Did you tune into RTÉ Investigates – Creches, Behind Closed Doors last night?
RTÉ went undercover to look at standards of care in the Hyde & Seek Childcare company and what the cameras unveiled was nothing short of horrifying.
The nation was left deeply disturbed and utterly outraged by the treatment of the children at Hyde & Seek Childcare. The shocking behaviour of Anne Davy left thousands of viewers in a state of shock and undoubtedly left many parents, especially working mums feeling deeply upset.
The public were quick to comment on the show after it aired on RTÉ last night.
One woman said, “It was shocking. I can't imagine how the parents of children in those creches feel.”
Another said, “Being a working mother myself and seeing this programme only adds to the feelings of guilt/stress that us working parents already feel daily. Our Government does very little to support working parents and I think there is also a huge lack of support from employers in this country in terms of flexibility for working parents!”
“I feel for the parents of these kids the trusted this woman with their kids,” another wrote.
Thank you to #RTEInvestigates and @aoifehegs for the work conducted. Horrendous to see how some people can treat our children and see them as no more than numbers for profit. A lot to process. How can we trust tusla to regulate these rogues
— Liamobutler (@liam0butler) July 25, 2019
“I was expecting the show to highlight some bad things but not to be that extreme. It was horrendous. I agree with jail time, there’s such a case of child abuse there. If I treated my kids like that in my own home they'd b taken off me. It's shocking.
“I am also a childcare worker and if I even thought someone I worked with acted like that I'd be calling the guards myself. Those poor babies, they don't understand if they made a mess, or why they have to sleep on her terms. They just need to be hugged. That chain of creche needs to be closed immediately. Yes there are innocent staff there who need a job but certainly not with those owners,” one shared.
RTÉ Investigates had two undercover researchers successfully apply for childcare positions with the Hyde & Seek company. Both researchers had the required qualifications, are highly trained and were Garda vetted by RTÉ. RTÉ also worked with two care experts who advised them at all points on the evidence gathered by the researchers.
Crèches and preschool facilities must abide by a lengthy list of regulations which have been designed to protect the welfare of children. While RTÉ witnessed some examples of good care, it wasn’t long before the RTÉ undercover workers started to observe repeated breaches of regulation.
Significantly the poor practises RTÉ witnessed were not performed by care staff but by Hyde & Seek owner Anne Davy herself. That included how she interacted with and handled children.
RTÉ has reported its concerns to both TUSLA and Dublin Fire Brigade and continues to liaise with both bodies.
In a statement to RTÉ, Hyde & Seek Childcare said it has been operating crèches for over 15 years and strives to provide a top quality child-centred service. However, having been made aware of our findings, the company has confirmed that Anne Davy is stepping down and “… will take no future role in front line childcare provision.” In a statement she acknowledged “… that in recent months she has occasionally fallen below the standards of our behavioural management policy and has found herself being short, rather than simply direct.” Anne Davy added that she “…very much regrets this.”
