Pre-school regulations breached

EDITORIAL

PARENTS were frightened out of their wits earlier this year when an RTÉ documentary highlighted the mistreatment of children at crèches in Dublin and County Wicklow. It set parents wondering if incidents captured on film could be replicated at the crèche or pre-school where their children were attending.
Nothing of that nature has been found in Clare.

 

However, HSE inspections, carried out earlier this year, have uncovered quite a number of breaches of regulations at 25 Clare pre-school facilities. The results of these inspections were obtained by The Clare Champion under the Freedom of Information Act.

The HSE uncovered breaches of management and staffing records at eight Clare pre-school facilities and non-compliance with basic health and safety standards were found in 17 different facilities in the county. Another 45 facilities were found to have no non-compliance issues.

The lack of garda vetting and written references for staff is possibly the most serious and worrying issue. This is a basic requirement and parents are well entitled to know how these matters were bypassed or overlooked. By law, men and women dealing with children in sport or recreation must be vetted. Indeed, they must be vetted for each discipline they are involved in.

All childcare facilities are required to have a copy of garda vetting forms and police clearance certificates for staff that worked abroad. Operators are also expected to have two validated references and photographic identification for all staff.

Failure to comply with safety regulations was pinpointed in a number of crèches and pre-schools. Other matters that gave rise to concern included dampness, poor hygiene, sagging floors and heating problems.

On a positive note, all of the childcare providers co-operated with the HSE and many of the issues were sorted out fairly quickly.

Also, they did not shy away when contacted by The Clare Champion. In fact, most of them said they welcomed the publication of inspection reports, as they felt they had nothing to hide and agreed it led to more openness and transparency.

While disagreeing with the publication of inspection reports in the media, one operator felt the day-to-day running is a matter between the manager and parents, who would be entitled to see a copy of the report.

Given all the controversies surrounding the treatment of children in various circumstances, there is an onus on the State and we, as a community, to safeguard children. This extends to when vulnerable children are first brought from their homes by parents and placed in the care of others. What might seem to be minor oversights or infringements of regulations in crèches or pre-school facilities should be eliminated.

Young drivers’ deaths
KILLED, critically or seriously injured in a traffic accident are dreaded words. Frequently these words relate to a young driver, most likely a male in his 20s.

The number of deaths and injuries on Irish roads has, generally, been falling but the trend has suffered a reverse. The trail of death and injury from traffic incidents over the August Bank Holiday is frightening. Four young drivers, four too many and four more than for the same period last year, didn’t see it through to Tuesday.

The gardaí, the Road Safety Authority (RSA), the AA and various other organisations are constantly hammering home the message that all road users must exercise care.

Speed kills. Drink-driving kills. Drug-driving kills. Tiredness kills. Faulty brakes or worn tyres kill. And that’s only for those behind the wheel. Passengers are also in danger and there are strong warnings to them about the dangers of travelling with a driver who should not be doing so at that particular time.
Motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians are also vulnerable on our roads.

Unless people are living in total isolation, without any access to the media, they cannot but be aware of the road safety campaign messages. Yet there are those who ignore all advice as they take to the roads.

While we cannot be judgemental about the cause of all accidents, we must face up to the fact that quite a few are as a result of reckless behaviour by drivers. Even when driving within the Rules of the Road, there are always risks. You can only legislate for your own actions and be on the alert for what others do, so that you can take evasive action, if possible.

Some years ago, a judge in Clare, having convicted a man of a serious driving offence, warned him, “If you put your paws on a steering wheel again, you’re heading to jail”. He got his second chance.

Whether he heeded the warning, who knows, but for many drivers who crash, there is no second chance. Death is the outcome and another figure is added to the statistics.

It’s every garda’s nightmare to have to stand on the doorstep of a home and break the news to parents and family members that their loved one has died in an accident. Each death has a big impact on one or more families; it’s something that some people never get over.

Should parents be aware, or even suspect, that their sons or daughters are inclined towards driving at speed, remind them of last weekend’s road deaths. They should be in no hurry to join that list.