Charlene Morning Child Minding Service Glasgow Inspection completed on 02 May 2016
Service provided by: Morning, Charlene Service provider number: SP2015986975 Care service number: CS2015337662 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 15
1 Introduction Childminder inspection report Charlene Morning provides a childminding service from her home in the Crookston area of Glasgow. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under the age of sixteen years, of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. The service is provided from the family home which is a house over two levels. The accommodation used for childminding purposes is the lounge and dining area on the ground floor and the upstairs family bathroom. Children also access the garden for outdoor play. 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. The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com. This service registered with the Care Inspectorate on 21 October 2015. page 3 of 15
What we did during our inspection We carried out a short notice inspection of the service provided by Charlene Morning during the morning of Monday the 2 May 2016, between the hours of 9.45am and 12pm. One inspector carried out the inspection. The childminder sent us an annual return. We issued Care Standards Questionnaires (CSQs) to parents/carers of children who used the service (parents/carers will be referred to as parents in this report). We received one completed CSQ after this inspection from the parent of two children who use the service. During the inspection the childminder's own two children and one minded child were present. We observed how the childminder cared for and interacted with the minded child present. We discussed with the childminder how the following were managed in the service: - meeting children's individual needs - the children's personal records and plans - parental and children's participation in the service - complaints procedure - medication - risk assessments - child protection - registration certificate - public liability Insurance - training - infection control arrangements - attendance register. We looked at: - the environment and equipment - observing how the childminder worked, caring for and interacting with the minded child present. page 4 of 15
Views of people using the service One minded child was present during the inspection. The child was two years old. The child had fun playing with the range of toys on offer. The child was confident and co-operated well with the childminder. The childminder was attentive to the child's individual needs and interests, and responded to the child's verbal and non verbal communications. The child played well with the range of play resources provided. For example, the child enjoyed the play dough activity and later the rocking horse and skittles. As previously mentioned we received one completed CSQ. The parent expressed their complete satisfaction with the service provided by the childminder. Parent comments included: "we talk regularly and discuss any issues should they arise" "I am satisfied that (child) takes part in various activities which he enjoys" "(child) attends playgroup and is often out in the fresh air" "my childminder provides an excellent service and is always flexible with us". 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. We received a self-assessment document from the childminder. The childminder had completed this with information under the quality themes that we grade her service under. The childminder should try to include more detail in response to the self-assessment questions when next reviewing the form. However, we acknowledge the short time the childminder had been providing the service since registration at the time of submitting the form. What the service did well The childminder provided a friendly and homely environment for the children to play and develop. The childminder was caring and responsive to children's needs, promoting positive behaviour and giving them choices. The childminder provided a very flexible service which was valued by parents. Since registration the childminder had completed paediatric first aid training. page 5 of 15
What the service could do better The childminder should address the one requirement and three recommendations made within this inspection report. Childminder inspection report 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 3 - Adequate 4 - Good not assessed 3 - Adequate 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection We were able to observe the kind and caring relationship that the childminder had with the minded child who was present. The childminder described how she provided continuity of care for the minded child. She did this by gathering important information about the child's individual needs when they first started to use the service. The childminder had daily discussions with the minded child's parents about what they had been doing in the service while sharing other important information about their care and support needs. The childminder told us that she offered a daily diary but that the parents had preferred face to face discussions about their child. A personal plan was in place for the child. The childminder confirmed that she will continue to offer a daily diary to parents of any new children. In the parental questionnaire we received, the parent strongly agreed that the childminder asked for their views on how they wanted their child to be cared for. The parent also strongly agreed that the childminder regularly involved them in reviewing the information they have about the child. This showed us that parents were included and respected. page 6 of 15
We found from discussion that the childminder was aware of the SHANARRI well-being indicators (safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible, included) and observed the following. The childminder gave children choices of activity during their play and responded patiently when they asked for particular toys. The childminder ensured that all the children could take part in the dough activity by giving suitable help when needed. The childminder offered healthy choices for snack. We observed that the children ate snack directly after the dough activity without having their hands washed. When we discussed this with the childminder she confirmed that it was their usual practice to wash hands before eating food. The childminder then took prompt action to have the children wash their hands (See Recommendation 1). We observed the childminder's good hygiene practice when changing a child. However, the childminder agreed to ensure the child's privacy and dignity by changing the child out of sight of other children. From our observations it was clear that the children enjoyed being outside in the garden. The childminder supervised them closely. The childminder treated the children fairly when encouraging them to share toys, distracted their attention to another activity when needed and used lots of praise. The childminder confirmed that she regularly used local community resources such as toddler groups, the library for rhymetime and bookbug activities, soft play centres and parks. This ensured that children had regular access to active physical play and fresh air. In the parental questionnaire we received the parent told us they were satisfied that their child takes part in various activities which they enjoy. The parent also strongly agreed that the childminder provides a suitable range of equipment, toys and materials for their child and that the she makes good use of resources in the community, for example the library and parks. From our discussion about child protection issues the childminder was clear on what action she would take should she be concerned about a child's welfare. This discussion reflected the content of her child protection statement. We discussed the importance of child protection training with the childminder so that she is up to date with current practice and legislation. page 7 of 15
The childminder had not been asked to give a child medication yet. However, she confirmed that she would seek signed written consent with clear instructions from the parent and would record having given the medication. This reflected the childminder's policy and suitable consent forms were in place for this purpose. The childminder did not have records or a personal plan in place for a child who uses the service very occasionally. We discussed the relevant regulation that states each child must have a personal plan in place within 28 days of starting to use the service detailing how the childminder intends to meet their health, welfare and safety needs. We also discussed the list of records that childminders must keep for each child regardless of the frequency or duration of attendance (See Requirement 1). Grade The quality of care and support is graded 3 - Adequate Requirements Number of requirements - 1 1. The childminder must have a personal plan in place for each child using the service detailing how their health, welfare and safety needs will be met and must review the plan every six months or sooner if requested by the parent. This is to comply with The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/210) - regulation 5 - Personal Plans. Timescale for completion: Within two weeks of receiving this report. Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The childminder should ensure that children always wash their hands after playing and before eating food. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to age 16. Standard 3: Health and Wellbeing. page 8 of 15
4 Quality of environment Childminder inspection report Findings from the inspection We found the childminder's home to be a warm, welcoming and smoke free environment for children. The environment was clean and well maintained. Within the parental questionnaire we received the parent strongly agreed that the childminder's home is a safe, secure, hygienic, smoke-free, pleasant and stimulating environment. They also strongly agreed that there is enough space for their child to play and get involved in a range of activities. Children played in the lounge area, the dining area and the spacious garden. Throughout the inspection we observed that the childminder was responsive and encouraging to the individual needs of the minded child and provided the child with a choice of resources and activities. The childminder had appropriate forms for recording accidents and incidents. There had been only one accident. The childminder had completed a risk assessment and fire evacuation plan for the premises. The childminder adhered to the fire safety guidance for childminders in domestic premises. The family pet dog was present and observed to be friendly and good with the children. The childminder confirmed that she would not leave children alone with the dog. There was a pet policy in place. However, to ensure that parents were fully informed the childminder agreed to develop this further to reflect that she had a dog at home during childminding hours and confirming that it did not use the garden for exercising. The dog's food and dishes were kept away from the children. A good range of outdoor resources were available for the garden. The parental questionnaire we received confirmed that the childminder provided a suitable range of equipment, toys and materials for their child. They said "(Child) very much enjoys his time here and loves all the arts and craft activities Charlene provides". Children had regular access to fresh air and energetic physical play as opportunities for exercise were part of the daily and weekly routine. The childminder told us about the range of outings she provided for the children, including local community facilities as well as extended outings to parks page 9 of 15
further away. The parent of the minded child told us that their child attended playgroup and is often out in the fresh air. The childminder had appropriate insurances in place including public liability and business cover on her motor insurance. Children were accompanied to the upstairs bathroom and supervised in the garden. The childminder should continue to develop the range of resources in response to any new children's individual needs and interests. Grade The quality of environment is graded 4 - 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 The childminder had developed a range of policies and procedures to support her practice. Parents were given access to these when enrolling their child and could take them away to read at leisure. This demonstrated that the childminder valued and respected the parents input and their need to be fully informed. The childminder spoke to parents verbally to gain parental and children's views. page 10 of 15
The childminder should now develop a more formal system of assessing the quality of the service. This would show that the childminder valued and took account of parents' and children's comments and where she had taken forward any suggestions they made (See Recommendation 1). The childminder gave parents access to the complaints procedure. This created an opportunity for parents to raise any concerns they may have about the service. No complaints had ever been received about the service. The parents strongly agreed that overall they were happy with the quality of care their child receives in the service. The parent who returned a questionnaire to us commented that should they have a concern/complaint they would raise it directly with the childminder. The parent indicated that they were not aware they could raise a concern/complaint independently with the Care Inspectorate. The childminder should ensure parents are aware of this by including it in her complaints procedure. Since registration and completing the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) pre-registration induction course, the childminder had successfully completed a course in paediatric first aid to update her previous training. The childminder also receives support and regular reading materials from the SCMA. She also has a range of best practice guidance documents accessed from the Care Inspectorate's Hub website to refer to. This demonstrated that the childminder kept up to date with best practice and legislation. The childminder should continue with her intention to access child protection training. The childminder use the SCMA record keeping materials and had appropriate records in place for one minded child including a personal plan. The attendance register also showed another child whose attendance was infrequent but for whom there were no other records. We referred to this under the Quality of Care and Support and made one requirement in relation to this. Although the childminder provided us with her written records on request, not all records were kept in the same place resulting in a delay in accessing these. We discussed with the childminder the benefits of keeping children's information and records together for easy access during the childminding day. (See Recommendation 2). The childminder told us that she thought she could benefit from some business training. page 11 of 15
Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 3 - Adequate Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 2 1. The childminder should develop ways of involving children and parents in evaluating and developing the service, keeping records of these. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 13: Improving the service. Standard 14: Well managed service. 2. The childminder should keep children's records and information together where they are readily accessible during childminding hours. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 14: Well managed service. page 12 of 15
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 www.careinspectorate.com. 9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection 10 Other issues None page 13 of 15
11 Inspection and grading history Childminder inspection report This service does not have any prior inspection history or grades. page 14 of 15
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 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 15 of 15