Jenni Tots Childcare Glasgow Inspection completed on 26 May 2016
Service provided by: Ballantyne, Jennifer Service provider number: SP2015986781 Care service number: CS2015336256 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 Childminder inspection report page 2 of 13
1 Introduction Childminder inspection report Jennifer Ballantyne operates her childminding service, Jenni Tots Childcare, from her detached family home in the Kilsyth area of North Lanarkshire. The service is well situated to local amenities, schools and nursery. The childminder is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of 6 children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of 6 will be under 12, of whom no more than 3 are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than 1 is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of the childminder's family members. There were six children, with various patterns of attendance, using the childminding service over the period of a week. The children have the use of a living room, dining area/playroom, kitchen and bathroom on the ground floor. They also had the use of the enclosed back garden. The childminder told us that the garden is being re-designed to make it more interesting for the children to play in. One of the childminder's aims is: "To provide a personal approach to consider a child's individual needs, interests and their stages of development and plan challenging and enjoyable experiences across all aspects of a child's development." What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection. The inspection took place over two days - Tuesday 24 May 2016 between 12.15pm and 1.35pm and Thursday 26 May 2016 between 4.45pm and 7.30pm. We gave feedback to the childminder on 26 May 2016. We sent three care standards questionnaires to the childminder to give to parents. We received two completed questionnaire from parents prior to the inspection visit. The childminder was caring for two minded children on 24 May and three minded children on 26 May 2016. Please note throughout this report, the term 'parents' should be taken to include carers such as relatives, friends or foster carers. page 3 of 13
During this inspection process, we gathered evidence from various sources. This included the following: We spoke with: - three parents - three minded children - the childminder. We looked at: - the childminder's policy information including child protection and other general information - children's information including personal plans - infection prevention and control procedures - risk assessment information - medication, accident and incident records - insurance certificates for the childminding business and car - registration certificate - observations of practice including how the childminder cared for and interacted with the minded children present. Views of people using the service There were five minded children attending the service over the two days we inspected. They played well together and were very relaxed and happy in the care of the childminder. During the inspection, we spoke with three parents who told us they were very happy with the service provided for their children. "Good settling in. He loves it. He has made friends... Very happy." "Perfect as we live next door. Friend, neighbour, nice lovely person. Very flexible. Excellent service." "Daily updates... Home from home... Very happy." We received two completed care standards questionnaires. These told us that the parents were very happy with the service. page 4 of 13
"My son loves her & going into her to be minded - that speaks volumes." "XXX [child's name] is always happy to go and doesn't want to leave. It is a perfect, nurturing situation for XXX and I really wouldn't want him to be anywhere else." Additional comments from the children and parents are written within the body of this report. 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 did not receive a completed self-assessment from the childminder. What the service did well We found that the childminder had built very good relationships with the children and parents. She had created a warm, friendly and homely environment for the children to grow and play. The children enjoyed playing with the toys and crafts and were content in the care of the childminder. The childminder offered a flexible service to meet the needs of the children and families. What the service could do better The childminder should address the recommendations made within the 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 4 - Good 3 - Adequate not assessed 3 - Adequate page 5 of 13
3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection We found that the childminder provided good opportunities for parents and children to be involved in the improvement and development of the service. Parents and children were openly communicated with and their views sought. Examples of how the childminder gathered parents' and children's views and ideas to help improve the service included: - daily discussion with parents and children - regular newsletters - regular informal contact by telephone and text - regular opportunities for parents and children to contribute to activity planning. A parent told us: "There are newsletters issued to parents to keep us up to date on what is happening and what is coming up. If Jenni has an idea she will share it and see what we think also then develop it and keep us informed." This approach meant that the parents and childminder formed a good working partnership to ensure continuity of care and support for the children attending the service. The childminder respected the children and they were included in deciding what they wanted to do. Parents and children could visit the service before the children started. The number of visits was dependant on the needs of the family. This approach enabled everyone to get to know each other and helped the children settle. Parents completed forms giving information about their children. The childminder used these to shape the children's day-to-day care and experiences. For example, likes/dislikes, routines and medical information. Good communication between the childminder and parents helped the childminder keep up-to-date with the children's care needs. page 6 of 13
The childminder had begun to develop personal plans for each of the children attending the service. We found that some of the written information needed to be updated. We discussed the importance of the childminder reviewing and updating the personal plans every six months or sooner, to help support the individual needs of the children. A parent commented: "We discuss my son's routine and when we collect him she [childminder] gives an update on how he stuck to his routine." We watched the children play. There was good interaction between the childminder and the children. The childminder was very responsive and supportive of the children she was caring for. The children were very relaxed in the care of the childminder and fully engaged in their play. This approach contributed to the overall ethos of respect within the childminding service. The childminder told us what she would do if she had a child protection concern. The childminder was aware of who to contact to discuss these concerns. A child protection policy was in place. This helped keep the children safe and protected them from abuse, harm and neglect. The childminder provided food, drinks and snacks in line with parents' and children's wishes. The childminder was registered with the Food Standards Agency. We would recommend the childminder use the document, Setting the Table, Nutritional guidance and food standards for early years childcare providers in Scotland, when planning and preparing food and drinks for the children. (See recommendation 1) We found that the childminder encouraged the children to take responsibility for their safety by giving them clear rules and guidelines as they played. The childminder had a medication policy and procedure. She told us that she had not needed to administer medication. We discussed the Care Inspectorate's document; Management of medication in daycare of children and childminding services. The childminder agreed to look at this and review and update her medication policy and procedure information in line with current best practice advice. Grade The quality of care and support is graded 4 - Good page 7 of 13
Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The childminder should produce a menu for food and drink, offered to the children, in line with Setting the Table, Nutritional guidance and food standards for early years childcare providers in Scotland. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 3: Health and Wellbeing. 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The childminder ensured that the children were cared for in an environment that was well maintained, clean, smoke free, safe and child friendly. She did this by putting in place good infection prevention and control procedures that helped minimise the spread of infection. She cleaned the home on a daily basis. The childminder had risk assessed her home and garden which had helped her identify some of the hazards and reduce risks to support the children's safety. However, we found during our visit that the childminder had not considered all aspects of risk when caring for the children. We discussed this with the childminder and she was able to address one of the issues by our second visit. We also discussed the transportation of children in her car. We would recommend that she reviews and updates her risk assessments in order to fully ensure the safety of the children when in her care both within the home and outwith. (See recommendation 1) We found that the childminder provided a homely environment and had made best use of the space available in her home and garden. She had done this by being responsive to the individual needs of the children and providing them with a good range of activities which was based on their interests and needs. We spoke with the children who told us they were very happy at the childminder's home. page 8 of 13
One of the children attending during our inspection was making a jigsaw and told us: "I'll show you how to do them." The minded baby was very content and had a good range of toys to play with. The children had regular opportunities for fresh air and were encouraged to be active on a daily basis and this helped promote their general health, wellbeing and confidence. Grade The quality of environment is graded 3 - Adequate Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The childminder should review and update her risk assessments of her home and transportation to ensure the safety and security of the children in her care. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 2 - A Safe Environment. 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 kept up to date with best practice in childcare through a variety of ways for example: Scottish Childminding Association publications, the Care Inspectorate Care News and internet information. page 9 of 13
The childminder was keen to continue to develop her skills and knowledge. We discussed training and she told us that she had undertaken online training in child protection training and induction training through the Scottish Childminding Association website. She was in the process of completing a food hygiene course. The childminder intended to access first aid. This approach helped support her in her childminding role. The childminder regularly discussed the children's care, support and development needs with the parents. We found that the childminder was very supportive of the families she cared for and listened to the ideas and feedback given from the children and parents to help improve the service. We spoke to three parents who told us how flexible and supportive the childminder was and how she actively met their children's needs. A parent commented: "XXXX [child's name] is always happy to go and doesn't want to leave, it is a perfect, nurturing situation for XXXX and I really wouldn't want him to be anywhere else." The childminder had a complaints policy and procedure, which was shared with parents. All parents said they would be happy to speak with the childminder and they felt she would be responsive to their suggestions. The childminder should continue to review and update her range of policies and procedures, including medication, food and drinks and risk assessments. This will help in her childminding role to support the needs of the children and help ensure their wellbeing while attending the service. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 3 - Adequate Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 page 10 of 13
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 service was registered. 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 service was registered. 10 Other issues N/A. page 11 of 13
11 Inspection and grading history Childminder inspection report This service does not have any prior inspection history or grades. page 12 of 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 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 13 of 13