The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has said she was "deeply upset" to have witnessed the mistreatment of children in the care of a crèche chain, that was the subject of an investigation by RTÉ.

On Wednesday night, RTÉ aired an undercover report into the care being provided at some of the branches of the Hyde and Seek crèche chain in Dublin. The programme contained a number of disturbing revelations, including children being mistreated by the one of the owners of the chain, Anne Davy.

Ms Davy is seen on a number of occasions shouting at children, as well as handling them roughly at naptime, including forcing them to sleep on their stomachs and holding their heads down.

Major fire safety concerns were also raised, with sleep rooms so packed with cots, it was difficult for staff to reach the children inside them, and fire exits blocked.

In one branch, children were also being given watered down milk, while the reporter also observed that on one day when they were supposed to be receiving vegetable stir fry for their meal, they were instead given instant chicken noodles from a packet.

Ms Davy has since announced that she is stepping down from her position as manager of one of the creches and will have no future role in frontline childcare provision.

The crèche chain is owned by Ms Davy, her husband, Peter and their daughter, Siobhan. They currently run four crèches in Dublin, and have acquired a fifth, which has yet to open.

It has emerged that Ms Davy is no stranger to regulation breaches. The chain's newest branch in Glasnevin was not registered properly when it opened, which meant it was, in effect, unregistered for its first 14 months in operation.

Meanwhile, Ms Davy has been the subject of a number of convictions in relation to breaches of regulations, including failing to keep records and failing to maintain child to adult ratios.

In this latest programme, crèche workers were seen looking after up to 18 children at one time. The current ratios state that there should be one adult to three children up to the age of one, one adult to five children aged one to two years, one adult to six children aged two to three years and one adult to eight children aged three to six years.

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone, said she was "deeply shocked and appalled" at what the programme had shown.

Speaking on RTÉ radio, she said that not every childcare facility is like this one, but she appealed to parents to "listen to their gut" and if they have concerns, to report them to TUSLA (the Child and Family Agency).

In a statement, TUSLA acknowledged that the programme "will undoubtedly cause upset and anxiety for parents and the general public".

"Every single registered service provider in Ireland has been inspected, and the majority of service providers are compliant with the majority of regulations. In 2018, TUSLA carried out 2,513 inspections, and reports are available on TUSLA's website.

"However, in a small number of cases enforcement action is necessary and in those instances TUSLA can and does take action, up to and including closing the service, and/or taking a criminal prosecution," explained Brian Lee, director of quality assurance at TUSLA.

The agency said that when information is brought to its attention in relation to potential harm to a child, its child protection and welfare service screens and assesses this.

"Where there is an immediate and serious risk to a child, TUSLA provides an immediate response. All cases of suspected child abuse are reported to An Garda Siochana. TUSLA received information from RTÉ in July in relation to serious concerns regarding quality of care in these services which triggered further action from the Early Years Inspectorate.

"Regarding any child protection or welfare concerns identified in this programme, TUSLA contacted RTÉ to seek any further information that will assist us to take any further action to protect children. RTÉ has agreed to cooperate and we await receipt of footage and detailed information on specific children, dates and times of incidents," it said.

Meanwhile, TUSLA offers the following advice to parents who may be concerned:
-Check if the service provider is registered
-Check the last inspection report
-Speak to your provider and seek assurances about the quality of care
-If you have a concern about a service, contact TUSLA's Early Years' Inspectorate on 061 461700 or by emailing early.yearsui@tusla.ie

Further information for parents/guardians is available here.