Crying children left without comfort at Wexford Creche

Tusla has published its report following an inspection at Discoveryland Creche and Montessori in Wexford town. Inspectors found that babies and toddlers were left to cry for long periods of time as there were not enough staff to comfort them and were concerned that “the individual needs of the babies were not sufficiently met”.

The report stated that the inspectors heard “persistent crying” in the baby room, to such a degree that “the noise level was such that the inspectors noted it was difficult for staff to speak and respond to each other in the room when answering question in relation to the care of the babies”.

A number of concerning scenes were noted. One young child was seen crying for long periods over an hour and a half and was at times sitting on the floor alone. Another child was observed crying but staff struggled to provide comfort as there were 10 children under the age of 2 in the room, 2 of whom were less than a year old.

An inspector asked a staff member to contact a parent of a baby they described as “inconsolable”. The staff member responded that the child was not really upset as “there are no tears”.

Child’s additional needs not met

The report also noted that the needs of one child, who required additional supports, were not met at this Wexford Creche. The child had “minimal interaction” with staff and was left in a highchair with no assistance in feeding.

Information provided to parents not accurate

The Tusla inspector also noted that the information given to parents at the end of the day regarding children was not correct, in one case advising a parent that their child was “a little unsettled, but had a good day”. This was observed as being inaccurate.

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