Inspection of 21 January 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (a)(b) One reference was not accepted for one staff member. (d) International Police vetting for three adults were not translated to English. International Police vetting as not available for two adults
- Three references had not been validated prior to two adults commencing employment in the service. Garda vetting for one adult had not been sought or reviewed prior to one adult commencing employment in the service
Provider's corrective action:
- A new reference has been put in place for this staff member. A reference from a reputable source or past employer must be obtained and checked before a staff member is offered a position in the company. We have a recruitment specialist who hires all new staff and completes the staff files and uploads them onto our Tots Portal before notifying the Area Manager to carry out the induction and training process with the new staff member. (d) International Police Clearance have all been translated and placed into the staffs’ files. International Police Clearance has been sought for two adults. Police Clearance results must be translated into English before a staff member is employed by the company and a record kept in the staff’s file
- All references for all staff have been checked and validated and are in all staff files Garda vetting was in process for this staff member; however, this staff member was only supposed to be working in the office until the vetting came through. This was a complete miscommunication, and the manager was not aware of this at the time. This has been rectified with our new procedure with our recruitment specialist. All staff references are checked by our recruitment specialist before a staff member is employed with the company. We have put procedures in place that prevent this from happening again. Only when the recruitment department has checked qualifications is the candidate interviewed. When the candidate is interviewed, and their references and vetting has been checked and police clearance checked (if applicable) will the candidate be offered a position in the company
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (i) Although the staff roster was available on the day of inspection it did not accurately reflect the adults working in the service on the day. An additional staff member arrived subsequent to the inspectors’ arrival which was not recorded on the roster. (j) Four of the medication administration records reviewed did not have the child’s full name recorded; this lack of detail had the potential to cause confusion as to which child had received the medication particularly when the child was being picked up from the service as the parent’s signature was required
Provider's corrective action:
- (i) Staff Rosters are supplied to staff on a weekly basis. We have now put in place that all staff rosters need to be updated throughout the day reflecting the changes that happen if staff ring in sick and cover staff arriving. Staff rosters have to reflect the day when changes happen as they are not accurate if they do not get changed. (j) Medical consent forms have been amended and all staff are required to check the child’s full name, date of birth, medicine name, dose, time due and date antibiotic was prescribed. It is then up to staff to complete the record of medicines administered and sign and witnessed and then get the Parent/Guardian signature to show medication has been given. Medical Consent forms must be filled in correctly to make sure all Staff and Management know the requirement of the dosage and time due and for which child. Staff are required to get Parents/Guardians to sign so Parents/Guardians know when their child has received medication to know when the next dose is due
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- 1. Runny noses of children attending the Toddler room were not wiped in a timely manner. Children were observed using their sleeves to wipe their noses. 2. Children in the Toddler room were placed to sleep on a stackable bed but had no blanket for comfort or warmth. Staff stated they never use blankets with this age group
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. Staff Spot checks were carried out by the manager of the service at different times throughout the day whilst observing the staff using our spot checks sheet for compliance of Policies and Procedures. This ensures continuity of Policy and Procedures being implemented correctly. This will also highlight areas of non-compliance and gaps in compliance, re- training needs. Once a staff member is observed not to be following Policy and Procedure, they are instructed to read Policies and Procedures regarding the non- Compliance and will be observed further to make sure adequate training has been received and are being implemented. Carrying out Infection control measures within the service is the only way of preventing the spread of illness and infection. 2. All children have blankets whilst in a cot, floor bed or on a stack bed. All children must be provided with sheets and a cellular blanket for their sleep/rest period
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- Infection Control: 1. The staff in the Toddler room did not wash children’s hands prior to having snack. This poses a risk of cross contamination. 2. The pedal bin in the Toddler room was broken. Staff and children were observed handling the lid of the bin when discarding rubbish. This poses a risk of cross contamination. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- Infection Control: 1. It is good hygiene practices if children are encouraged and supported to develop self-help and personal hygiene skills from an early age. There are visual signs and notices up to teach the children good hand washing practices throughout their day. Spot checks have been carried out making sure staff are carrying out these routines also. 2. The pedal bin in the Toddler has been replaced and upon further inspection the bin in the garden was also replaced as it broke also. A surplus supply of pedal bins have been bought and put in storage so if any service requires bin replacements that we don’t have to wait on deliveries
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 25, 26.