Please refer to Early Years (Pre School) Inspectorate section of the Tusla Website for information on the Pre-School Regulations, Registration, Inspection Reports and other useful information in relation to the provision and inspection of Early Years (Childcare) Services.
We have linked some of this information below.
Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 become operational on 30th June 2016.
Tusla has produced a question and answer document on the above regulations. It was developed following briefing sessions that the Early Years Inspectorate had with the sector in May and June 2016. Questions gathered came from providers, city & county childcare committees and from stakeholder groups. See the full Regulations 2016 Q & A.
The Early Years Inspectorate has developed a Quality and Regulatory Framework (QRF), to support registered Early Years Services to comply with the 2016 Regulations. The QRF does this by setting out the core regulatory requirements in a transparent way, bringing together evidence-based, national and international research and best practice in Early Years. The QRF aims to support registered providers in achieving compliance with the regulations and enhance the safety and care of children who attend these services. The QRF is child-centred, with a specific focus on the quality and safety of the care provided directly to children using the services.
Tusla Early Years Inspectorate, in collaboration with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, launched the Quality and Regulatory Framework on Wednesday the 5th of September 2018 in Dublin.
There is a QRF relevant to all services below. Full list of QRF can be found here.
The process of registering school aged childcare services commenced in May 2019. The process is done online. For further details, click on this link. Also see the document School Aged Children Registration FAQ’s above.
SCHOOL AGE CHILDCARE REG FAQ
Early-Years Education-focused Inspections (EYEI) are carried out in early-years services participating in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme – a programme which provides a period of free early childhood care and education for children before they start school.
During these inspections, the quality of the nature, range and appropriateness of the early educational experiences for children participating in the ECCE Programme is evaluated.
The main activity of an EYEI inspection is the observation, by the inspector, of the processes and practices relating to children’s learning in one or more learning rooms or areas in the early-years setting.
At the end of each inspection the early-years practitioners and the owners/managers (where available) are given with feedback on the quality of educational provision in the setting. Subsequently we send a written report to the pre-school inspected outlining the inspection findings and providing advice as to how educational provision in the setting can be further developed or improved.
The inspection report is published on the Department of Education and Skills website and on the website of The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
New early year’s services opening are required to make an application three months before the opening of the setting.
All new services registering must provide a suitable, safe and secure outdoor area where children can access daily. Where a space is not available, an alternative space must be provided (Regulation 20 (3)).
All employees must have a minimum QQI Level 5 in Early Childhood Care and Education (Regulation 9 (4)).
A person trained in first aid for children (First Aid Responder – FAR Certification) must be on the premises at all times (Regulation 25)
Early years services are required to maintain specific records of each child attending including allergies and immunisations. These records should be stored for 2 years from the date the child leaves the service (Regulation 15 (1))
All early years services must have a Health & Safety Statement as outlined by the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act, 2005.
A copy of the 2016 regulations must be kept on premises at all times (Regulation 18)
There are 21 mandatory policies all services must have in place – see schedule 5 for full list (Regulation 10).
A policy must be developed on how disclosures are managed if they come back on Garda Vetting forms.
All early years services must develop a risk assessments policy to show how they risk assess elements of their service.
Yearly reviews must be carried out by full day and sessional services on the quality and safety of care provided. A record of this must be stored for 3 years (Regulation 14)
Services must carry out a vetting disclosure (formerly Garda Vetting) and reference check on all employees, contractors and unpaid workers (Volunteers/ Students). This must happen before any person has been appointed (Regulation 9 (2 & 3)).
For employees who have “lived outside the jurisdiction for six months” police vetting from the country or countries must be sought.
Garda vetting must be retained for 5 years from the date of employment (Regulation 16 (2)).
A clear management structure must be documented. All services are required to have a designated person in charge and/ or a named person in charge on premises at all times (Regulation 9 (1) (a)).
Induction training is mandatory for all employees, unpaid workers and contractors (Regulation 9 (7))
Full day care settings must have 2 adults on premises at all times.
Sessional services where a person operates single handedly must have a second person familiar with the service in a position to provide assistance where necessary. This person must be close by to the service (Regulation 11 (8)
Services must provide adequate and suitable, nutritious and varied food and drink (Regulation 22)
All children attending services must be logged in and out when they arrive and leave (Regulation 24 (1)) Where 15 or more children are attending, the service must assign this responsibility to an employee or unpaid worker (Regulation 24 (2))
All persons entering an early years setting must be approved by an employee, and each person must sign in & out of the building. This register must be stored for 1 year from the date it has begun (Regulation 24 (3 & 4))
All services, including sessional must have spaces for children to rest (Regulation 20 (1))
Full day care services and part time services must provide the following clear floor space as outlined below (Regulation 30 (2))
Childcare Act 1991 Early Years Services Regulations 2016
Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2016
Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services)(Registration of School Age Services) Regulations 2018
Questions asked to the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate team from the Early Years Sector
Accessing published inspection reports
Early Years Inspector Contact Details
First 5 Guidance during COVID-19; for up to date guidance for service providers and parents
© 2021 Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Childcare Committee
