Tusla- the Child and Family Agency
Tusla-the Child and Family Agency has a statutory responsibility to assess levels of compliance with the Child Care Regulations (The Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2016. The Child and Family Agency will work with service providers in partnership to promote a culture of compliance with the Regulations. It is the duty of every person carrying on a preschool service to take all reasonable measures to safeguard the Health, Safety and Welfare of the children attending the service and to comply with the 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.
The Child and Family Agency publishes Inspection reports of Early Years Services on an ongoing basis. Where available the providers responses are also published online.
Tusla inspection reports are available at:
Department of Education
The Department of Education (DE) has a key role in supporting quality within the Early Years Education sector and works closely with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY).
Early-years education inspections
Early-years education inspections are carried out in Early Years services. During these inspections, the quality of the nature, range and appropriateness of the early educational experiences for children is evaluated. The main activity of an Early Years Education 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.
This guide gov.ie - Guide to Early Years Education Inspections outlines how the DE Inspectorate conducts early years education inspections, effective from 2022. The most significant change to the previous Guide to EYEI (2018) is the extension of the DE Inspectorate remit to evaluate the quality of educational experiences in ELC settings funded by DCEDIY for children aged from birth to six years.
Parents can view Early-Years Education-focused Inspection (EYEI) Reports by clicking this link.
