Pitcairn Childminding Glenrothes Inspection completed on 27 May 2016
Service provided by: Tracey Docherty trading as Pitcairn Childminding Service provider number: SP2011981555 Care service number: CS2011281193 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 0345 600 9527 www.careinspectorate.com @careinspect page 2 of 14
1 Introduction The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information in relation to all services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com. Pitcairn Childminding is operated by Tracey Docherty who is referred to as the childminder in this report. She is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of 6 children under the age of 16 years, of whom no more than 6 are under 12 years, of whom no more than 3 are of an age not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than 1 is less than 1 year of age. Numbers are inclusive of the children of the childminder's family. Minded children cannot be cared for by persons other than those stated on the registration certificate. Overnight care will not be provided. The service is provided from the childminder's home within a residential area of Glenrothes close to the local school, shops, parks and other amenities. The areas used to provide the service were the dedicated playroom, kitchen/diner and downstairs bathroom. Children also had access to the rear garden. There were a total of three minded children present during the inspection; a one year old and two, three year olds. What we did during our inspection We compiled this report following a short notice announced inspection, which took place between 12.00pm and 2.45pm on 27 May 2016. The inspection was carried out by a Care Inspectorate Early Years Inspector. During this inspection we gathered evidence from various sources: We spoke to: - The childminder - The children present We looked at: - The service's most recent self-assessment - Observations of the childminder and her interaction with the children - Observations of the children at play page 3 of 14
- Children's records of learning - Health and safety records - Certificate of registration - Certificate of insurance - Certificates of training - Information on minded children - Accident and incident documents - Medication systems - Examination of equipment, resources and the environment The Care Inspectorate is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all children receiving a care service. We want to ensure they have the best start in life, are ready to succeed and live longer, healthier lives. 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. 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. Views of people using the service The children present enjoyed playing with the toys available to them in the playroom. They also had lunch during the inspection and were happy to involve the inspector in their play. This demonstrated that they were secure and confident in the environment. We were unable to get many direct comments from children on the service due to their age, however our observations of their play and interactions confirmed they were happy and having fun. Children told us; "there's a trampoline to play on" "play football or dodgeball, when you touch the ball that means your out" page 4 of 14
We issued four care standards questionnaires to the childminder to hand out to the parents of the children who used her service. Three completed questionnaires were returned to us. The responses from these demonstrated that they all 'strongly agreed' or 'agreed' that overall they were happy with the quality of care their child received. All parents added additional comments which demonstrated they were very satisfied with the level of care provided. Some of these can be seen below: 'The service that myself and our child gets from the childminder is excellent. I feel this is a really good, fun environment for our child to develop and engage with other children. My child interacts excellently with the childminder. Since our child has been going to the childminders I can see a difference in our child's progress and how they are learning new skills throughout their time there. I would happily recommend this childminder to any friend or family member for the future.' 'I am very happy with the level of care my child receives whilst at Pitcairn childminders. I feel relaxed when I am at work and feel that Tracey has the same outlook as me.' 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 childminder submitted a fully completed self assessment to us before the inspection took place. We were satisfied with the information provided which included areas of strength and areas for further development. What the service did well Parents highly value the service they and their child receive. Children were very happy and secure and had formed positive attachment to the childminder. Children were supported to achieve and develop as the childminder used her observations of them to identify how she could help them to progress in aspects of their development. Children benefitted from a very good range of age appropriate activities and a dedicated play space. What the service could do better We made one recommendations within this report for best practice. This focused on review of all personal plan information. The service should also page 5 of 14
develop written risk assessments, review medication forms and review methods for formally gathering parents views. 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 Children's emotional well-being was promoted because the minded children had clearly developed warm and close relationships with the childminder. Children were confident and comfortable with the childminder and happily approached her for cuddles. The childminder ensured she got down to children's level when speaking to them and sat on the floor to support their play. Children were encouraged, appropriately challenged and praised for their efforts during their play. This regular recognition of children's successes strengthened children's self-esteem. The childminder described how she worked closely with parents to make sure she was meeting their child's needs as best she could. For example, she met with them every six months to share children's folders and discuss their development. During these meetings, she encouraged parents to identify next steps for their child they may want her to focus on. She also shared positive examples of how she supported parents with aspects of development at home. This regular communication meant she was aware of their family circumstances page 6 of 14
which helped her provide the appropriate care and support to help children achieve. Children were supported to be healthy and active through opportunities for physical exercise and exploration of their community and what it had to offer. Photographs seen and displayed for parents confirmed regular outings and outdoor play. The childminder also confirmed that she joined with other local childminders for regular physical play activities in the community including forest kindergarten and tumble tots. This was also supported by a range of physical play equipment in the garden. The childminder confirmed that she does occasionally use a 'time out' approach with children to manage behaviour. We had a discussion regarding the negative impact of this on young children's self-esteem. We therefore advised her to review this, update her policy and make this change known to parents. Grade The quality of care and support is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The childminder provided a bright, stimulating and warm environment where children were happy, safe and secure. The childminder made good use of space to create a welcoming, child-friendly environment. Wall displays were detailed allowed children to re-visit previous experiences. For example, we could see they had been learning about 'under the sea'. This learning had come from buying fish for the tank and led onto a visit to deep sea world. This demonstrated very good use of the wider community to extended children's knowledge and understanding. page 7 of 14
There was a separate dedicated playroom for children with a wide range of toys, games and equipment available. A settee provided children with space to rest comfortably. The resources seen during the inspection were of very good quality and age appropriate. Storage of resources supported easy access for children. Standards of cleanliness and hygiene were high. The childminder confirmed that no one in the house smoked and she cleaned the house every evening. She also stated that she carried out a deep clean if children were ill to reduce the risk of cross infection. Children followed routines that encouraged good hygiene. We saw they were encouraged to wash their hands before eating lunch. We found that children received appropriate protection, care and guidance to ensure they were safe. Measures taken to ensure their continued safety and wellbeing included; - Fire drills - Following exclusion periods for illness - Regular visual risk assessments of the areas where children are playing - Using seat belts and appropriate car seats when in the car - A range of relevant policies - Accident forms, which were signed and dated - Medication forms for the recording of any administered medicines - Wearing gloves and aprons for nappy changes - Stair gates if required - Permission slips held for various activities/experiences Although visual risk checks were made by the childminder, she did not hold full written risk assessments. We shared examples of these and advised the childminder to develop full written risk assessments for the home, garden and outings. These should detail the risks and the remedial action taken to minimise identified risks. We looked at the medication forms and advise that these should demonstrate that the parent has confirmed giving the first ever dose. They should also confirm no known adverse effects of the medication. The childminder should refer to the document 'management of Grade page 8 of 14
The quality of environment is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 5 Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection Through discussion, the childminder demonstrated an understanding of the signs and symptoms of child abuse and had systems for recording this. She was familiar with the referral process should she have concerns about a child's welfare. She had identified refreshing child protection as a training need. This enhanced the safeguarding of children in her care. The childminder was a member of the SCMA (Scottish Childminding Association). She confirmed that she attended regular network meetings along with training opportunities offered. This provided her with opportunities to stay abreast of developments. In addition to this, the childminder regularly met up with other local childminder's with whom she discussed best practice. We found the childminder to be enthusiastic about her role and open to discussions to support understanding of early learning development. This commitment supported her to develop her knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the children in her care. Parents can be confident of a well-managed service. The childminder provided an organised service, with records viewed during the inspection being readily available and comprehensively completed. Contracts were in place for all page 9 of 14
families and all relevant permissions completed for all children. Children's personal care plans were being reviewed regularly. We advised the childminder that all information held on children should be reviewed at least once every six months. See recommendation one. The childminder was no longer using questionnaires. We discussed reviewing these so that they were meaningful and targeted. Any feedback gathered from parents should be reviewed and used to support development of the service. Any action taken should be shared with parents to demonstrate that their views are valued and make a difference. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The provider should review all personal care plan information when the provider is requested to do so by the service user or if there is any significant change to a child's health, welfare or safety needs and at least once in every six month period. These should be dated to support regular review. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 3 - Health and wellbeing and standard 14 - A well-managed service. page 10 of 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 1. Mrs Docherty should wear disposable gloves and aprons for all nappy changing/toileting routines. a policy is developed detailing the procedure to be followed should a child be unwell This recommendation was made on 08 June 2016 The childminder now holds and makes use of the appropriate personal protective equipment for nappy changing. a policy is now in place. This recommendation is met. 8 Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com. page 11 of 14
9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection 10 Other issues Not applicable. page 12 of 14
11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 8 Jun 2012 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 4 - Good 4 - Good 5 - Very Good Not Assessed page 13 of 14
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 enquiries@careinspectorate.com 0345 600 9527 www.careinspectorate.com @careinspect Other languages and formats 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 14 of 14