Regulation 16 in Carlow
Record in Relation to Pre-School Service: 2 non-compliance(s) in the latest reports we read.
An inspection records what inspectors saw on one day; services respond with corrective actions — how to read this.
27 February 2026
Ballon Rathoe Community childcare Facility LTD, Ballon · Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (i) A staff roster for the week of 23 February to 27 February 2026 was presented to the inspectors. The roster was inaccurate and incomplete in some areas. The following examples were identified: • This roster was not updated daily to reflect the staff members in attendance on both days of inspection. On day two of the inspection two staff members who were present were not on the days roster and informed the inspector that they had been contacted the evening prior by the designated person in charge requesting them to work on day two of the inspection. • The roster detailed each staff member’s starting time, but no finishing time or break and lunch times were documented. • The roster did not provide information on what staff were available to cover staff breaks or lunches. • The roster did not detail the full name of each staff member. • There were no recorded times of attendance and staff breaks for the designated person in charge or the quality manager. • On day one of the inspection the inspector observed that the quality manager relieved for breaks to maintain adult to child ratios in classrooms. This was not reflected on the staff roster and in discussion with staff, the inspector was informed that this did not usually happen if relief cover was required. • No named staff members were recorded for cover in case of staff absences, which did occur on both days of inspection. The designated person in charge had previously submitted a corrective and preventive action to a non-compliance under regulation 11 in the last inspection on 18 June 2025 stating that “a floating staff member will be rostered daily”, “lunch cover schedule introduced, floating staff allocated as needed”
Provider's corrective action:
- Updated staff roster is in place reflecting daily staffing arrangements. The roster now includes full staff names, start and finish times and break times for all staff, including management. The daily roster system has been reviewed to ensure that all staffing adjustments and operational changes are recorded in real time to accurately reflect practice. Creche Managers will be responsible for ensuring rosters are compliant, any changes on the roster due to staff absent will be corrected promptly
10 April 2025
Dolmen Nursery and Montessori School, Carlow · Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (i) A staff roster was available within the service however; it was not reflective of the staff members who were present within the service on the day of inspection. For example, one staff member who was present but not rostered to work and another staff member who recently left the service was rostered to work. (j) Details were not recorded of medication given to a child attending the service. It is noted that the service has an authorisation form for the administration of medication signed by the child’s parent and/or guardian which included the name and frequency of the medication. However, a record to detail the actual administration to include the child’s name, time, date, name of the medication, adult administering and adult witnessing was not available. The service’s policy did not detail the procedure to record the details in the case where medication is administered by the service. This posed a risk as the details of when a child received medication may be unknown and it may affect the medical treatment provided to the child. (k) A sample of accident and incident records were reviewed. The records were inconsistent and not completed with a staff signature or a parent signature. This was at variance of the service’s accident and incident policy which stated that the records are completed with the staff signature and the parent signature when the child is collected from the service
Provider's corrective action:
- (i) In the case where a staff member leaves the service, without notice, when cover has been arranged the registered provider will immediately change roster to reflect staff working on the day. (j) The administration of medication forms will be changed back to the services original format as this format includes all details required. (k) Accident and incident forms will be filled correctly under management’s supervision. At a recent staff meeting, sample Accident and incident forms were shown to staff members to outline the importance of correct recording. Accident & incident forms are now filled out in the presence of management to ensure correct recording and offer support if required