Childminder inspection report. Borthwick, Donna Dundee

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1 Borthwick, Donna Dundee Inspection completed on 25 February 2016

2 Service provided by: Borthwick, Donna Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS Inspection Type: Announced (Short Notice) 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 13

3 1 Introduction Childminder inspection report The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at This service was previously registered with the Care Commission and transferred its registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April Mrs Borthwick provided a childminding service from the family home in Monifieth on the outskirts of Dundee. The service provided care to a maximum of eight children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of six will be under 12, of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under 12 months (except in the case of twins). The service was situated in a residential area and within a short walk to shops, schools and local amenities. The Care Inspectorate is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all children receiving a care service to ensure they get the best start in life, are ready to succeed and lead longer, healthier lives. The Care Inspectorate had an important role to play in supporting this approach in inspecting care services for children. The Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) approach is underpinned by the principles of prevention and early intervention. It's a consistent way for people to work with all children and young people. The approach helps practitioners focus on what makes a positive difference for children and young people - and how they can act to help deliver these improvements. GIRFEC is being threaded through all existing policy, strategy, and legislation affecting children, young people and their families. In Scotland, the GIRFEC approach puts wellbeing at the very heart of its approach. The eight 'indicators' of wellbeing that form the basis of GIRFEC are - Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included - often referred to as SHANARRI. page 3 of 13

4 What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following a short notice inspection. This took place on Thursday 25 February 2016 between 12.30pm and 3.15pm. We also gave feedback to Mrs Borthwick on 25 February As part of the inspection, we took account of the completed annual return and self assessment forms that we asked the provider to complete and submit to us. We sent three Care Standards Questionnaires (CSQs) to the childminder to distribute to parents and carers. Parents and carers returned two completed questionnaires before the inspection, however, these were not able to be viewed prior to the inspection. During this inspection process, we gathered evidence from various sources, including the following: We spoke with: - three children - one parent/carer - the childminder. We looked at: - children's files - medication paperwork - questionnaires - accident and incident records - communication with parents - daily diaries - child protection policy and procedure - snacks - behaviour management policy - risk assessments - training certificates - the environment and equipment. Childminder inspection report page 4 of 13

5 Views of people using the service We spent time observing and talking to the children as they finished their lunch and later as they played. All children were observed to be very comfortable and happy in the company of Mrs Borthwick and with the selection of activities on offer. Below are some of their comments: "I like playing with the cars" "My favourite toy is the pirate ship" "I am going to France" "We are stuck in jail" "I go to swimming lessons". 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. The Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self assessment document from the provider. We were satisfied with the way the provider completed this and with the relevant information included for each heading that we grade services under. The provider identified what it thought the service did well, some areas for development and any changes it had planned. The provider told us how the people who used the care service had taken part in the self assessment process. What the service did well Mrs Borthwick provided a very warm, welcoming and caring environment for the children in her care. The childminder demonstrated a very good knowledge of the individual children who attended the service. Each child now has a written record of their learning and development and this is shared with parents where appropriate. Mrs Borthwick was part of the local childminding group which met regularly to share practice and organised a fun day for the children and families of the local childminders. page 5 of 13

6 What the service could do better Mrs Borthwick should begin to methodically update children's records at least every six months to ensure she has the most up-to-date information. We signposted the childminder to the Care Inspectorate Hub website ( which is updated regularly. This would ensure she is kept up-to-date with important changes and best practice documents. 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 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection We found that Mrs Borthwick provided a very good level of care and support to children attending the service. The childminder was observed to be nurturing in her approach and all children in her care were happy and relaxed. Children benefitted to a settling in period which was tailored to their needs. Children and their parents visited the service before they started and were offered short sessions during the settling in period. page 6 of 13

7 Children attended a range of additional activities with the childminder on a regular basis. This included the local toddler group, library, book bug sessions and art club. Children were able to display their achievements such as their art work in the service. The childminder ensured children were kept safe during outings by holding their hands while walking and discussing how to keep safe. Children were able to choose the resources to play with on a daily basis. The childminder also introduced new resources and activities based on the children's likes and dislikes. These are gained from speaking to parents and reading children's 'All About Me' documents. The childminder should ensure she updates children's details every six months with parents to ensure they are fully up-to-date. Children's achievements and developments were recorded as part of the child's individual profile, this was then shared with parents where appropriate. There was good regular communication between the childminder and the parents/carers. A daily diary was provided for each child, and a record of their day was shared. The childminder issued regular questionnaires to parents to gain feedback on the service and identify any areas for improvement. The childminder used technology such as text messages and a Facebook group to share information quickly. Children were kept safe through a range of policies and procedures. We looked at the services child protection policy and discussed this with the childminder. The childminder had good knowledge of child protection and was aware of what to do should she have any concerns in order to keep the children safe. She had relevant contacts for local agencies should she need advice or to report any concerns. Although the service currently does not have any children on medication, we still viewed the policy and associated paperwork to ensure it met current best practice. We concluded that the childminder had a robust procedure in place which would minimise risk to children. During the inspection we observed the children at lunch time. Parents provide a healthy packed lunch for children and the service provides all snacks. Snacks included toast, fruit, crackers and popcorn. The childminder was using Setting the Table, the most up-to-date guidance on healthy eating for early years. page 7 of 13

8 Grade The quality of care and support is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 Childminder inspection report 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The childminder provided a safe, welcoming and homely environment for the children she cared for. The home was very clean, tidy and well laid out which enabled children to move around freely and access the range of resources available. We concluded she did this to a very good level. Children were kept safe in the service. A visual check was carried out each day to ensure there was nothing present which would cause harm to the children. This was completed prior to the children arriving. The childminder also has a range of risk assessments in place for activities and outings she does regularly with the children. All children are being encouraged to manage their own risk in the home and when on outings. Children are involved in checking to make sure the road is clear before crossing, this helps increase the child's awareness of road safety. We observed the childminder to be responsive to the minded children in relation to their safety, explaining to them why it was unsafe to try to climb on furniture. This helped the children's development and how to safely explore their environment. Where accidents and incidents occurred, the childminder recorded these and shared the information with the parents. The childminder should ensure that parents are signing the accident slip to acknowledge they have received the information. page 8 of 13

9 The environment allowed children to be active on a daily basis. Children had access to a large space within the childminder's house as well as a large back garden. The childminder made good use of the local environment as described in section 1.1. The children were polite and helpful and learning to show respect for their environment, for example, they helped to tidy toys away and assisted the childminder to set up other activities. Children were also learning to be considerate and responsible as they were encouraged by the childminder to play well together and help each other. Children were learning to behave well because they were given clear and consistent boundaries by the childminder. Grade The quality of environment is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 Childminder inspection report 5 Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection Overall the service was managed to a very good standard. The childminder has completed a range of training courses including child protection, first aid and equality and diversity, and has been actively looking into other courses which would benefit the children who attend her service. The childminder has been utilising online training courses to access new courses or those not provided close to her home. page 9 of 13

10 The childminder kept herself up-to-date with change to legislation and best practice in a number of ways including receiving information from the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA), through Care News and by meeting regularly with other local childminders. The childminder had received a copy of the Building the Ambition document, which was published by the Scottish Government to help and support services to provide the best care and learning experiences for children. The childminder had begun reading this document and had attended training which will help support and develop the very good work she does. The service had a range of policies and procedures including an accident and incident, behaviour management and a complaints policy. These were thorough and robust. The childminder reviews these regularly to ensure they are still meeting best practice. The childminder encourages parents and carers to give feedback on her service to ensure where possible it is continually meeting the needs of the children. This is done mainly through verbal feedback at drop off and collection times. Parents also have the opportunity to record any feedback in their child's daily diary. The childminder would then discuss any feedback with families and would make any required changes where possible. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 page 10 of 13

11 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 There are no other issues. page 11 of 13

12 11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings Childminder inspection report 4 Sep 2013 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed 30 Aug 2010 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed Not Assessed 27 Feb 2009 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed page 12 of 13

13 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 13 of 13