Child Care 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 Early Years Inspectorate has a statutory responsibility to assess levels of compliance with the Regulations. We work with service providers in partnership to promote a culture of compliance with the Regulations. This does not preclude us from escalating to enforcement actions where necessary steps following an inspection if necessary. The health, safety and welfare of children attending early years services remain paramount.

The Early Years Inspectorate has developed a Quality and Regulatory Framework (QRF), to support registered Early Years Services to comply with the 2016 Regulations. The QRF does this by setting out the core regulatory requirements in a transparent way, bringing together evidence-based, national and international research and best practice in Early Years. The QRF aims to support registered providers in achieving compliance with the regulations and enhance the safety and care of children who attend these services. The QRF is child-centred, with a specific focus on the quality and safety of the care provided directly to children using the services.

The inspectorate has also developed a Question & Answer document to complement the Quality and Regulatory Framework and the two documents should be read in conjunction with each other.