Angela's Childminding Service Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 5 September 2016 Service provided by: Quigley, Angela Service provider number: SP2015987184 Care service number: CS2015339351
The service Introduction Angela Quigley has been registered with the Care Inspectorate since 2015 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 is not provided. The service is provided from the childminder's home, a semi-detached property within the residential area of Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, close to the local school, shops, parks and other amenities. The areas used to provide the service were living room, open plan dining room and kitchen, bathroom and back garden. All rooms with the exception of the bathroom are at ground level. Aims of the service include to "provide a happy, caring, warm and friendly environment" to "enable children to develop, learn, and have fun" and "to work closely with the child's parents to provide as reliable and individual a service as possible". What we did during our inspection We compiled this report following an unannounced inspection, which took place between 1.20pm and 2.50pm on 5 September 2016. The inspection was carried out by a Care Inspectorate Early Years Inspector. During this inspection we spoke to the childminder, the children present. We observed the care given by the childminder and looked at a number of documents including health and safety records, planning tools and certificates of training. We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child(also known as GIRFEC), Scotland's national approach to improving outcomes and wellbeing for children by offering the right help at the right time from the right people. It supports them and their parent(s) to work with the services that can help them. There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of Getting it right for every child: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. Views of people using the service Two minded children, aged 8 months and 4 years were present during the inspection. It was clear the children were happy and content in the care of the childminder. They told us about a wide range of activities and outings that they had fun participating in through the service. One parent returned a questionnaire to us. The responses from this demonstrated that they were happy with the quality of care their child received. 'Angela regularly asks us about our child's care needs and emails daily. She provides snacks for my child that involve fruit and raisins etc. She visits playgroups and goes on adventure walks'. page 2 of 9
We have included some comments including some responses to the childminder's service evaluation questionnaire for parents within the relevant sections of this report. Self assessment We did not receive a self-assessment from the childminder. Registered care services should complete an online self assessment each year. The self-assessment details strengths, areas for improvement and grades the service has awarded itself based on its performance under quality indicators. The Care Inspectorate use these grades to help inform the inspection reporting process. Issues relating to how parents and children are involved in decisions within the service and the quality of the service's health and safety records are considered below. What the service did well Angela Quigley had built trusting relationships with the children that used her service. The childminder made sure that she talked to parents and used online communication tools well to keep up-to-date with the minded children's needs. The childminder knew the minded children's individual personalities. She listened to children's ideas with respect and supported them in making choices within her service. What the service could do better The childminder should refresh her child protection training include the emergency contact details for the relevant local child protection agencies in her written policy and procedure. The childminder's medication policy for children should be adapted should to make it clear parents or carers should normally give the first dose of any medication as well as clarify how she would respond to a situation whereby a child spits out or refuses medication. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of environment Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good not assessed 4 - Good Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection We found the childminder was performing to a very good standard in the areas covered by this statement. During the inspection, we observed the childminder to be warm and affectionate towards the minded children she was caring for and that the children had developed a positive relationship with her. She praised the children and encouraged them in their play. We saw that she knew the children well and understood their individual needs. page 3 of 9
Parents were kept up to date about their children's day with the childminder, using a number of methods. For example, the childminder used a mobile phone application to share information with parents about children's eating and sleeping patterns, daily activities and moods. Parents completed 'all about me' forms about their children and photographic records were kept describing children's achievements and artwork. The childminder identified next steps for children and her records showed how observations and children's preferences have informed the activities offered. This showed that childminder valued children's individuality and supported them to follow their own interests. We highlighted to the childminder data protection requirements when taking and storing digital photographs of minded children on a camera or with any other digital device such as a mobile phone. We discussed with the childminder the need to register with and follow guidance for storing any personal data from the Information Commission Officer. This will protect children's personal information and continue to ensure that it is shared appropriately. The children benefited from guidance from the childminder who helped them learn how to keep themselves healthy and free from the risk of cross infection. Children were learning how to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. The childminder was registered with the Food Standards Agency and used their guidance to ensure the environment was clean and safe for the children. Appropriate permissions from parents were in place to allow the childminder to give medication, to take children on outings, and for particular activities such as playing computer games. She demonstrated a clear understanding of the procedure to be followed, if a child spits out, or refuses medication. The childminder agreed to revise her written policy to reflect this understanding. In addition, the childminder should update her medication policy to highlight that, in case of an allergy or adverse reaction, she would not give the first dose of any medication to a child (see Recommendation 1 below). This would contribute to the very good practice already in place and continue to ensure the health and safety of children. Accident and incident records were maintained and shared with parents. This meant parents were consulted and included in the care of their children. The childminder had undertaken training in child protection and knew what to do should she have any child protection concerns. She understood the importance of continuing to refresh her knowledge and understanding of this area of her work. As a result, she was going to make arrangements to go on future training sessions available in her local area on child protection. She should further develop the child protection policy to include the emergency contact details for the relevant child protection agencies. This would continue to ensure the safeguarding and protection of children (see Recommendation 1 - 'The quality of management and leadership'). Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The childminder to access Care Inspectorate guidance on the 'Management of medication in daycare of children and childminding settings' to review and develop the policy for the administration of medicines. This to include clear a statement: page 4 of 9
i) on the procedure to be followed, if a child spits out, or refuses the medication. ii) that the childminder would not give the first dose of any medication to a child. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 3: Health and wellbeing. Grade: 5 - very good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The environment used for childminding was child focussed, comfortable, safe and stimulating. Children had space to play within the living room area which was open plan and led to the dining area and kitchen, where children could easily and safely move into the enclosed back garden to enjoy their outdoor play. Rooms had a good source of natural light and were bright and fresh. We found that a range of energetic play opportunities available for children in the garden using scooters, seesaw, chute, building workshop, gardening tools, and bats and balls including building bug hotels. The childminder told us that she frequently took the children to the local parks for ball and hoola hoop games, woodland walks and to play on large physical apparatus such as swings and roundabouts In addition, during school holiday periods the children went on outings to libraries, museums, National Trust properties and safari parks. These opportunities encouraged children to achieve, be active and experience regular fresh air and exercise. Effective systems were in place to record and share information with parents about any accidents or incidents. This meant that parents were kept informed about issues affecting their children. The childminder had accessed British Red Cross training in First Aid, which helped to minimise the risks to children's health that may arise from any accidents or emergencies. Risk assessments were in place for the premises and outings. She kept a written record of all the risk assessments and regularly monitored and reviewed their effectiveness. The childminder was very good at helping children to learn about how to keep themselves safe, for example, she told us she talked with children about how to manage risks when at the park paying with new equipment. This helped the minded children develop personal responsibility and promoted health and safety. We discussed strategies to extend children's opportunities to risk assess their play both inside and outside the home. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 page 5 of 9
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of staffing This quality theme was not assessed. Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection The childminder stated that she kept up-to-date with best practice and legislation through Care Inspectorate and SCMA (Scottish Childminding Association) websites, magazines and publications. She had also attended meetings with other local childminders to share ideas, good practice and access training opportunities. SCMA is a national umbrella organisation whose main aim is to promote childminding as a quality childcare service. A range of written policies and procedures had been developed by the childminder. These were made available to new parents which meant that they knew what to expect of her service. Daily discussions and text communication with parents as well as mind mapping of children's play ideas helped the childminder plan a service based around service user's views. She also distributed a service evaluation questionnaire for parents to provide feedback on service strengths and areas for improvement. Overall, this made it more likely that her service was relevant to the families' needs and helped ensure that everyone felt respected and included. We discussed the value of regularly submitting a self assessment of the service to the Care Inspectorate. This will help her to monitor improvements to and track children's wellbeing across a range of service areas. The childminder demonstrated a commitment to updating her knowledge through attending training. The childminder had successfully completed the Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Child Care and Education. The childminder had recently completed food safety and hygiene training and sourced an online learning website where she had recently undertaken professional learning about Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC). The childminder confirmed that she was also interested in undertaking training in extending outdoor play and supporting children with additional support needs. This highlighted the childminder's commitment to extending her knowledge and improving outcomes for children using the service. The childminder gave parents a copy of the complaints procedure. This created an opportunity for them to raise any concerns they may have about the service. No complaints had ever been received about the service. The parent we spoke to 'strongly agreed' that overall they were happy with the quality of care their child received in the service. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 page 6 of 9
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 2 1. To update her training to ensure she is aware of Scottish Government guidance on child protection including categories of abuse. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 14 - Well-managed Service. 2. To further develop her child protection policy to include the emergency contact details for the relevant local child protection agencies. National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 3: Health and Wellbeing. Standard 14 - Well-managed Service. Grade: 4 - good What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at or since the last inspection Previous requirements There are no outstanding requirements. What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at or since the last inspection Previous recommendations There are no outstanding recommendations. Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com. page 7 of 9
Enforcement No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection. Inspection and grading history This service does not have any prior inspection history or grades. page 8 of 9
To find out more This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website. Care services in Scotland cannot operate unless they are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect, award grades and help services to improve. We also investigate complaints about care services and can 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. You can also read more about our work online at www.careinspectorate.com Contact us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com 0345 600 9527 Find us on Facebook Twitter: @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 cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 9 of 9