Fraser, Hazel Child Minding Muir of Ord Inspected by: Christine Tweddle Type of inspection: Announced (Short Notice) Inspection completed on: 25 May 2012
Contents Page No Summary 3 1 About the service we inspected 5 2 How we inspected this service 6 3 The inspection 9 4 Other information 15 5 Summary of grades 16 6 Inspection and grading history 16 Service provided by: Fraser, Hazel Service provider number: SP2008971454 Care service number: CS2008184101 Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service: Christine Tweddle Telephone 01463 227630 Email enquiries@scswis.com Fraser, Hazel, page 2 of 17
Summary This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change after this inspection following other regulatory activity. For example, if we have to take enforcement action to make the service improve, or if we investigate and agree with a complaint someone makes about the service. We gave the service these grades Quality of Care and Support 6 Excellent Quality of Environment N/A Quality of Staffing 6 Excellent What the service does well The childminder works closely with parents to ensure that the care delivered meets the child's and parent's needs The childminder takes very comprehensive information about the children in her care and uses this to plan the activities The childminder has a very good range and quality of toys and equipment What the service could do better The childminder was to continue with the already excellent practice in relation to her service. What the service has done since the last inspection The childminder had continued to review her service with the parents and the children The childminder had sourced more activities and toys for the children that used her service Fraser, Hazel, page 3 of 17
Conclusion Inspection report continued Overall the childminder provided an excellent service. She works closely with the parents and takes the development of the children in her care seriously, always looking to improve on what she provides. Who did this inspection Christine Tweddle Fraser, Hazel, page 4 of 17
1 About the service we inspected The childminder was registered to provide a service to up to 6 children, of whom no more that 3 should be not yet attending school and a maximum of 1 child under a year. Numbers included the childminder's own children. The childminder aims to provide a safe and homely environment for children and to promote their welfare and development, working in partnership with parents and carers. Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) is the new regulatory body for care services in Scotland. It will award grades for services based on the findings of inspections. The history of grades that services have previously been awarded by the Care Commission will also be available on the SCSWIS website. This service was deemed registered with SCSWIS on 1 April 2011. All references in this report will be to The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 ("the Regulations") (SSI 2011/210). Providers were also reminded that they had to make use of the SCSWIS ''Guidance on notification reporting for all registered services'' and the document outlining ''Records registered care services must keep'' both of which can be found on the SCSWIS web site. Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following grades: Quality of Care and Support - Grade 6 - Excellent Quality of Environment - N/A Quality of Staffing - Grade 6 - Excellent This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change following other regulatory activity. You can find the most up-to-date grades for this service by visiting our website www.scswis.com or by calling us on 0845 600 9527 or visiting one of our offices. Fraser, Hazel, page 5 of 17
2 How we inspected this service The level of inspection we carried out In this service we carried out a low intensity inspection. We carry out these inspections when we are satisfied that services are working hard to provide consistently high standards of care. What we did during the inspection We wrote this report after a short notice unannounced inspection that took place on 25 May 2012. As requested by us the childminder sent us an annual return. The childminder also sent us a completed self assessment form. We issued three questionnaires to parents/carers of children using the service. Each of these was completed and returned before the inspection. In this inspection we gathered evidence from various sources, including the relevant sections of policies and procedures, records and other documentation including: Evidence from the childminder's most recent self assessment Questionnaires issued by the Care Inspectorate to parents of children using the service Questionnaires that had been provided by the childminder to parents Procedures about child protection, healthy eating, complaints, health and safety and risk assessments Aims and objectives of the service Working in partnership with parents policy Information brochure provided for parents Discussion with the childminder Discussion with the children present at the time of the inspection Observations of interactions between the childminder and the children Grading the service against quality themes and statements We inspect and grade elements of care that we call 'quality themes'. For example, one of the quality themes we might look at is 'Quality of care and support'. Under each quality theme are 'quality statements' which describe what a service should be doing well for that theme. We grade how the service performs against the quality Fraser, Hazel, page 6 of 17
themes and statements. Details of what we found are in Section 3: The inspection Inspection Focus Areas (IFAs) In any year we may decide on specific aspects of care to focus on during our inspections. These are extra checks we make on top of all the normal ones we make during inspection. We do this to gather information about the quality of these aspects of care on a national basis. Where we have examined an inspection focus area we will clearly identify it under the relevant quality statement. Fire safety issues We do not regulate fire safety. Local fire and rescue services are responsible for checking services. However, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, we will alert the relevant fire and rescue services so they may consider what action to take. You can find out more about care services' responsibilities for fire safety at www.firelawscotland.org Fraser, Hazel, page 7 of 17
The annual return Every year all care services must complete an 'annual return' form to make sure the information we hold is up to date. We also use annual returns to decide how we will inspect the service. Annual Return Received: Yes - Electronic Comments on Self Assessment Every year all care services must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate. The childminder submitted a self assessment form as requested by the Care Inspectorate. This contained information on what the childminder thought she did well and some areas that she thought she could improve upon. Taking the views of people using the care service into account There was one child in attendance on the day of the inspection. They appeared very happy and content with the childminder and played happily with a very good range of toys. They were able to tell the inspector that they enjoyed attending the childminder and that they loved playing with the toys and doing baking. Taking carers' views into account A parent came to the service whilst the inspector was there and they were very happy with the childminder. There was a lot of information sharing and the childminder made time for the parent to ask questions. Three care standard questionnaires were issued to the childminder to pass on to parents using her service. These were completed and returned. In response to the statement 'Overall I am happy with the quality of care my child receives in this service' all noted 'strongly agree'. Further comments included:- "My child loves going to Hazel's and is always coming home with art/craft/baking etc. She gets them involved in special occasions e.g. Christmas, Easter, Halloween etc. I fully trust Hazel with my child and it gives me peace of mind when at work know they are in excellent hands. All the children that go to her's have a lovely bond and I feel that this is down to Hazel". "Hazel provides an excellent service for my child and far exceeds all expectations we had of using a childminder". Fraser, Hazel, page 8 of 17
3 The inspection We looked at how the service performs against the following quality themes and statements. Here are the details of what we found. Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support Grade awarded for this theme: 6 - Excellent Statement 1 I ensure that parents and families participate in assessing and improving the quality of care and support provided by the service. Service strengths The childminder had continued to build on the excellent practice that was reported upon during the last inspection of September 2010. The childminder had a working with parents policy in place and was able to tell the inspector how she had worked with a particular parent with the developmental needs of their child. The childminder tailored new starts to the service to meet the individual needs of the parents and their child. They had continued to use questionnaires with the parents and their children and these were carried out on a regular basis. The inspector looked at these questionnaires and saw that the responses were of a very positive nature. These positive responses were also echoed in the questionnaires sent out by the Care Inspectorate. Parents indicated that the childminder always involved them and their child in developing the service, for example asking for ideas and feedback. They also said that the childminder listened to and acted upon their views on their child's development needs, culture, interests and personality. All were involved in developing the planning of the service. The policies and procedures had been reviewed and parents were always kept informed of these changes. They were able to take the policies and procedures home with them and the childminder said that she referred parents to these if there were any queries about her service. The childminder continued to provide daily diaries and information sheets for babies, toddlers and pre-school children. However she did provide verbal information for all parents on what their child had been doing whilst in her care. The daily diaries Fraser, Hazel, page 9 of 17
contained comprehensive information and these went home with the children each day. The childminder also provided a folder of photographs of the activities for all parents to look at. The childminder maintained a very good level of daily contact with the parents. They worked closely with the parents to ensure that the care and support that was offered was of a high standard. The childminder was able to tell the inspector how she had achieved this. The childminder shared her inspection reports with the parents. Within the questionnaires that were returned to the Care Inspectorate all indicated that they received clear information and that the childminder involved them and their children in the development of the service. Areas for improvement The childminder was to continue with the already excellent practice in relation to this statement. Within the self assessment the childminder highlighted the following as areas of development: To keep up the good standards I have set. Grade awarded for this statement: 6 - Excellent Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Statement 3 I gather information about the child and their needs. Service strengths The parents were asked to complete a form at the start of the service and this was about contact numbers, GPs and any allergies. The childminder asked about individual children's likes/dislikes and preferences with regard to activities and food when they first started using the service. She then used this information to plan what they did on a day to day basis. The childminder used daily diaries for the pre-school children and this contained information on what the child had done that day with regard to the activities. The childminder also recorded milestones that the children had achieved. Babies and toddlers that used the service also had a record maintained of what their day had consisted of. These records went home with the parents and they were able to Fraser, Hazel, page 10 of 17
comment in these if they so wished. The childminder also took photographs of the children, with the parents' permission, and shared these with them. They showed the parents what the children took part in and how they were being encouraged to develop their skills. The childminder had a good understanding of the development needs of children. Within the questionnaires that were issued and returned to the Care Inspectorate all parents indicated that the childminder monitored their child's development and used this information to plan the care. They also said that the childminder took account of the child's cultural needs. Areas for improvement The childminder was to continue with the already excellent practice in relation to this statement. Within the self assessment the childminder highlighted the following as areas of development: Give out questionnaires before a child starts to keep on record about likes and dislikes routines etc. Speak to the child about likes and dislikes. Grade awarded for this statement: 6 - Excellent Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Fraser, Hazel, page 11 of 17
Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment - NOT ASSESSED Fraser, Hazel, page 12 of 17
Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing Grade awarded for this theme: 6 - Excellent Statement 1 I ensure that parents and families participate in assessing and improving the quality of the service. Service strengths Comments made under statement 1.1 are also relevant to this particular quality statement. Please refer to that statement for further information. Areas for improvement The childminder was to continue with the already excellent practice in relation to this statement. Within the self assessment the childminder highlighted the following as areas of development: To maintain the high standards that I already have. Grade awarded for this statement: 6 - Excellent Number of recommendations: 0 Number of requirements: 0 Statement 2 I understand my role and responsibilities in relation to child protection and provide a service that promotes the health, nutrition and safety of the children in my care. Service strengths The childminder had attended child protection training and was aware of the need to ensure that they kept up to date with this training. A policy and procedure was in place and this outlined their responsibilities in relation to child protection. This included telephone numbers of who they would contact, and what records they would keep, if they had concerns. The childminder was aware of her responsibilities and was able to inform the inspector how they had effectively managed a previous issue. Parents were handed a copy of this to read at the start of using the service. The childminder did not provide cooked food but provided snacks. The childminder was aware of healthy eating as they used best practice to plan the snacks used. There was information within the policies and procedures with regard to healthy eating. The childminder was registered with the Food Standards Agency and had received a visit Fraser, Hazel, page 13 of 17
from them. They had made some recommendations and the childminder had addressed these. They had attended Food Hygiene training. There were various policies in place to support the safety of the children and these included such areas as fire safety, infection control, medication, no smoking, accidents and incidents and emergency arrangements. There was a behaviour management policy in place and this stated that the childminder would work with the parent should the need arise. It stated that there was to be no physical chastisement. There were examples of the positive discipline the childminder would use if necessary. House rules were in place and these had been developed with the children. The childminder had booked First Aid training and this was due the week following the inspection. The childminder used risk assessments to ensure her home was safe. These were reviewed every three months and a new copy of the risk assessment was generated at each review. Within the questionnaires that were returned to the Care Inspectorate prior to the inspection the parents indicated that they felt that the childminder would protect their child from harm, abuse, bullying and neglect. They said that the childminder dealt with difficult behaviour in a sensitive way. Areas for improvement The childminder was to continue with the already excellent practice in relation to this statement. Within the self assessment the childminder highlighted the following as areas of development: Make sure I keep certificates up to date. Continue to keep standards high. Grade awarded for this statement: 6 - Excellent Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Fraser, Hazel, page 14 of 17
4 Other information Complaints No complaints have been upheld, or partially upheld, since the last inspection. Enforcements We have taken no enforcement action against this care service since the last inspection. Additional Information Action Plan Failure to submit an appropriate action plan within the required timescale, including any agreed extension, where requirements and recommendations have been made, will result in SCSWIS re-grading the Quality Statement within the Management and Leadership Theme as unsatisfactory (1). This will result in the Quality Theme for Management and Leadership being re-graded as Unsatisfactory (1). Fraser, Hazel, page 15 of 17
5 Summary of grades Quality of Care and Support - 6 - Excellent Statement 1 Statement 3 6 - Excellent 6 - Excellent Quality of Environment - Not Assessed Quality of Staffing - 6 - Excellent Statement 1 Statement 2 6 - Excellent 6 - Excellent 6 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 28 Sep 2010 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 6 - Excellent 6 - Excellent Not Assessed Not Assessed 3 Nov 2009 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good Not Assessed All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former regulator of care services, the Care Commission. Fraser, Hazel, page 16 of 17
To find out more about our inspections and inspection reports Read our leaflet 'How we inspect'. You can download it from our website or ask us to send you a copy by telephoning us on 0845 600 9527. This inspection report is published by SCSWIS. You can get more copies of this report and others by downloading it from our website: www.scswis.com or by telephoning 0845 600 9527. Translations and alternative formats This inspection report is available in other languages and formats on request. Telephone: 0845 600 9527 Email: enquiries@scswis.com Web: www.scswis.com Fraser, Hazel, page 17 of 17