Compliance
Early Years services are open to inspections by Tusla, Pobal and Department of Education. Information and links to guides and frameworks to support these inspections can be found below:
When parents are choosing childcare for their children there are tips on questions to ask and what to look for when visiting an Early Years’ service. Tusla provides tips that can guide parent when choosing childcare for their child which can be accessed below:
Regulations
All Early Years services are required by law to be registered under Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 and the Child Care Regulations (The Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services)( Amendments) Regulations 2016 which can be accessed below:
Quality Regularity Framework
To support registered Early Years Services to comply with 2016 Regulations, the Early Years Inspectorate has developed a Quality and Regulatory Framework (QRF) which can be accessed below:
Quality and Regulatory Framework eLearning Programme
The eLearning programme has been developed as an eLearning resource, to support compliance with the Childcare Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 and can be accessed below:
Policies and Procedures
Tusla has also made available the Guidelines to Developing Policies and Procedures in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings a Practical Guide available below:
All Early Years and School Age Childcare services who are in contract with DCEDIY and offering the ECCE, CCSP and NCS funding programmes and supports to parents are open to compliance checks and inspections by Pobal.
Information on the requirements under each of the funding programmes can be found below through the links:
The Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) supports Early Years Services in contract with DCEDIY to provide the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), to improve the quality of learning for children and young people. Inspections are designed to evaluate key aspects of education provision in the educational setting inspected and to promote improvement in that setting. A guide to the Early Years Education Inspection (EYEI) can be accessed below: