in need of repair. Colleagues are required to use the form outlined in the Risk Management Policy. The Daily Indoor safety checklist has been updated to reflect specific checks relating to blind cord safety. Management and colleagues were briefed immediately to check all blind cords in the centre and reminded to be extra vigilant when doing physical checks of all areas within the care rooms. A staff meeting was carried out on 03/03/26 where all colleagues were reminded to carry out thorough physical inspections of all areas within the care rooms, including blinds and blind cords, when completing the daily indoor safety checklist. Infection Control: 2. All seven toilet cubicles in the sanitary area have been fitted with a durable, wipeable perspex-like surface to facilitate effective cleaning and reduce the risk of bacterial harbourage. All surrounding surfaces have been painted where required. The Centre Manager will complete the Monthly Safety Checklist. Any paintwork requiring repainting or touch-ups will be reported to the Facilities Team by the Centre Manager. In addition, the recruitment team is actively recruiting a painter and decorator within the organisation to facilitate regular painting maintenance touch ups
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 16, 19, 27.
Inspection of 12 November 2025 — Inspection Report
The registered provider did not take appropriate measures to ensure that all employees were suitable to work in an early years’ service prior to commencing employment. It is acknowledged that a Garda vetting disclosure and two validated references were available for one staff member who had previously been employed in the service and who had returned to work in the service in September 2025. However, the Garda vetting disclosure and validated references were dated from January 2025 and February 2025 respectively and had not been renewed before the staff member commenced employment on 10 September 2025
The registered provider did not demonstrate that they had taken all reasonable measures to ensure that all employees were appropriately supervised and provided with sufficient information and training to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of children attending the service and to comply with the regulations as follows. • There were no records of induction training available for two new staff members who had commenced employment in the service and were working directly with the children. This is at variance with the staff training policy in place which stated that it is the manager’s responsibility to ensure that a new colleague completes their induction. • There were no records available documenting monthly support and supervision meetings for two staff members who had commenced employment in the service and were working directly with the children. This was at variance with the service’s support and supervision policy which stated that these meetings should take place on a 4-weekly basis during the induction period of six months for new colleagues
Provider's corrective action:
A Garda Vetting application has been resubmitted for one adult and is currently under review. A full audit of all existing staff files within the service has been conducted to verify that all in-date garda vetting disclosures and reference checks are on file for all current employees. The manager has completed reverification of the adult identified during the inspection, for whom a reference check was outstanding. All centre managers are responsible for recruitment and onboarding and have been reminded of their responsibility to ensure all vetting clearance is received and filed before any employee commences work. HR has provided a refresher briefing on compliance expectations and documentation standards. To prevent this non-compliance in the future in relation to adults being re-employed in the service, the company’s HR team has developed an audit tool to be used to ensure that all staff files are completed as required during the re-onboarding process. The existing recruitment procedures ensure that new hires have the correct documentation prior to starting employment, and this additional audit step will ensure the same level of compliance for returning colleagues
The two adults identified on inspection have now satisfactorily completed the full induction programme in line with organisational requirements. Shadow practice training has been fully completed by each adult with appropriate guidance and support provided by the centre manager and/or the relevant room leaders. In addition, four induction supervision sessions have been conducted for both adults to support their practice, ensure role clarity, and address the identified non-compliance. To prevent a re-occurrence of this non-compliance, a Support and Supervision Tracker has been implemented to ensure that all colleagues receive appropriate and consistent support and supervisions. All support and supervision meetings for November and December 2025 have been planned and/or completed by the Manager and Room Leaders. From January 2026, a revised supervision plan has been introduced to support the timely and consistent completion of all support and supervision meetings consistent completion of all support and supervision meetings
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
(i) While it is acknowledged that a staff roster was available, the information detailed was insufficient. The staff roster was not listed by room and did not include sufficient detail in relation to cover for breaks. (k) Thirteen accident and incident records were sampled and reviewed on an online application. Documentation reviewed here was not in line with the services Accident and Incidents policy as five records detailed an injury to the head or facial area of a child. The service policy states that when such injuries occur, the parent is contacted by telephone to be made aware of this. For these five records, there was no evidence to demonstrate that this procedure was followed
Provider's corrective action:
(j) A revised roster has been developed and implemented. This roster identifies each care room and the core staff assigned to each. It also specifies the allocation of lunch-cover responsibilities. In addition, the roster outlines all designated roles, including First Aid Responder (FAR), Person in Charge, Designated Liaison Person (DLP), and Room To prevent a recurrence of non-compliance, the revised roster will be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure clarity of staff deployment, room assignments, lunch-cover arrangements, and designated roles. Management will monitor daily adherence to the roster to maintain adequate supervision at all times (k) At a staff meeting in the centre, a review of the procedures for completing Accident/Incident Forms was undertaken. Staff were reminded of their responsibility, in line with the service policy of contacting parents for any injury involving the head or face, regardless of severity. To prevent a re-occurrence on non-compliance, ongoing staff training will be provided on Accident/Incident reporting procedures, with particular emphasis on the requirement to inform parents of all head or facial injuries, irrespective of severity. Compliance will be reinforced through regular staff meetings, supervision. Weekly audits of Accident/Incident Forms will be conducted by the management team to ensure procedures are consistently followed and documented in line with service policy and regulatory requirements. All staff have completed training on the company’s training portal
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
Inspectors observed that children were not appropriately and suitably cared for in the Junior Discoverers room. On the first day of inspection there were an adequate number of adults present in the care room. However, the three adults present were observed to be unable to provide appropriate care in a child centred manner to all children. A child who was settling into the service was observed to be upset and crying at dinner time at 11:35. A staff member was observed to briefly pick the child up on instruction from another staff member but put the child down again on the floor without comforting them to carry out cleaning duties in the room. The child was observed crawling along the floor, visibly and audibly distressed. During this time the other staff members in the room were observed carrying out nappy changes and supporting the other children in the room. At 12:00, the inspector requested that one of the staff members comfort the child who was still visibly upset. This practice is not in line with the services settling-in policy which states that the child’s needs are the priority and other activities such as cleaning be left until later
Provider's corrective action:
Staff were formally reminded during the staff meeting on 18th November of the requirement to implement the “one colleague on-task and one colleague off-task” system, where appropriate, to ensure effective supervision and continuity of care. This practice has been reinforced to address the identified non-compliance and to ensure that at all times one staff member remains fully focused on direct child supervision while necessary tasks are carried out by the second staff member, in line with service policy and regulatory standards. To prevent the actions identified on inspection from re-occurring, the management team will implement ongoing monitoring and review of staff practices to ensure all corrective measures are consistently embedded in daily operations. Staff deployment and supervision practices, including the consistent application of the “one colleague on-task and one colleague off-task” system where appropriate, will be monitored through daily oversight and supervision. Management have completed Transitions Training with the Quality and Practice manager in a “Train the trainer” capacity and will deliver this training to all staff on 15th December, ensuring a consistent understanding of effective transitions, supervision, and role clarity across all rooms. Attendance will be recorded, and learning outcomes will be reinforced through staff meetings, supervision sessions, and practice observations. These measures will support sustained compliance with policies, promote safe and effective transitions, and ensure that staff remain focused on child supervision and engagement at all times. An internal investigation into the incident has been conducted by the Human Resources team in line with organisational procedures. The HR team has confirmed that the investigation has progressed to the disciplinary stage, and the outcome will be communicated once this process has been formally concluded. Any additional findings and required actions will be implemented promptly, and further preventative measures will be clearly identified and documented to ensure ongoing compliance and to prevent a recurrence
Regulation 27 — Supervision
In Active Cubs 3 at 14:20 on the first day of inspection, there were two staff members supervising eleven children. At this time, the following was observed. • one staff member was preparing the afternoon snack at a counter at the top of the room. • During this time, her back was to the handbasin where the second staff member was attempting to support the children to wash their hands. • While handwashing was in progress, two children were observed pinching each other at a table, two children were splashing water at the handbasin in the room, and another was taking table mats and hiding them. • At 14:25 the meal was served to the children. At this time, the second staff member was observed cleaning the floor and the first staff member remained at the counter providing additional snack to those children who asked for more. • Meanwhile, a child was observed to go to the drinks area and drink directly from a carton of milk. Staff were unaware of this until the inspector brought it to their attention as they had their backs to this area of the room with no line of sight on this child
Provider's corrective action:
All meals and snacks are now prepared exclusively in the kitchen, and all microwaves and toasters have been removed from care rooms to eliminate non-essential adult tasks within the care environment and to ensure staff focus remains on child supervision. This change was discussed with the kitchen assistant to clarify responsibilities and was formally communicated to all staff during the staff meeting held on 18th November. During the staff meeting on 18th November, all staff were formally reminded of the requirement to implement the “one colleague on-task and one colleague off-task” supervision model, where appropriate, to strengthen supervision practices and address the identified non-compliance. To prevent a recurrence of non-compliance, management will implement ongoing monitoring of daily practice to ensure that all meals and snacks continue to be prepared exclusively in the kitchen and that no food preparation equipment is reintroduced into care rooms. Regular environment checks will be completed by management and room leaders to maintain a safe, child-focused care setting and to ensure staff remain fully engaged in supervision at all times. All staff will attend Transitions Training to reinforce effective supervision practices and to prevent a recurrence of this non-compliance. Supervision practices, including the consistent application of the “one colleague on-task and one colleague off- task” model where appropriate, will be reinforced through daily oversight, room observations, and regular staff supervision meetings by management and room leaders. Any deviations from expected practice will be addressed promptly through guidance, support and retraining where and if needed. All staff members were instructed to review the Safety, Supervision of Children & Transitions Policy and to complete the policy sign-off sheet to confirm that they have read, understood, and acknowledged the policy. This measure was implemented to ensure consistent understanding and adherence to the service’s supervision and safety procedures