Early Years Enforcement

It is the legal responsibility of all Early Years Service providers to ensure that their service complies with the requirements of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 at all times.

Regulatory compliance is a specific requirement of Article 58G of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, which states: “It shall be the duty of every person providing an Early Years Service to take all reasonable measures to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of children attending the service”.

This section provides information to explain to Early Years Service providers and the public how legislative and regulatory requirements are enforced by the Early Years Inspectorate in a clear and transparent way. It describes and outlines the procedures that are applied when the requirements of the regulations are not met.

You can also find a list of Early Years Services where the inspectorate has taken enforcement action.