Nikki's Child Minding

Transcription

1 Nikki's Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 29 September 2016 Service provided by: Cochrane, Nicola Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS

2 The service Introduction Nikki's childminding service is provided by Miss Nicola Cochrane. She provides a childminding service from her family home which is located in a residential area in the Cumbernauld area of North Lanarkshire. Her premises are situated nearby local schools, shops and community facilities and can be easily accessed by foot and public transport. Miss Cochrane is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of sixteen, of whom no more than three children are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under twelve months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. At the time of the inspection there were seven children registered to use the service. The conditions of registration allow all parts of the premises to be used. Overnight care cannot be provided. This was the service's first inspection. What we did during our inspection We produced this report following an unannounced inspection carried out by one care service inspector. This took place on Thursday 29 September 2016 between the hours of 10.15am and 12.45pm. We provided the childminder with feedback on our visit before the end of the inspection. In this inspection we gathered evidence from various sources, including: - Discussions with the childminder - Children's records - Observations of the interactions between the childminder and her minded child - Observations of the childminding environment and toys. - Medication and accident/incident records -Risk assessments We used the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators (safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included) to assess practice and looked at how the childminder used these to ensure positive outcomes for children and their families. We asked the childminder to distribute three care standards questionnaires to parents/carers who use her service on our behalf. One of these were returned to us before the inspection. Views of people using the service The very young child who was present during our visit was happy, relaxed and content in the childminder's care. The childminder knew her well and she was responsive and sensitive to her needs. Parents/carers views: The parent/carer who completed the care standards questionnaires strongly agreed that they were happy with all aspects of the service. They commented: for Nikki's page 2 of 8

3 "Nikki is very flexible and helpful when caring for my child. I have noticed a huge difference in my child since she joined Nikki's. My child's speech, drawing, motor skills have all improved so well." "I feel comfortable leaving my child with Nikki knowing she is being cared for just as well as I could." Self assessment We did not receive a self-assessment from the childminder. We discussed the importance of submitting this information with the childminder and provided some advice about completing this. The childminder has agreed to ensure that future self-assessments are completed and submitted to the Care Inspectorate. What the service did well The childminder provided children with a nurturing, safe, stimulating and fun environment. Her child centred approach supported her to meet children's individual health and wellbeing needs. Through good communication and developing positive relationships with children and their parents/carers, the childminder had gained good knowledge of children's needs. The childminder valued the views of those who used her service and encouraged them to be involved in the development of the service. The childminder recognised the importance of keeping her childcare knowledge up to date and had attended a good range of relevant training since becoming registered. What the service could do better The childminder should ensure she records important information about all children who attend the service. The childminder should keep a record of children's attendance. The service's medication procedures should be reviewed and updated to reflect best practice. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of environment Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 4 - Good 5 - Very Good not assessed 4 - Good Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder knew her minded children well. She described how she worked closely with the parents/carers to identify and meet children's ongoing care and development needs. for Nikki's page 3 of 8

4 The very young child who was present during our visit was happy, relaxed and content. The childminder was responsive to her needs and had good knowledge of her routines. She interacted with her in a positive, nurturing way, providing lots of praise and supporting her when needed. She spoke to her in a gentle, caring and respectful manner. Children benefited from a wide variety of play and learning experiences both indoors and outdoors including outings and social activities. This enabled them to form friendships with wider groups of children and supported them to be active and achieve. A parent/carer commented "my child has a very active routine. She goes on walks to the park and visits attractions like the zoo, Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel. The childminder had recently secured an allotment and spoke enthusiastically about how children would benefit from this opportunity. The service had medication procedures in place. Although medication was being administered safely, we found that the recording system needed to be improved, to provide more accurate details of medication being administered to children. We discussed this at length with the childminder and highlighted the areas that needed to be improved. We also sent the childminder a copy of current best practice guidance. We have made a recommendation about this (see Recommendation 1). We could see that the childminder had considered the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators when planning to meet the needs of children. Generally, personal plans provided good information about children's needs, routines and development. However, we found that important information had not been recorded for all children who attend the service. Since the inspection, the childminder confirmed that that this had been actioned. We sent her a copy of "records childminding services must keep and guidance on notification reporting" document for reference. We also provided information and advice about how personal plans could be further developed. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The childminder should review and update the service's medication procedures to reflect best practice. National Care Standards. Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 3 - Health and Wellbeing Grade: 4 - good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The child was relaxed and comfortable in the childminder's home. She played happily with a wide range of toys and resources that were clean and well maintained. The childminder had added thoughtful touches to ensure children felt included and respected in her home, for example, attractively displaying personal photographs and artwork on a wall in the conservatory dedicated to the children. for Nikki's page 4 of 8

5 Children spent most of their time in the lounge and conservatory. These were bright, spacious areas where children could play together and enjoy playing with a wide range of toys and equipment. Comfortable soft furnishings provided children with cosy spaces to rest and relax if they wished. Children had access to a spacious, enclosed garden and used this regularly. Children had opportunities to develop confidence, independence, take informed risks and achieve using the wide range of outdoor resources. The childminder described how she ensured her home was safe and secure for children. She carried out visual checks prior to children arriving and throughout the course of the day. Detailed risk assessments had also been completed for her home, outdoors and outings. We found a suitable system in place to record details of accidents and incidents. The childminder was familiar with current best practice guidance on infection prevention and control. Children had access to appropriate handwashing and drying materials. The childminder demonstrated a clear understanding of the importance of maintaining a safe, clean and healthy environment for children. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 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 is a qualified Early Tears Practitioner. She had developed an informative welcome brochure for prospective parents/carers, which included copies of the service's policies and procedures. We found the childminder to be very enthusiastic, professional and motivated about her role. She spoke of her commitment to continually improving her service and involving children and parents/carers in this process. She told us that parents/carers mostly preferred to share their ideas and suggestions informally through daily chats. She had developed more formal questionnaires for children and parents/carers to provide feedback on her service. These demonstrated that they were very happy with all aspects of the service. We encouraged the childminder to continue to develop ways to encourage children and parents/carers to share their views, for for Nikki's page 5 of 8

6 example, using more open questions and having a more focussed approach. We signposted her to Education Scotland's self-evaluation framework, How Good is our Early Learning and Childcare. We found that the childminder did not keep a record of when children attended the service. We discussed the importance of retaining this information. We have made a recommendation about this (see Recommendation 1) The childminder recognised the importance of keeping her knowledge and skills up to date and had attended a wide range of training since being registered. This included, child protection and children's rights. She had accessed first aid training online and planned to attend more practical training on this topic. She was familiar with the Care Inspectorate's Hub and used this to access information on childcare issues and initiatives. The childminder met with other childminders which provided her with opportunities to share good practice with colleagues. The childminder was described her role in keeping children safe and protected and had a child protection statement which outlined her responsibilities. She knew who to contact for further advice and information. We encouraged the childminder to review and update the service's policies and procedures using new learning experiences and good practice documents. Overall, we found the childminder to be well organised and committed to providing a quality childcare service. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The childminder should keep an accurate record of children's attendance. This should reflect when children arrive and depart the service. National Care Standards. Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 2 - A Safe Environment & 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. for Nikki's page 6 of 8

7 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 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. for Nikki's page 7 of 8

8 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 Contact us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com Find us on Facebook 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. for Nikki's page 8 of 8