Regulation 9 in Sligo
Management and Recruitment: 19 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.
16 June 2026
Lollipop Lane Ox Crescent, Tubbercurry · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (d) See Statutory notice section in relation to Improvement Notice IAN1522 served
- All vetting procedures had not been completed prior to a staff member working directly with a preschool child as outlined in (2)(d) above
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the registered provider stated:
- International child protection certificate was applied for and received
- A note has been made on our staff files folder to ensure any future staff who have resided in the UK have a ICPC and staff will not work directly with children until international vetting has been processed and all other vetting completed
28 April 2026
Little Bunnies, Bunninadden · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- Three of the emergency contacts did not have references on file for review as required. (d) Three of the emergency contacts that are available to the service in case of an emergency did not have a Curriculum Vitae on file, due to this the requirement for international police vetting could not be established
Provider's corrective action:
- (2) (a) (d) The service now has one dedicated emergency person. Any emergency cover now needs 2 references and employment history on file
23 April 2026
Saints & Scholars Creche & Montessori School, Sligo · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- Two adults did not have a second reference from a past employer or a reputable source in the absence of past employment. (2) (d) See Statutory notice section in relation to Immediate Action Notice IAN1522 served
- A review of documentation evidenced that the requirements of Regulation 9(2) had not been completed prior to staff members being appointed, assigned, or allowed access to or contact with a child attending the preschool service as outlined above under point 2(a)(b) and 2 (d)
- One adult who did not hold a qualification in Early Childhood care and education at level 5 or above on the national qualification’s framework was observed to be working directly with the preschool children on the day of inspection
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the registered provider stated:
- Second references obtained and validated. These will be in place prior to an employee having access to a preschool child
- The staff member without international police clearance has been taken out of her position working directly with preschool children Future staff will be informed at interview that it is a requirement for the recruitment process to move forward to have international police clearance received. C.v’s will be examined more closely to see gaps and ask for explanations re travel and living abroad for longer than 6 months, consecutively
- The early years inspection notebook has been downloaded from the Tusla website, and the Regulation 9 Management and recruitment table is being checked against staff files to ensure all requirements are met. This will be reviewed regularly
- The staff member who did not hold a qualification in early childhood care and education was taken out of circulation with early years children. A letter of proof of a student’s status will be obtained from relevant colleges to state they are students on work experience prior to commencing work experience
16 April 2026
Ballymote Community Childcare, Ballymote · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- Written and verified references from a past employer were not available in respect of four adults. (d) See Statutory notice section in relation to Immediate Action Notice IAN1521 served. (d) International police vetting was not available for one adult who had resided outside the state for a period of six months and was not working directly with the preschool children on the day of inspection
- A review of documentation evidenced that the requirements of Regulation 9(2) had not been completed prior to 4 staff members being appointed, assigned, or allowed access to or contact with a child attending the preschool service as outlined above under point 2(a)(b) and (2) (d)
- Certification of qualification available for one adult who was working directly with the preschool children required to be deemed equivalent by the minister to a level 5 or above on the national framework of qualifications
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the person acting on behalf of the registered provider stated:
- The manager will ensure that all the employees references match the employees Curriculum Vieta and are verified
- International police vetting applied for and received. The service will ensure that all employees that have lived outside of the republic of Ireland get international police vetting from the country where they had lived and ensure that this person does not work with children of any age until they receive the garda vetting
- The manager will ensure that the above (2) (a) (b) are adhered to at all times when recruiting new staff The manager will check with the recruit who their referees are on their curriculum vitea while attending interview. The manager will get the employee to sign a headed page with the dates they were not employed for and the reason for the gap in employment in the timeframe
- The staff member has sent all information to the Department to certify the qualification. The manager to ensure that this is checked before employing new staff and ensuring to check the qualification under the early years framework
14 April 2026
Toddlers Den Creche & Scholars Den Afterschool Club, Ballisodare · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (d) International police vetting was required for one member of staff employed in the service who works with the school aged children as that person has lived outside the state for a period of six months or ore as an adult
- The registered provider did not demonstrate that all vetting procedures had been completed prior to an adult having access to children as outlined in (2) (d) above
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the registered provider stated:
- International Child Protection Certificate was applied for and received. This has been placed on her file All new Staff will be required to have correct vetting documentation before they commence working in the service
- Vetting procedures have been reviewed and the service will make sure going forward that all vetting is correct prior to any new staff been employed and having access to children in the service
6 March 2026
Cre8ive Corner Creche Farmhill Manor, Sligo · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (d) Two adults did not have the required international child protection certificate available. It is acknowledged a basic disclosure was available for the two staff members
- A review of the documentation evidenced that the requirements of Regulation 9 (2) had not been completed prior to two staff members being appointed. Assigned or allowed access to or contact with a child attending the preschool service
- Two adults did not have the required certification that they held at least a major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at level 5 or above on the National Framework of Qualifications or a qualification deemed by the Minister to be equivalent. It is acknowledged that statement of results were provided
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the registered provider stated:
- Both staff members have successfully applied for and obtained an International Child Protection Certificate. We have since revised and updated our recruitment policy to include an International Child Protection Certificate for any potential employees who have lived outside of Ireland for more than six months as an adult
- We have since revised and updated our recruitment policy to include an International Child Protection Certificate for any potential employees who have lived outside of Ireland for more than six months as an adult
- The two staff members have since received their official certificates. One staff member has received a replacement certificate, and one staff member has received an eligibility to practice. We will no longer accept statement of results of proof going forward
10 February 2026
Lollipop Lane Creche, Montessori and Afterschool, Tubbercurry · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (a) (b) One verified reference from a past employer or reference from another source was not available for one reference
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the registered provider stated: (2) (a) (b) The reference has been received and verified. We will ensure that all staff documentation is on file before any new staff member or student is to start in the service. We are completing a checklist list that will be a working document and changed added to for staff files. This is to be located at the front of the Staff Folder for reference
23 January 2026
Stepping Stones Childcare Ltd, Easkey · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) The following vetting information was not available: (a) Three written validated references from past employers for two adults. (b) A record of validation was not available in respect of one written reference on file for one staff member. (c) It was not possible to determine if a Police Clearance Certificate from another jurisdiction was required for one adult, as their curriculum vitae was not available for review
- Two staff members working directly with the preschool children did not hold a major award at level 5 or above in early childhood care and education on the national qualification framework, or qualifications deemed by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) to meet the regulatory requirement
Provider's corrective action:
- (2) (a) (b) (c) All references are now fully validated and retained on file in accordance with regulatory requirements. The previously identified gap, relating to the absence of a recorded validation for one written reference, has now been rectified. The reference has been formally validated, and a clear record of this validation has been added to the staff member’s personnel file. Safer recruitment checklist has been introduced and must be fully completed prior to finalising any appointment. Quarterly internal audits of personnel files will be conducted to ensure continued compliance with Regulation 9 requirements. We acknowledge the importance of maintaining complete and up-to-date staff files. All staff files will be reviewed regularly to ensure full compliance with documentation requirements. We also confirm that new staff members will not commence employment until their personnel file is complete and contains all required and sufficient documentation, including vetting and verification checks, in line with regulatory requirements. (4) On the morning of the unannounced inspection, the staffing shortfall occurred due to unforeseen circumstances. One staff member was delayed in arriving to work as a scheduled appointment ran significantly longer than anticipated. In addition, two other staff members were absent due to illness
21 January 2026
Sandcastles Childcare Centre, Enniscrone · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (a) (b) One reference on file for one staff member was from a source other than a past employer. This staff member had previous employment listed on their employment records therefore the reference required is from their past employers (2) (d) International police vetting was not available for one adult who had resided outside the state for a period of six months or more as an adult
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the person acting on behalf of the registered provider stated: (2) (a) (b) A reference was sought from a second previous employer. The service will review employment records and cross check employment to references provided for all employees. (2) (d) Police vetting was sought and obtained. The service will review employment records in great detail and ensure all documents are in order before commencing employment
15 January 2026
Happy Days Creche, Sligo · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (9) (3) The vetting procedures had not been carried out prior to an adult having direct access to the preschool child in relation to two adults employed since the last inspection
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the registered provider stated: All vetting’s are fully completed. No employee will commence employment until the vetting process has been fully completed
13 November 2025
Little Leprechauns Creche & Montessori, Charlestown · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (a) (b) One adult did not have the required second written validated reference on file. It was evident in the adult’s employment history that they had past employment
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the registered provider stated: (2) (a) (b) I requested 2nd reference form employee and I’m waiting for that reference to be furnished
11 November 2025
Rainbow Road, Monasteraden · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (a) (b) There were no written and verified references available for one adult
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the registered provider stated: Two references have been sourced and validated. References will be sourced prior to employment
22 October 2025
Mini Einsteins Montessori and After School, Rosses Point · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (9) (2) (a) (1) Eight references were not on file for five staff members. (2) Four references on file for two adults had not been validated, and one reference did not appear on the adults CV. (3) Gap in CV for two adults. (4) No ID or CV available for one adult. (9) (2) (C) (5) The registered provider did not ensure that all staff working directly with children had appropriate vetting disclosures in place. On the day of inspection, two staff members who had access to preschool children did not have Garda vetting on file. The absence of Garda vetting poses a significant risk to the safety and welfare of children attending the service. An Immediate Action Notice was issued on 22nd October, and a response was received from the registered provider on 23rd October confirming that both staff members would not continue to work in the service until Garda vetting had been obtained. 9 (4) (6) On the day of the inspection, it could not be established if one staff member had the required qualification to work directly with the preschool children. (7) One staff member observed working with the preschool children did not have the required qualifications to work with preschool children
Provider's corrective action:
- 9 (2) (a) All c. v’s have been updated and validated including staff identification. Going forward I will make sure to get all relevant information before employee’s start. 9 (2) (C) The garda vetting for the two staff on site on the day of inspection has now been obtained and is on file for each staff. 9 (4) On the day we had our inspection unfortunately my staff members were sick. I now have a qualified relief worker on standby should this happen again
17 July 2025
Once Upon a Time Montessori, Ballinfull · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- 9 (1) (b) On the day of inspection, neither the person in charge (PIC) nor the designated person in charge (DPIC) were present on the premises when the inspector arrived at 09:07 a.m. It is acknowledged that the deputy person in charge arrived at the service at 09:20 a.m
Provider's corrective action:
- This occurred due to unforeseen circumstances involving a family emergency. A staff member arrived as quickly as possible, and to prevent this from happening again, we will ensure that someone remains on the premises until the correct staff member is in place
20 June 2025
Little People's Playworld Creche, Sligo · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (9) (7)(a) • The service could not provide evidence of induction provided to a newly recruited member of staff. It is acknowledged that the staff member stated that an induction was provided and they were sent policies and procedures but could not provide evidence of same. • Written records of staff supervision occurring in the service over the past twelve months could not be provided on the day. The registered provider informed inspectors on the day that they do not document supervision meetings anymore, this is in contradiction to the service supervision policy as it states; ‘The supervision session is recorded by the supervisor and the record kept in accordance with good practice, legislation and regulation in the office…’
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the registered provider stated: (9) (7) (a) • Induction for new member of staff was located after the inspection. A refresh with the staff member was carried out. A staff discussion took place, and all staff were advised that supervision reports will be documented again
29 May 2025
St Molaise Preschool & Afterschool, Grange · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (a) A second written validated reference from a past employer was required for one staff member
Provider's corrective action:
- The service advised in writing that: Corrective and Preventive Action (2) (a) A new written reference has been obtained from the staff members past employer and has been verified by a registered provider. More stringent practices have been put in place for obtaining and verifying references following review
7 May 2025
Little VIPs Playschool, Ballymote · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- 2 (a) There was no evidence of a validated reference for one staff member on file
Provider's corrective action:
- One validated reference received for one staff member
18 February 2025
Scooters Creche & Montessori, Caltragh · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (a) (b) Four validated references were not available in respect of three students on placement within the service
Provider's corrective action:
- In a written response the Registered Provider stated: Corrective and Preventive Action (2) (a) (c) Character references have been obtained for each of the students. All staff including students will have references before they commence working in the service
2 May 2024
Tir na nOg, Collooney · Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (2) (a) There was no second reference on file from a past employer where there was previous employment for two adults
Provider's corrective action:
- A second reference from a past employer was sought and validated for two adults on 16 May 24 and 29 May 24. Two references from past employers will be sought prior to commencing employment