TUSLA INSPECTION REPORT0104.nccdn.net/1_5/0aa/344/04b/Tusla-Inspection-Results...Child Care Act 1991...

Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 Date Issued: 08 July 2016 Revision Number: 0

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TUSLA INSPECTION REPORT

TUSLA Identifier: 2 0 1 5 T Y 0 1 7

Name of Service: Caterpillars Childcare

Address of Service: Coole, Newport, Co. Tipperary.

Email Address: [email protected]

Date Service Registered: 3 0 0 6 2 0 1 6

Name of Registered Service Provider: Gráinne Harte

Name of Designated Person in Charge: Gráinne Harte

Type of Service Registered: Sessional Part-Time Drop-In

Full Day Care Childminding Temp Drop-In

Day Month Year

Date(s) of Inspection: 2 8 0 9 2 0 1 6

0 5 1 0 2 0 1 6

No. of Pre-School children present on day of Inspection: AM 49 PM 33

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Tusla Early Years Inspectorate Address: Civic Offices, Limerick Road

Nenagh, Co. Tipperary

TUSLA Early Years Inspector (s): L. McGeeney

E. Browne

Areas which were the subject of this Inspection Governance Health Welfare and Development of Child Safety


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Description of Service

This full day care service, which was established in Coole, Newport in 2006, provides care for both pre-school and school aged children aged 0 – 12 years from 7.45 am – 6 pm Monday – Friday for 50.5 weeks of the year. The service can cater for up to 50 pre-school children at any one time.

Premises

The service operates from a residential premises in a rural setting which has been converted for use as an early years service. Care of the children was provided in 4 rooms of the main building, including two joining pre-school rooms, the Clubhouse and a baby/toddler room. Two additional rooms for use by pre-school and school aged children were located in a new modular building behind the premises and attached to it via a corridor. The service also has a sleep room, sanitary facilities and three outdoor play areas.

Staffing

The Registered Provider worked in the service as well as 7 other adults employed to work directly with children. The co-owner/manager of the service was present in the service most days in addition to the childcare staff. All food preparation and cooking was carried out by a qualified chef. Ancillary duties such as cleaning were carried out by the childcare staff as well as by a contracted company. All childcare staff held a major award in Early Childhood Care & Education at level 5 or 6. The Registered Provider held a level 9 qualification in Early Childhood Care and Education. There was documented evidence of staff members’ engagement in ongoing professional development including: first aid, manual handling and food hygiene training. Many of the staff had been employed in the service since it opened.

Methodology

The inspection was an unannounced Focused Inspection to assess compliance with the Childcare Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016. The Inspection focused on three themes; Governance, Safety, and the Health, Welfare and Development of the Child. The findings detailed within this report are the result of Inspectorate assessment based on; examination of documentation, direct observation and interviews with the Registered Provider and staff members.

Acknowledgements

The Inspectors wish to acknowledge the cooperation of the Registered Provider, Person in Charge, staff and children that participated in the inspection.

Authority to Inspect The Tulsa Early Years Inspectorate carries out inspections of Early Years Services under Section 58(J) of the Child

Care Act 1991 (as inserted by section 92 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013).


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GOVERNANCE

Part III - Management and Staff Regulation 9 - Management and Recruitment 9. (1) A registered provider shall ensure that—

(a) the service has a designated person in charge and a named person who is able to deputise as required, (b) at all times during the period when the pre-school service is being carried on, the designated person in

charge or the named person referred to in subparagraph (a) is on the premises, and (2) A registered provider shall ensure that each employee, unpaid worker and contractor is suitable and

competent taking into consideration the nature of the needs of children, including by— (a) consideration of references from the person’s past employers, if any, and in particular the most

recent employer, if any, (b) consideration of references from reputable sources in the case of a person who has no past

employers, (c) consideration of the vetting disclosure received from the National Vetting Bureau of the Garda

Síochána in accordance with the Act of 2012 in respect of the person, and (d) ensuring, insofar as is practicable, that where a person has lived in a state other than the State for a

period of longer than 6 consecutive months, he or she provides police vetting from the police authorities in that state.

Compliance Information:

(1)(a) The Registered Provider was the designated person in charge. There was a named person who was able to deputise as required. (b) The designated person in charge was present in the service on both inspection days. (2)(a) 14 of the 20 written validated references available in respect of the 10 adults working in the service were from past employers. (b) 6 of the 20 written validated references available in respect of the 10 adults working in the service were from reputable sources. (c) Completed vetting disclosures were available in respect of all adults working in the service, in accordance with the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012. (d) A completed police vetting disclosure was available in respect of the adult working in the service who had lived outside the jurisdiction.

Part III - Management and Staff

Regulation 11 -Staffing Levels (1) Subject to this Regulation, a registered provider shall ensure that there is at all times an adequate number of adults working directly with the children attending the pre-school service.

(8) Without prejudice to paragraphs (2) to (7)— (a) a registered provider of a pre-school service other than a child-minding service or a sessional pre-school


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Part III - Management and Staff

Regulation 11 -Staffing Levels service shall ensure that there are at least 2 adults on the premises at all times,

(9) In assessing compliance with the adult: child ratios specified in Schedule 6, unpaid workers and, where applicable, the person referred to in Regulation 24(2), shall not be taken into account.


(1) There were 49 pre-school children aged 1 – 4 years being cared for by 7 adults in the morning and 33 pre-school children in the same age range being cared for by 6 adults in the afternoon on the 28th of September 2016. There were 42 children aged 1 – 4 years being cared for by 6 adults on the morning of the 5th of October. On both inspection days the Registered Provider, co-owner/manager and the chef were also available in the service. At all times during the period of the inspection the minimum ratios of adults to children were maintained and an adequate number of adults were working directly with the children across all care rooms. (8)(a) There were at least two adults present in the service at all times during the period of the inspection. (9) Not applicable as there were no unpaid workers present in the service at the time of the inspection.

Part IV – Information and Records

Regulation 16 - Record in relation to Pre-school Service

(1) A registered provider shall ensure that a record in writing is kept of the following information in relation to the service

(g) the policies, procedures and statements the service is required to maintain in accordance with Regulation 10;

(h) details of attendance by each pre-school child on a daily basis; (i) details of staff rosters on a daily basis; (j) details of any medication administered to a pre-school child attending the service with signed

parental consent; (k) details of any accident, injury or incident involving a pre-school child attending the service.


(1)(g) On the day of the inspection the following policies and procedures were available and reviewed: Safe Sleep, Behaviour Management, Accidents and Incidents, Infection Control, Outings and Administration of Medication. (h) The children’s daily attendance was recorded. (i) The staff rosters were documented and the staff attendance was recorded on a daily basis. (j) Details of any medication administered to a pre-school child attending the service were recorded on medication forms with signed parental consent. (k) Details of any accident, injury or incident involving a pre-school child attending the service were recorded in an accident and incident book.


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HEALTH WELFARE & DEVELOPMENT OF CHILD

Part V - Care of Child in Pre-school Service Regulation 19 - Health, Welfare and Development of Child (1) A registered provider shall, in providing a pre-school service, ensure that—

(a) each child’s learning, development and well-being is facilitated within the daily life of the pre-school service through the provision of the appropriate activities, interaction, materials and equipment, having regard to the age and stage of development of the child


Basic Needs of the Child

The service provided chef prepared meals and snacks to the children throughout the day in line with the healthy eating policy of the service. The children attending the pre-school under the ECCE scheme brought their own packed lunches. Foods observed during the inspection included: a morning snack of mixed fruit, yoghurt and crackers, dinner of pork meatballs, green beans and potatoes with gravy and an afternoon snack of freshly baked scones and pear slices. Packed lunches included: sandwiches, rice cakes, fruit, yoghurt, fromage frais, raisins and cheese. Children were given water to drink with each meal/snack and water was readily available to them throughout the day.

The children, who were toilet trained, toileted independently with assistance given if required. Nappy changing was carried out as required for children who were not yet toilet trained.

The children were encouraged to wash their hands at appropriate times during the day such as after toileting, messy play and outdoor play and before eating. Hand washing was supervised by the adults and assistance given to the children when required to help them carry out effective hand washing.

The children could rest or sleep as desired throughout the day either in cots in the sleep room, on camp beds or in the soft seating areas in each of the pre-school rooms.

The children enjoyed freedom of movement within their room and in the outdoors. All of the children enjoyed outdoor play on both inspection days.

The children were supported and encouraged to behave appropriately for their age and stage of development through having simple rules to follow and a wide level of choice of activities. The adults modelled positive behaviour for the children and the children were praised for their good behaviour.

Supporting Relationships around Children

The adults were observed to be kind, caring, enthusiastic, calm and patient in all their interactions with the children. The children were held,


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Part V - Care of Child in Pre-school Service Regulation 19 - Health, Welfare and Development of Child

comforted and reassured if they were upset or needed a cuddle, e.g. during the settling in period or on waking from their sleep (both of which was observed during the inspection).

The adults appeared to work well as a team supported by regular meetings (sometimes via conference call) and team building activities and outings.

The adults were observed to be interested in the children, listened to them and spoke to them using soft tones of voice and positive language, engaging them in conversation and giving each child the opportunity to express themselves.

The service had a Partnership with Parents Policy. Parents were made welcome in the service at drop off and collection times when they could speak to their child’s carers about their day, sharing important information about their child. Other methods of communication with parents included: phone calls, website and seasonal newsletter.

Extent to which the Physical and Material Environment Supports Child Development

This full day care service was operated from a converted residential premises in a rural setting. The children had access to 6 play rooms, sanitary accommodation areas, a sleep room and there were three outdoor play areas (one for each of the main age groupings: 0 – 1 years, 2 – 3 years and 3+ years).

The pre-school room was two rooms acting as one, which could be divided to create two separate rooms if necessary. This room was used as the dining area for pre-school children (aged 3+ years) and school aged children in the afternoons. The rooms were divided into a number of interest areas including: reading area, table top area, kitchen area, small world area (especially dinosaurs as this was a current interest of the children), construction area and two storey cubby house. Each of the areas was well resourced with toys and accessories.

The Baby/ Toddler room was a bright and cosy room with direct access to an enclosed outdoor play area for the exclusive use of children aged 0 – 2 years with grass and soft fall surfaces and a suitable range and quantity of equipment and materials. The room had a soft play area which could be gated when younger infants used the room or left open to the rest of the room on days when all of the children were older toddlers, a built in stairs and ramp with elevated walkway, a table top area, a ball pool and a triangular cubby house/sensory unit. All of the toys and materials were accessible to the children. Newly purchased orthopaedic armchairs were available as adult seating.

The Clubhouse was the room used by the children aged 2 – 3 years. This


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room was divided into interest areas such as: climbing area and raised cubby house, garage and car area, ball pool, home corner, table top area and car surround play area. An outdoor play area was directly accessible from this room for exclusive use by the children in this room. The outdoor play area included a sand box, climbing frame and slides, push toys, ride on toys and balls with grass and soft play surfaces.

A new modular building, which replaced a previous modular building had been recently installed behind the premises and attached to it by a constructed and sealed corridor. This building contained two rooms which were both used as pre-school rooms in the morning. In the afternoon, one of the rooms was used by school aged children. These rooms were bright and comfortable and resourced with a range of toys and equipment including: tent area for rest/story time/imaginative play and sensory play, Montessori area, table tops activities area, arts and crafts area, block area, jigsaw area and a blackboard area.

The children had access to a wide range and quantity of toys, activities and materials both indoors and outdoors on the days of inspection.

The outdoor play area used by the older pre-school aged children was a large area at the back of the premises with astro turf and concrete ground surfaces. There was an area of concrete path under the eaves along one side of the building. The activities and materials available to the children outdoors included: climbing frames, slides, swings, play houses, sand box, ride on toys, push toys and seating areas.

Extent to which the Programme of Activities and its Implementation supports Children’s Development

The children had freedom of choice throughout the day to explore and play both indoors and outdoors, suitable to their age and stage of development. There was a pre-planned, documented timetable and schedule of activities displayed in each room. Planning for the curriculum was informed by the adults ongoing observations of the children, their emerging interests and abilities.

Each child had a folder that contained examples of their work and photos of them taken in the service, with their friends, engaged in activities and special events such as their birthdays. Photo albums/scrap books in the rooms were accessible to the children to look at and enjoy.

All of the children were engaged in activities or games of choice throughout the period of the inspection. The children appeared to be content and confident in their environment, playing alone, in pairs or in small groups, supported by the adults as required.

The curriculum for the children aged over 3 years included monthly excursions to places of historical and cultural interest including: the Hunt


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Museum, Nenagh Library and Bunratty Folk Park.

Non-Compliance Information: Extent to which the Physical and Material Environment Supports Child Development

On the 5th of October 2016 there were 13 children aged 18 months – 3 years being cared for in the Clubhouse. The space requirement for these children was 31.45m². The recent development work in this room has reduced the room size to 24.69m². Though there was additional space available in other rooms throughout the service, the children attending the service and being cared for in the Clubhouse had insufficient space available to them on that day of inspection. Overcrowding impacts on the children’s freedom of movement within the space and may limit their ability to effectively engage in play in an area of interest without being disturbed by the other children.

Response from Registered Provider Corrective Action & Preventive Action:

Summary Comment


(2) A registered provider shall ensure that no corporal punishment is inflicted on a pre-school child whilst attending the service.

(3) A registered provider shall ensure that no practices that are disrespectful, degrading, exploitive, intimidating, emotionally or physically harmful or neglectful are carried out in respect of a pre-school child whilst attending the service.


(2) The adults ensured that no corporal punishment was inflicted on a pre-school child attending the service as outlined in the Policies and Procedures for the service. (3) The adults ensured that no practices that were disrespectful, degrading, exploitive, intimidating, emotionally or physically harmful or neglectful were carried out in respect of a pre-school child whilst attending the service. This was included in the Positive Behaviour Management Policy. The adults were observed to model appropriate behaviour for the children, to treat each child with respect and kindness and to give them gentle reminders about their behaviour where appropriate.


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Part V - Care of Child in Pre-school Service Regulation 20 - Facilities for Rest and Play

(1) Subject to this regulation, a registered provider shall ensure that- (b)There are adequate and suitable facilities for a pre-school child to rest during the day.

(3) A registered provider of a full day care service, a part-time day care service or a childminding service, other than such a service to which paragraph (2) applies, shall ensure that—

(a) a suitable, safe and secure outdoor space to which the pre-school children attending the service have access on a daily basis is provided on the premises or


(1)(b) A sleep room, located across from the baby/toddler room, was available and furnished with 6 standard cots with new fitted mattresses and a supply of clean bed linen. The sleep room had a viewing panel into it from the corridor. The sleep room was maintained at a room temperature between 16 and 20⁰C and had a working electronic monitor. Stackable beds were available for the children aged over 2 years to sleep when required. All sleep facilities appeared to be clean and in a good state of repair. (3)(a) Three outdoor play areas, each fully secured with wooden fencing and

gates were available to the pre-school children. All hazards such as the oil tank and storage sheds were inaccessible to the pre-school children.

SAFETY

Part VI - Safety Regulation 23 - Safeguarding Health, Safety and welfare of child A registered provider shall ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of a pre-school child attending the service and that the environment of the service is safe. Compliance Information:

The following measures were taken to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of the pre-school children attending the service: Infection Control:

The service had a recently reviewed and updated Infection Prevention and Control Policy and Procedures that included exclusion criteria for children and staff with infectious diseases.

Each room had a wash hand basin to facilitate hand washing at appropriate times during the day. Regular hand washing was observed during the inspection by both adults and children, especially before eating and after toileting (including nappy changing) and outdoor play.

A wash hand basin had recently been installed at the entrance door. A new practice of all staff and children washing their hands and having

their temperature checked with an infra red thermometer prior to entering the service had been introduced to help prevent the introduction of infection into the service.


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Part VI - Safety Regulation 23 - Safeguarding Health, Safety and welfare of child

The service had identified a room that could be made into an isolation area if required for a child who was unwell and may have an infectious disease. The Infection Prevention and Control Policy for the service included the preparation, use and management of the isolation room.

The service had a Cleaning policy and the staff were observed sweeping the floors after meals and practising “clean as you go” cleaning of table tops, floors and work surfaces.

Safe Sleep Practices:

The service had a Safe Sleep Policy based on safe sleep guidelines for the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome.

Records of sleep checks on sleeping infants indicated that the children were checked every 10 minutes while sleeping.

Administration of Medication:

There was documented evidence that medication was administered to children in the service in line with the Administration of Medication Policy.

Outings:

A detailed outings policy and schedule of outings was available for the service.

General Safety: A general safety risk assessment of the service in relation to doors,

windows, toys and equipment, electrical safety, storage and general health and safety was satisfactory. No risks were identified on the inspection day.

Part VI - Safety Regulation 25 - First Aid (1) A registered provider shall ensure that a person trained in first aid for children is, at all times, immediately available to the children attending the pre-school service. (2) A registered provider shall ensure that a suitably equipped first aid box for children—

(a) is safely stored in an easily accessible and conspicuous position on the premises, and (b) is available to the children attending the pre-school service at all times.


(1) There were 2 adults working in the service on the day of the inspection who held a current certification in First Aid for children. (2)(a) A well stocked first aid box was stored in the entrance hall. There was a second first aid box in the Clubhouse. (b) The first aid boxes were available at all times if required for a child.


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Part VI - Safety Regulation 26 - Fire Safety Measures (1) A registered provider shall ensure that a record in writing is kept of—

(a) any fire drill that takes place in the premises, and (b) the number, type and maintenance record of fire fighting equipment and smoke alarms in the premises.

(4) A notice of the procedures to be followed in the event of fire shall be displayed in a conspicuous position in the premises Compliance Information:

(1)(a) The fire drills were practiced on a monthly basis. The last recorded fire drill took place on the 30th of August 2016. (b) The fire fighting equipment was serviced on an annual basis, most recently in October 2016, and a record was maintained of the number, type and maintenance record of the fire fighting equipment and the smoke alarms in the premises. (4) A notice of the procedures to be followed in the event of a fire was displayed on the walls of the pre-school rooms.

Part VI - Safety Regulation 28 - Insurance A registered provider shall ensure that the pre-school service is adequately insured. Compliance Information:

The service provider had adequate insurance for the service, to cover up to 65 children, valid until the 31st of December 2016.

TUSLA INSPECTION REPORT0104.nccdn.net/1_5/0aa/344/04b/Tusla-Inspection-Results...Child Care Act 1991...

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