Burnett, Margaret Aberdeen Inspection completed on 08 June 2016
Service provided by: Burnett, Margaret Service provider number: SP2003900448 Care service number: CS2003001722 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 0345 600 9527 www.careinspectorate.com @careinspect page 2 of 16
1 Introduction Childminder inspection report The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com. 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 service operates from her home, a detached two-storey house with a drive at the front and enclosed garden at the rear. The house is close to the centre of Aberdeen and she offers a drop off and collection service from several schools in Aberdeen. The childminder is registered to provide care for a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 16, 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 childminder's had included within her aims that she would provide: - a warm caring environment in which children can grow and develop; - a service where parents can feel confident that their child or children are being cared for to the best of the childminder's ability and - a safe environment. page 3 of 16
What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection, which took place between 15.00 and 17.30 pm on Wednesday 8 June 2016. One Care Inspector carried out the inspection. There were two minded children present during the inspection. At the end of the inspection we gave feedback to childminder. We sent care standards questionnaires to the childminder and asked her to give these to the parents. We received three completed questionnaires following the inspection day which showed us the parents were very happy with the service provided. During the inspection process we gathered evidence from various sources. We looked at the: - childminding policies - childminding information gathering system - children's records - daily diary - risk assessment - health and safety records - administration of medication system - childminder's training records - up to date insurance documents (public liability) - equipment, toys and activities for play - environment during a tour of the home and viewing the outdoor play area. We observed the: Childminder inspection report - childminder as she worked with the children - children doing homework, having snack then playing together. page 4 of 16
We talked with the: - childminder - two minded children present. We did not receive the self-assessment before the inspection day, however we did receive this following the inspection report. Views of people using the service We talked with two minded children informally during our visit. When asked if they liked coming to play at Margaret's they said they did, and that they had been coming there for a long time. We observed the children during our inspection and saw they were happy and content. They played together and were relaxed, comfortable with the childminder, and overall happy and content during our visit. 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 discussed the need for all documentation to be completed and submitted to the Care Inspectorate (the Regulator) when required. The childminder is aware of the need to complete all documentation when asked. This helps us during our inspection of the service. We advised the childminder to seek assistance from the helpdesk should she be experiencing any difficulty with the online system. page 5 of 16
What the service did well We found that the childminder provided a warm and welcoming service for the children in her care. She was a friendly capable lady, very experienced in caring for children and we saw she had built up positive relationships with those she cared for. She provided a safe and secure environment. Her home was warm, nicely decorated with a very good standard of cleanliness. The school-aged children had access to a wide range of toys and resources in the large playroom and also went outdoors frequently. They told us they enjoyed their time with the childminder and she was very nice. What the service could do better There were several areas she needed to look at, and we agreed that: - she should continue with plans to introduce a care plan for each child in her care, - these plans would need to be reviewed with parents every six months, or sooner if needed. - it was important to return all documentation to the Care Inspectorate when asked - to keep up to date with best practice and attend refresher training regularly. - she should continue to evaluate her service and include the parents/carers with this. page 6 of 16
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 4 - Good 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection Care and Support The childminder was warm and caring with the children and we saw they were relaxed and "at home" with her. The childminder supervised the children during the inspection whilst talking with the inspector. The childminder provides out of school care only and we noted the children were fully involved in the service. Free play was promoted and we saw the children deciding what they wanted to do after they had finished their homework. We saw they could choose from a large selection of play activities in playroom and went outdoors frequently. We saw from the daily dairy they enjoyed a range of outdoor walks and outings. The childminder had developed various communication methods with parents over the years, including dairy conversations, text messages and telephone calls. We noted that daily chats was the way parents preferred to keep informed and involved, which allowed for continuity of care between the service and the family. page 7 of 16
Since the last inspection the childminder had developed the children's records and we saw these were up to date. The childminder demonstrated she had a sound knowledge of the children's individual needs and how she met these. She described how most of the children had been with her for many years and how strong relationships were in place. The service was well organised and very child-centred. Health and wellbeing We found that the children were supported to lead healthy lifestyles by having regular access to fresh air and exercise after school. She also promoted rest and relaxation after the busy and structured school day and took the lead from the children. The childminder promoted healthy eating in her service and we saw a healthy snack provided. At times she provided a meal at night so children could eat before she dropped them off at clubs or parents collected them. Water was available should children be thirsty. When asked, the children told us the meals at Margaret's were always good and she asked them what they would like. The childminder managed behaviour in a calm and caring way and was a very good role models for children to follow. We heard her reminding the children to have good manners. Children were encouraged to be considerate towards with their friends and were reminded to share and take turns. The childminder was aware of her role and responsibilities regarding child protection and demonstrated her understanding of how to keep children safe. We saw a suitable accident recording system was in place. The childminder had appropriate systems in place for the administration of medicine as well as having recently obtained a copy of the current medication guidance. Infection control procedures were in place with the children encouraged to wash their hands when necessary. page 8 of 16
Grade The quality of care and support is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. It is recommended that the childminder continue with plans to introduce a care plan for every child. These plans must be reviewed every six months, or sooner should this be necessary. 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. 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We found the childminder's environment was welcoming and child-friendly. She had made good use of the space with a dedicated playroom for the children. The living room, dining room, kitchen, playroom and bathroom were warm and at a comfortable temperature as well as being nicely decorated. The childminder did not care for babies now, but still checked her home for safety before she collected the children to make sure this was suitable. We noted a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness. From this we saw she was aware of her role in maintaining a secure, suitable environment for the children. page 9 of 16
We saw a wide selection of toys and activities in the playroom, which ensured the children could choose from a large range of activities. We noted that all toys and equipment were in a good clean condition. We saw art work displayed within the playroom as well as photographs of the children. It was well organised and she had created a room where the children could feel at home. During the inspection we saw the children playing happily, listened to them singing and generally enjoying themselves in a relaxed way. The children also had access to the garden at the rear as well as going for outings locally. We discussed where older children could rest and relax when needed and she told us they could "chill out" and watch television in the living room or play quietly in the playroom. When asked if they liked coming to the childminder's house the two minded children told us they did. They told us they had been going there for a long time and always enjoyed their time at her house. Grade 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. page 10 of 16
6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection Overall the childminder was well organised and we saw she was aware of role and responsibilities as a registered childminder. She has been caring for children for over 29 years and continues to provide a good quality childminding service for the children and their families. We looked at the policies and procedures she had developed and saw she shared these with parents and carers when they first started. We saw all the childminding records were safely stored in a lockable cabinet and well organised. We also saw that she had obtained public liability insurance as well as appropriate insurance cover for her home and vehicle. We asked how she evaluated her service and she said she regularly talked with parents and made sure she was meeting their children's needs. She had used questionnaires in the past but found parents happy with daily conversations. We noted there was a suggestions box. We discussed that once the care plans were in place she would review these every six months, in line with current guidelines. She thought this would a regular way to ask parents if they were happy with the care and also she could then ask for their views and suggestions. We saw she had not submitted the self-assessment we had asked her to submit before the inspection. We discussed the importance of evaluating her service to make sure it was operating well. We also discussed the need to make sure all documentation was submitted to the Care Inspectorate when required, and made a recommendation she return all documentation when asked - see Recommendation 1. We talked about how she involved the children and noted this was done informally in a general way. She told us she liked them to make suggestions and plan what they wanted to do. She encouraged free choice and found the children preferred this, especially because they had been in school all day and liked to relax once the reached her home. page 11 of 16
Training Since the previous inspection we noted the childminder had attended several training courses. She kept a record of all courses she attended and displayed the certificates received on the playroom wall. We talked about the need to keep up to date with current practice and how training was one way of doing this. We shared information about best practice guidance and directed her to the Care Inspectorate website. We discussed how knowledge and skills gained through training would improve her practice and keep her updated about changes in legislation. We noted recent training she had attended included: - 'Getting it Right for Every Child' (GIRFEC) - First aid - 'Birth to three'. We noted it was quite some time since she had updated child protection awareness training and food hygiene. We agreed that it would be best practice for her to attend refresher training in this as soon as possible. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 4 - Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The childminder must make sure the self-assessment and all documentation is returned to the Care Inspectorate when required. Reference: National care standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16 years. Standard 14: well-managed service. page 12 of 16
7 What the service has done to meet any recommendations or requirements we made at our last inspection Previous requirements 1. The childminder must ensure, that detailed information about children's needs is gathered, recorded and renewed at a minimum of six monthly intervals, with the involvement of parents and where appropriate children. This is in order to comply with: The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011; regulation 4(1)(a) a regulation to make proper provision for the health, welfare and safety of service users and regulation 5, a regulation to have a personal plan for achieving the health welfare and safety of service users. Timescale: within 28 days of receipt of this report. This requirement was made on 20 August 2014 We saw the childminder had reviewed her records since the previous inspection. She had up to date child records, information sheets as well as contracts of care during this inspection. The childminder did not yet have care plans in place but had recently obtained a format she could use. She stated her intent to introduce a care plan now. Met - Outwith Timescales page 13 of 16
Previous recommendations 1. The childminder should attend first aid training as planned, to ensure that her knowledge and skills are up to date should children have an accident or emergency. Reference: National Care Standards for Early Education up to the Age of 16 years. Standard 2: a safe environment. This recommendation was made on 20 August 2014 The childminder has now attended first aid training. 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 N/A page 14 of 16
11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 20 Aug 2014 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very Good Environment 5 - Very Good Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership 4 - Good 19 Aug 2010 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very Good Environment 4 - Good Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership Not Assessed 27 Oct 2009 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very Good Environment Not Assessed Staffing 4 - Good Management and Leadership Not Assessed 12 Feb 2009 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and Leadership Not Assessed page 15 of 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 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 16 of 16