Four childcare workers have been suspended following allegations about abuse of toddlers at a creche in south Dublin.

The Irish Times reports that Garda and Tusla investigations are underway at the community childcare centre with two staff members having their Garda vetting clearance suspended.

Two other staff have been suspended for allegedly failing to report concerns quickly enough.

Irish Times Social Affairs Correspondent Kitty Holland told Newstalk Breakfast the alleged abuse involved children aged between two and three.

"What I've established quite firmly is that four members of staff have been suspended from this childcare service in south Dublin," she said.

"This is because of the alleged abuse of toddlers aged between two and three, up to six toddlers in this childcare setting and by two members of staff.

"The other two were suspended, allegedly, for not reporting the alleged abuse promptly enough".

'Upsetting'

Ms Holland said the alleged abuse includes force-feeding a child with sensory issues.

"The alleged abuse - and it is upsetting when it's all read together - is the alleged slapping of children's heads, hitting children's legs, forcing children roughly into their highchairs, force-feeding a child with sensory issues until they've vomited, repeatedly calling one child 'fatty' [and] wiping children's noses so forcefully to the point that they fell backwards and hurt their heads".

Ms Holland said there are also allegations of getting the children to be verbally abusive to each other "including getting children to call each other 'a***hole', speaking in disparaging terms about children's parents in front of the children after the parents had left them off and just being generally really kind of cold and uncaring with the children."

"If each one was a one off you might kind of let it go, I suppose, but when they're all together and it's repeated, it's a really concerning environment - a toxic environment - for the toddlers in particular but also for other members of the staff."

Investigations

Ms Holland said there are a number of investigations into the allegations.

"The two main investing investigation bodies are the Gardaí and Tusla," she said.

"There's possible criminal charges here for abuse.

"Tusla would have the power to shut it down or to make findings that would feed into a Garda investigation - but also, if necessary, to bring social care to the affected children and to get involved with the child welfare findings on the situation there."

'HR inquiry'

Ms Holland said the childcare centre in question has also carried out an internal HR probe.

"The childcare centre did their own internal investigation and parents weren't interviewed for that and they were quite upset about that," she said.

"They were looking to see a copy of it... but they got correspondence there in the last few weeks saying that, in fact, actually this was not an investigation it was a Human Resources inquiry, which took parents aback.

"So interviewing the parents, they said, wasn't within the remit of the investigation."

Ms Holland said parents have since been told by the facility they will not be sharing further aspects of the probe "because it could jeopardise the the Garda investigation."

"They said interviews with both parents and families have and will remain the remit of Gardaí and Tusla," she said.

"I understand Gardaí and Tusla have interviewed parents of the allegedly affected children.

"The parents who I've spoken to, or who I've heard about, are really unhappy with management's handling of the situation.

"They are really upset that there was a delay in telling them."

Whistleblower

Ms Holland said the allegations originated from a whistleblower member of staff.

"One of the toddler's parents had to approach management to really get this out into the open in terms of other parents hearing about it," she said.

"These parents had heard about it through a third party - one of the members of staff who was the whistleblower - had contacted them through a third party."

Ms Holland added that parents are also unhappy that the alleged abusers "remained working with their children and with other children in the creche for a number of weeks after management first became aware."

Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman told the show the allegations are deeply concerning.

"I've no doubt any parent reading that article is deeply, deeply concerned," he said.

"We have an extremely strong regulatory system around childcare in this country.

"I've no doubt that Tusla and the Gardaí will work closely in terms of completing this investigation".

Minister O'Gorman added that legislation passed before the summer "strengthens Tusla's ability to enforce laws where there's concern that a childcare provider is breaching these".