Childminder inspection report. Still, Angela Aberdeen

Transcription

1 Still, Angela Aberdeen Inspection completed on 26 April 2016

2 Service provided by: Still, Angela Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS Inspection Type: Unannounced Care services in Scotland, including childminders, cannot operate unless they are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect, award grades and set out improvements that must be made. We also investigate complaints about care services and take action when things aren't good enough. Please get in touch with us if you would like more information or have any concerns about a care service. Contact Us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com page 2 of 16

3 1 Introduction The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at The service was registered with the Care Inspectorate on 15 July Requirements and recommendations Childminder inspection report If we are concerned about some aspect of a service, or think it needs to do more to improve, we may make a recommendation or requirement. The childminding service is provided in terraced house set on a residential housing estate in the Kincorth area of Aberdeen. There are grounds to the front and fully enclosed garden to the rear with a selection of outdoor play equipment. The childminder provides a pick up and drop off service to a local school nearby. The service has been operating for over 20 years. The service is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of 6 children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of 6 will be under 12, of whom no more than 3 are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than 1 is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. The childminder does not provide an overnight service. Included within the childminding aims and objectives was the statement: "My aims and objectives are to provide the children in my care with a safe, friendly, happy and caring environment". We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it right for every child (also known as GIRFEC). Set up by Scottish Government, GIRFEC is a national approach to working in a consistent way with all children and young people. It is underpinned by the principles of prevention and early intervention. The approach helps services focus on what makes a positive difference for children and young people - and what they can do to improve. Getting it right for every child is being woven into all policy, practice, strategy and legislation that affect children, young people and their families. page 3 of 16

4 There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of Getting it right for every child. They are: safe; healthy; achieving; nurtured; active; respected; responsible; and included. They are often referred to as the SHANARRI indicators. We use these indicators at inspection, to assess how services are making a positive difference for children. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection, which took place between and pm on Tuesday 26 April One Care Inspector carried out the inspection. There were several minded children present during the inspection. At the end of the inspection we gave feedback to childminder, Mrs Still. As part of the inspection, we looked at the completed self assessment that we asked the childminder to submit to us. We sent four care standards questionnaires to the childminder and asked her to give these to the parents who used her childminding service. We received two completed questionnaires which showed us that the parents and carers were very happy with the service she provided. We have included comments from these within the body of the report. During the inspection process we gathered evidence from various sources. We looked at the: Childminder inspection report - information folder including the childminding policies and procedures - childminding information gathering system - children's records - risk assessment - health and safety records - medication records - accident and incident records - childminding training records - up to date insurance documents (public liability) - three returned care standards questionnaires - equipment, toys and activities for play - environment during a tour of the home and viewing the garden. page 4 of 16

5 We observed: - the young children playing with the toys and having snack - how Mrs Still worked with the young children present - we heard Mrs Still giving detailed feedback to a parents who arrived to collect their child. We talked with: - the childminder, Mrs Still - the young children present - one parent who arrived to collect her child. We discussed the need to make sure all the necessary documents were returned to the Care Inspectorate, including the current child care guidelines, care plans, training and we talked about childminding in general. Views of people using the service During this inspection process we seek feedback from parents and carers who use the service. We received two completed care standards and from these we learned that parents and carers were very happy with the service provided. One of the written comments stated: "I can honestly say I trust Angela wholeheartedly with my daughter, and my daughter absolutely loves going to Angela's and she is very happy there". We also spoke with one parent during the inspection visit who told us the care and support that they received was "absolutely great" and described Mrs Still as "wonderful" and "really great". The children present were too young to be interviewed, however, we asked if they liked coming to play at Angela's and they told us they did. We observed the children during our inspection and noted they were happy and content. We saw them playing with the toys provided and having a healthy snack. page 5 of 16

6 Self assessment Every year all care services complete a 'self assessment' telling us how their service is performing. We check to make sure this is accurate. This was completed online and gave a fair description of the service provided. What the service did well Mrs Still is a very experienced childminder who provides a warm and caring environment for the children in her care. She makes the parents, carers and the children feel welcome and is very good at keeping them up to date with all aspects of her service. Her home is warm, nicely decorated with a high level of cleanliness. The children have access to a good range of toys and resources as well as outdoor play. What the service could do better There were some areas we agreed she could work on which included to: - introduce a written care plan for each child. These care plans must be reviewed every six months or sooner should the child's care needs change. - review the children's records - review how she records when she administers prescribed medicine to the children. - continue with plans to attend refresher training - look at her recording system in general so that all necessary documentation can be located when this is needed. 2 The grades we awarded We grade the quality of care and support, the quality of the environment and the quality of management and leadership. If the childminder employs an assistant, we also grade the quality of staffing. In each case, we award a grade on a scale from 1 to 6, where 1 is unsatisfactory and 6 is excellent. Quality of care and support Quality of environment Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership not assessed 4 - Good page 6 of 16

7 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection We arrived unannounced and found Mrs Still at home with four minded children of pre-school age. However, this was a short 'crossover' and the parent arrived shortly to collect her child, therefore, this was not a concern. We observed how Mrs Still worked with the children and saw she was kind, caring and supervised the children well whilst talking with the Inspector. We noted she was consistent in how she worked with the children and treated them equally. We saw the children were happy and relaxed in her care. We discussed involving parents with her service and found that this was usually through talking daily with parents. Communication methods including telephone, text messages and s. She told us she asked if there were any changes in the children's situation at home and tried to work together with parents and continue this in her setting. This showed us she was aware of the importance of continuity for children between the home and her service. It has been some time since Mrs Still has had an inspection and she was not fully up to date (see also Quality Theme 4: Management). We looked at information sharing and saw she had an information folder containing details about her service. She gathered information about children's needs which helped her plan the care for each individual child. This included allergies, medical needs as well as likes and dislikes and favourite toys. The settling-in regime was decided together with parents, and varied from child to child. Mrs Still demonstrated that she had a sound knowledge of the children's individual needs and could describe how she met these. However, we noted that she had not yet introduced a written personal plan for each child - we made a recommendation that this be done immediately - see Recommendation 1. We also noted that the children's records needed to be reviewed and updated - therefore, we made a recommendation - see Recommendation 2. page 7 of 16

8 We also talked about regularly evaluating her service and asking the parents and carers if they were happy - see also Quality Theme 4. We looked at how Mrs Still involved the children with her service. She promoted free play daily, and told us she asked the babies' parents for ideas of favourite activities then planned activities they would enjoy. Older children could tell her what they wished to play with. We saw the children choosing toys from those displayed in the sitting room and also in the playroom. Health and wellbeing We discussed health and wellbeing and the importance of keeping children healthy. We discussed healthy eating and how she met the nutritional needs of the children in her care. She told us that she promoted healthy eating at all times. Water was always available should children be thirsty. We noted she was aware of the need for babies and younger children to rest and/or have a nap. From this we saw she was aware of the importance of healthy lifestyles and allowing children time to rest. We noted that there was enough space for play both indoors and outdoors. We talked about the importance of children of all ages having fresh air and exercise, which promoted their health and wellbeing. We looked at how she promoted positive behaviour and she told us she encouraged manners and liked them to share and take turns. We noted she gave clear and simple instructions to the young children and was a good role model for them to follow. We looked at child protection and her role and responsibilities regarding this. She demonstrated that she had an understanding of the topic and her role in keeping children safe. We found she was aware of the need to keep parents and carers informed should an accident occur, and saw a suitable accident recording system was in place. She told us she practised road safety when out with the children and how it was important to make sure they were aware of danger in order to keep themselves safe. We looked at how medication was given and recorded. We noted she had consent forms to be signed by parents and a medication administration recording system. However, we asked her to make sure medication given was appropriately recorded - see Recommendation 3. page 8 of 16

9 We shared information with Mrs Still which reflects current best practice as detailed below: Healthcare Guidance: The Management of Medication in Daycare and Childminding Services. Publication code: HCR Available online: index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc We received two completed care standards questionnaires during this inspection, which showed us that the parents were very happy with the childminding service. We talked with one parent during the inspection who told us she regularly recommended Mrs Still to other parents looking for childcare, describing it as "fantastic". Grade The quality of care and support is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 3 Childminder inspection report 1. To continue with plans to introduce a care plan for each child. This must be reviewed every six months, or sooner should needs change. These must be shared with parents and carers and care needs agreed. Reference: National care standards, early education and childcare up to the age of 16 years. Standard 3: health and wellbeing; standard 4, engaging with children; standard 14, well-managed service. page 9 of 16

10 2. The childminder must review her records and make sure each child's records are up to date and safely stored. Reference: National care standards, early education and childcare up to the age of 16 years. Standard 3: health and wellbeing; standard 4: engaging with children; standard 14, well-managed service. 3. The childminder should review and update records of any medication she needs to administer to a child. She must make sure she follows current guidelines. Reference: National care standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16 years. Standard 3: health and wellbeing; standard 4, engaging with children; standard 14, well-managed service. 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We saw the environment provided was warm and welcoming and nicely decorated. Mrs Still had made good use of the space she had for play. This included the sitting room, kitchen with conservatory which was used as a playroom and use of the toilet. She told us she checked her home for safety before the children arrived, ensuring all areas were safe. We saw a high standard of cleanliness. This showed us that she was aware of her role in maintaining a safe, suitable environment for the children. page 10 of 16

11 We saw a good selection of toys and activities, which ensured the children could take part in a range of age-appropriate activities. We noted that all toys and equipment were in a good clean condition. During the inspection we saw the children choosing which toys they wanted and playing happily. We discussed the need for children to access fresh air and exercise daily, and the importance of outdoor play. Though we did not see children playing outdoors during our inspection the parent we talked with confirmed the children were outdoors frequently. They also went for walks, to play parks and walked to and from school daily to collect children. We discussed where babies or young children could sleep or where older children could rest and relax. She told us she worked with the parents' wishes and made sure babies and toddlers could sleep when needed. The older children could rest in the living room on the sofa. We discussed that babies were better placed in a travel cot, though if parents wanted the child to nap in a particular way for example, a buggy, Mrs Still ensured they were comfortable and supervised them whilst they slept. From looking at the care standards questionnaire we noted that parents and carers were happy with the childminding environment, which was also confirmed by the parent we talked to during the inspection. Grade The quality of environment is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 page 11 of 16

12 5 Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. Childminder inspection report 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection We saw that Mrs Still took her role and responsibilities as a registered childminder seriously and worked to provide a high quality childminding service. We looked at the policies and procedures she had developed which she had shared with parents and carers. She told us these would be updated regularly whenever necessary. We saw childminding records were safely stored (partially reported on within Quality Theme 1). We discussed the importance of confidentiality which was an area she was fully aware of and told us parents and carers would only see their own child's records. We saw she had obtained public liability insurance as well as appropriate insurance cover for her home. We saw Mrs Still talk with the parents who arrived to collect their child. We noted they had friendly relationships and observed they had open and easy conversations. We asked how she evaluated her service and she said regularly but on an informal basis. When we talked with a parent during the inspection who told us she was kept up to date daily. We also talked about how she involved the children and noted this was done informally in a general way, as well as asking their parents for their likes and dislikes. We looked at how Mrs Still kept up to date with current practice. She keeps a training record of courses she has attended and certificates received. We discussed how knowledge and skills gained through training would improve her practice and updated about best practice and changes in legislation. page 12 of 16

13 We noted recent training she had attended included: - child protection awareness - working with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder); and the Autism spectrum - food hygiene. Area for development We noted her first aid certificate had expired and she had booked to attend a refresher training course on 21 May We discussed record keeping and how she would need to look at her system. We saw all the children's records were kept together and we suggested she look at dividing this to ensure confidentiality. Again she reassured us parents would only see their own children's records. She could not find the current insurance certificate but this was sent to us following the inspection. We suggested that she revisit her administration system and make sure she did know where everything was. We did not make a recommendation as we are sure she will review this following our inspection. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 4 - Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 page 13 of 16

14 7 What the service has done to meet any recommendations or requirements we made at our last inspection Previous requirements There are no outstanding requirements. Previous recommendations There are no outstanding recommendations. 8 Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at 9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection. 10 Other issues See body of report. page 14 of 16

15 11 Inspection and grading history Childminder inspection report Date Type Gradings 8 May 2012 Unannounced Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed 8 Jan 2010 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed Not Assessed 27 Mar 2009 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed page 15 of 16

16 To find out more This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website. You can also read more about our work online. Contact Us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY Other languages and formats Childminder inspection report This report is available in other languages and formats on request. Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is c?nain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 16 of 16