Some work done, but much more needed to improve creches

THE broadcast of a Prime Time Investigates special report last May into the mistreatment of children at a number of creches has proven a catalyst in raising awareness of standards and the regulation of pre-school facilities.

Before transmission of the controversial programme, many people would have had little knowledge of the inspection regime which exists for the nation’s creches and how the health authorities oversee childminders and pre-school staff charged with the care and safety of some of the most vulnerable members of society.

Although the issue has been highlighted by the Irish Examiner regularly since 2006, with reports that inspections had uncovered poor standards and practices but failed to effect real change through a lack of robust enforcement and sanctions, very little was done at official level to publicise such material.

This newspaper has in the past had to obtain creche inspections reports under the Freedom of Information Act to compile such articles as they were not routinely published by the HSE.

Since July, however, reports by HSE inspectors have been released on a regular basis — a decision largely seen as a reaction to the controversy generated by Prime Time Investigates.

Although such reports have been compiled since the HSE became responsible for the inspection of all pre-school services in the Republic through the Child Care Act in 1991, efforts to standardise oversight of the sector only came about with the introduction of the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations 2006.

Inspectors now fill out a standard report which assesses creche facilities on 27 individual regulations governing the health, safety, and development of children; the suitability of premises and facilities; record-keeping; childcare staff ratios; and Garda vetting of workers.

Although the legislation states that all providers of pre-school services in the Republic (around 4,500) should be inspected by the HSE on an annual basis, such a target is widely acknowledged as not being met.

Early Childcare Ireland, the representative body of childcare providers, claims the reality is closer to every 18 months, with some areas, particularly in Dublin, suffering from a lack of inspectors.

Almost 400 creche inspection reports published by the HSE on www.pobal.ie are available in relation to six counties — Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Donegal, Galway, and Mayo.

An analysis of the reports by the Irish Examiner reveals a high level of non-compliance with the requirement for childcare staff to be vetted by gardaí. It highlights how 45% of creches failed to meet the standard, although this is largely attributed to lengthy delays in getting staff approved by the Garda Vetting Unit.

Early Childcare Ireland chief executive Irene Gunning said the situation has improved, although the average delay is still 10-12 weeks. “In many cases, it’s a question for creche owners of either not having the correct ratio of staff to children or not having people vetted,” she said.

The figures also reveal that while only 35% of creches inspected in the six counties were fully compliant with all 27 regulations, the non-compliance rate ranged from just 4% in Mayo to a high of 83% in Tipperary.

Ms Gunning readily admits there are inconsistencies between how HSE inspectors in different regions assess compliance with pre-school regulations. She stressed that creche owners welcome the publication of such reports in general as beneficial for both providers and parents. She said while inspections per se are good, how they are conducted could be greatly improved.

The Irish Examiner’s analysis shows that the interpretation by HSE inspectors of the regulations seems to vary widely. While there was a non-compliance rate of 68% with safety measures in Mayo creches, it was as low as 4% in Limerick. Can the pre-school facilities on Shannonside with regard to safety be so much better than in Mayo?

Again in Mayo 42% of facilities failed to meet standards regarding ventilation but no problems were found in relation to this in any creche in Clare or Tipperary.

Ms Gunning also complains that many inspectors are “difficult people to talk to” when creche owners would welcome the opportunity for immediate feedback and discussion at the end of an inspection.

Early Childcare Ireland has called for the HSE to provide mentors who could assist in training of childcare staff and ensuring regulations are met.

Although the criteria on which crèches are assessed are being reviewed, with the expectation of a greater emphasis away from the physical building and record-keeping to the actual engagement with children by childcare staff, the benefits of such changes hinge greatly on enforcement levels.

While the first block of HSE inspection reports provide useful, if somewhat limited, information about the performance of creches, they also highlight how much more work and greater resources are needed to provide an inspection service that the nation’s children and their parents expect and deserve.