Publication of Regulatory Notice on the Use of Water Beads in Early Years Services

Tusla have published a regulatory notice which sets out requirements for Early Years Services in relation to the use of Water Beads.

 

Find Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice HERE

2.0 Decision of the Early Years Inspectorate
In response to the guidance issued by the CCPC the following decisions have been made
1. Water beads are prohibited for use in Pre-School and School Age Services
for children aged under 5 years old.
2. For children aged 5 years old and over, the service needs to ensure water
beads are safely stored and should pre-school children attend the service,
then controls need to be in place to ensure they cannot access them.
A risk assessment will also be required for circumstances where pre-school
children are attending a (Combined) School Age Service.