Childminder inspection report. Hulse, Hazel Inverurie

Transcription

1 Hulse, Hazel Inverurie Inspection completed on 21 March 2016

2 Service provided by: Hulse, Hazel 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 11

3 1 Introduction Childminder inspection report The childminder had established positive relationships with the families using the service. She recognised the importance of working in partnership with the parents to meet their child/children's individual needs and had implemented systems to facilitate this. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an announced, short notice inspection to the service. This took place on Monday 21 March 2016 between midday and 1.30pm. During the course of the inspection process, we viewed the content of the annual return and self-assessment documents. We also looked around the areas of the childminder's home that were used for childminding purposes and gathered evidence from other sources including: - viewing the childminder's public liability insurance certificate and car insurance certificate - viewing information relating to minded children - observing the interaction between the childminder and the minded child who was present and the interaction between the minded child and the childminder's own children. We took the findings from the above into account for the purpose of reporting. Views of people using the service As highlighted previously, there was only one minded child present during the course of the inspection visit. This child was observed to be extremely comfortable and relaxed within the care of the childminder and her family. Questionnaires completed and returned to us by parents confirmed that they were very happy with all aspects of service delivery. Views and comments from parents can be found throughout the report under the most appropriate statement. 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. page 3 of 11

4 We had to remind the childminder to submit her self-assessment document in advance of the inspection however, we were satisfied from our findings at the inspection that both children and parents had been involved in quality assurance processes. What the service did well It was clear that there were very good systems in place to ensure that children and parents are well included in influencing aspects of service delivery. What the service could do better The childminder should continue to source and familiarise herself with legislation and best practice documents and amend policies and procedures accordingly. 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 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good not assessed 5 - Very Good 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection Questionnaires completed and returned to us by parents confirmed that they all strongly agreed that they were happy with the quality of care that their child received from the service. It was also clear from viewing the content of these questionnaires, that all of the parents felt that there were opportunities for them, and their child, to influence aspects of service delivery. One parent commented, "Hazel often seeks news ideas for activities for the children to page 4 of 11

5 undertake by asking myself and the children on a regular basis", while another commented, "She asks for suggestions and is always open to comments or discussion". We could see from viewing the collated responses to the aforementioned questionnaires that the parents were very happy with the different activities and outings that their child could participate in. Parents made reference to; gym tots, toddler groups (with craft activities and outdoor exercise), visits to parks, the beach, museums, art galleries, animal visitor centres and woodland walks. This showed us that children were getting access to a wide and varied range of experiences outwith the childminder's home. One parent used our questionnaire to comment, "Hazel is a wonderful childminder for our daughter. She cares for all of her needs while providing her with excellent opportunities to enjoy different activities with other children...". There was only one minded child present during the course of the inspection visit. This child was observed to be relaxed, happy and confident within the care of the childminder and her children. This led us to conclude to that she felt safe and secure both within their company and within the environment. We sampled written information held regarding minded children and concluded from doing so, that personal plans should be updated more regularly, in line with current legislation ie. at least once in every six months or more often where there are significant changes to any child's health, welfare and/or safety needs. However, we have also taken into consideration the following comment from one of the parents; "Information regarding my children's health and wellbeing is renewed on a regular basis through information discussions at the end of the day..." as this demonstrates that although written records are not being amended, the childminder is clearly working in partnership with parents. During the course of the inspection visit, the minded child had lunch with the family. This was observed to be a nice social occasion, with them sitting round the kitchen table chatting. Lunch was observed to be healthy and it was clear from viewing responses within the questionnaires completed and returned to us that children were involved in making decisions about the food that they could have. Parents referred to the type of food as "varied" and "healthy" and all confirmed that the food provided met their child's dietary and cultural needs. page 5 of 11

6 Discussions with the childminder confirmed that she promotes different ways for children to be safe, healthy, active, responsible and included while all the time being respected and being respectful. Grade The quality of care and support is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 Childminder inspection report 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection Questionnaires completed and returned to us by parents confirmed that they were all happy with the environment. Comments supporting this statement included: "The home is a comfortable, warm, fun and safe environment with plenty of suitable toys and crafts available" "I don't believe there is a set routine for when they return from school. If it good weather the children are either taken to the local play park or play in the garden. The environment is relaxed and homelike which is what I look for my children...my children are allowed to play with Hazel's children's toys both inside the house and in the garden...". One parent made comment about their children's attendance and stated, "...if the weather is good they stop & play at the park or outside in the garden". We observed the areas used for childminding purposes as part of the inspection process. We concluded from our findings that the childminder provided a warm, caring, nurturing environment where children could access a range of experiences to extend their learning. There were opportunities for them to learn about aspects of safety, such as personal safety and road safety and page 6 of 11

7 opportunities for them to learn about health living and leading healthy lifestyles. Where permissions had been sought determining boundaries for older children walking home independently and/or playing outside, we advised that these should be reviewed more often, in line with personal plans. The entrance hallway had a range of information displayed, both for children and for parents. Examples of they types of information included; times relating to the daily routine, photographs of activities and outings that children had participated in, snack information for the week and registration and insurance details. Grade The quality of environment is graded 5 - Very Good 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 One parent used our questionnaire to describe the childminder as, "...calm, warm-natured and lots of fun...". We also found the childminder to be calm, warm, caring and supportive. It was clear that she had a genuine interest in the children that she cared for and respected their options and ideas. We could see that there were a variety of systems in place to involve children and parents in putting forward suggestions either for change and/or improvement and some of the strategies used enabled the childminder to gauge views about specific aspects of the service. Examples of this would be; snacks and activities. page 7 of 11

8 Questionnaires completed and returned to us by parents confirmed that all of the parents were confident in approaching the childminder should the need arise to raise any concerns and/or complaints. Questionnaires also confirmed that all were aware that they could contact us at any time should they prefer this option. The childminder told us that she was able, in the main, to keep up-to-date with developments within the childcare sector by attending quarterly network meetings arranged by the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA), through reading publications and through use of the internet. The childminder also made good use of training opportunities to keep up-to-date with current developments. From viewing certificates, we noted that she had attended the following training since last being inspected: - Risk assessment - Pre-birth to Three - Emergency First Aid - Two child protection courses; one relating to a basic awareness and one pitched at the next level, level 1. We concluded from the above, that the childminder recognised the importance of keeping up-to-date with current practice. As she did not have a copy of the latest infection control guidance or best practice document regarding medication, we forwarded both of these to her by during our visit. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 page 8 of 11

9 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 1. The childminder to further develop and review her risk assessment and cleaning records, to ensure they comply with good practice and support the practice in place. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 14: Well-Managed Service. This recommendation was made on 21 February 2012 We observed the service to be extremely clean and well-maintained. 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. page 9 of 11

10 10 Other issues Not applicable. Childminder inspection report 11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 21 Feb 2012 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very Good Environment 5 - Very Good Staffing 5 - Very Good Management and Leadership Not Assessed 12 May 2010 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good Not Assessed page 10 of 11

11 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 11 of 11