Little Ark - Childminding Child Minding

Transcription

1 Little Ark - Childminding Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 8 December 2016 Service provided by: Doherty, Nicola Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS

2 The service Introduction The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at Little Ark - Childminding service was registered with the Care Inspectorate in January Nicola Doherty trading as Little Ark - Childminding provided a childminding service with the support of three assistants. Nicola Doherty is registered to provide a care service to 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 of age. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. When the childminder is working with either assistant, to provide a care service to a maximum of 9 children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom no more than 6 are not yet attending primary school, and of whom no more than 2 are under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminders' families. Giselle Collins, Georgina Ospedale and Hayley O'Donnell are employed as assistants. Overnight care will not be provided. Minded children cannot be cared for by persons other than those named on the certificate of registration. The service is provided from premises owned by one of the assistants in the Coatbridge area of North Lanarkshire. The premises comprised of a main playroom, where food could be prepared, with an additional room for sleeping and other quiet activities. There were designated changing and toilet facilities. Doors in both playrooms gave access to an enclosed garden area. Public transport and motorway links are nearby. Aims of the service include "Be positive role models and promote social skills, encouraging good manners and respect for other." What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection, which took place on Thursday, 08 December 2016 between the hours of 9.50 am and 1.40 pm. We gave feedback to the childminder at the end of the inspection. Over the course of the inspection we gathered information from various sources. This included observations of interactions between the childminder, two assistants and the children, activities and choices available to the children and discussions about general routines and practices. We viewed the areas accessible to the children both indoors and outdoors and sampled documents including, health and safety records, personal plans, medication and recruitment records. 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. These are the wellbeing indicators at the heart of GIRFEC, safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. for Little Ark - Childminding page 2 of 10

3 Views of people using the service Six of the 17 minded children were present during the inspection. We spoke with two pre-school aged children and engaged with the younger children over the course of the inspection. All the children were secure and settled and played with the range of toys available. The older children told us they were happy to come to the childminder and told us about what they liked to do each day. This included, playing in the home area and during their play we were made a cup of tea. We received three completed questionnaires from parents of children who currently attended the service. These contained positive written comments. We have included some comments and some 'ticked' responses to the questions asked within the questionnaires within the relevant sections of this report. A parent who took the opportunity to speak with us during the inspection told us they were very happy with the standard of care and support their child received. Self assessment The Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self-assessment from the childminder who is the provider of the service. The provider identified what they thought the service did well and gave examples of improvements in supporting children's overall health and wellbeing through being outdoors and growing vegetables in a community garden. The self-assessment clearly identified some key areas that the provider believes can be improved and showed how the service intended to do this. What the service did well The childminder and assistants knew the care and support needs, likes/dislikes and routines of each of the children in their care. There were personal plans in place which were reviewed regularly with parents to meet individual children's needs. Through consulting with parents improvements in the garden/ outdoor area were suggested and were being taken forward. What the service could do better The childminder should consider devising visual methods to support the younger children in making choices about what they want to play with. When reviewing children's plans their updated sleep routines and food changes should be recorded. 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 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good for Little Ark - Childminding page 3 of 10

4 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder and her assistants provided effective care and support for children. They were warm and nurturing with the children being cared for during our inspection. They knew them well and were responsive to their needs and interests. We saw that children experienced a child centred, relaxed and homely environment with lots of fun and enjoyment. The childminder and assistants had developed positive relationships with parents and communicated with them to meet their children's individual needs. Parents commented: "My child has a diary that is updated every day with information and has a space for parents to reply. I chat with staff every day." "Childminder discusses with me directly of any plans or changes and ensures I am happy with everything. I will let them know if my child has any issues and they provide me with a daily diary." We asked the childminder and assistants about the care and support needs of the children in their care. They knew how each child liked to sleep, the snacks they liked to eat, their likes and dislikes, stage of development and their current interests. The childminder and assistants had participated in Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) training. They had introduced the wellbeing principles from this framework, within the children's plans to support their individual achievements. These plans were reviewed regularly with parents. The childminder recognised the benefits of and agreed to record all comments and views of parents. This will further assist with participation in meeting children's needs and contribute towards positive outcomes for all children. Parents commented: "My child has just recently started so I have not had a review just yet. However, Little Ark make good use of a daily communication diary where there is a space provided for information from home." "I was also given an "all about me" booklet to fill in prior to starting." The childminder and assistant demonstrated an understanding of child protection. Each gave an instance of what would give them cause for concern in relation to child protection and how they would report any concerns. As part of their on-going personal development, both had participated in child protection training to keep their knowledge up to date on how to safeguard children's wellbeing. During our inspection we saw that no children were currently receiving medication. The childminder and assistant explained what they would do if a child attending required medication and knew the importance of administering and storing medication safely. The childminder told us that she had a copy of the guidance on: 'Management of Medication in Daycare and Childminding Service' to assist her in reviewing her practice and procedures in line with this current guidance. The childminder gave some examples of when she had worked in partnership with parents to support their child through transitions in their life. This demonstrated a respectful and sensitive manner towards working in partnership with parents. The childminder and assistant were sensitive and skilled in the ways that they supported children and promoted positive behaviour. They ensured that children were aware of the expectations of positive behaviour and understood about boundaries and why these were needed. They took good account of children's developmental stages in this process. The childminder and two of the assistants used their cars for business purposes. We evidenced suitable insurance and associated documents. This information is shared with parents. Parents had signed consent forms allowing the childminder and assistants to transport their children on outings. This resulted in parents being kept informed of the procedures the childminder had in place and contributed towards the health and safety of children when traveling. for Little Ark - Childminding page 4 of 10

5 Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection On our arrival, we saw that the children present were being cared for within a homely, nurturing and hygienic environment. The childminder explained the daily and weekly cleaning routines which took place prior to the children arriving. This practice assisted the childminder in supporting positive outcomes for children and their families. The playrooms were set out to offer children different learning experiences and opportunities. Most of the units promoted self-selection. We discussed with the childminder the benefits of displaying pictures and or print of the resources within the boxes to help children make choices and support their learning styles. She agreed to consider this. Children were observed actively exploring and playing with a variety of toys and equipment indoors. This included, Lego, books, imaginative play and drawing materials. The children were encouraged to tidy-up the toys they had finished playing with to ensure the room was safe for children to walk/crawl through. The childminder and assistant offered support, praise and encouragement when needed. Parents comments included: "I am very happy with my child's routine and the activities." "My child is always very busy at Little Ark. They bring home art work regularly." The childminder explained that she regularly made use of local parks, community resources and goes on specific outings. These experiences gave children opportunities to be active, included and to socialise and helped to contribute towards children developing healthy lifestyles. Parents comments included: "The childminder is keen to get the children outdoors whatever the weather which is fantastic! They have a community garden to grow vegetables which is brilliant." "My child has many opportunities for outings such as, Summerlee Heritage Park, parks and the library." "Children go on nature trails, visit country parks and play areas." We signposted the childminder to the recently published early years good practice document 'My World Outdoors' which she may find useful in further supporting her good practice in the use of the outdoors. The childminder discussed the risk assessments that were carried out for the premises and outings to maximise children's safety while in her care. She recognised the benefits of continuing to review risk assessments at regular intervals to reflect children's ongoing development and level of understanding. This would demonstrate how she continues to keep children safe and included. The childminder confirmed that she had records in place to record accidents or incidents. Parents would be asked to sign this information to confirm that they had been told about any accident or incident. This resulted in for Little Ark - Childminding page 5 of 10

6 parents being kept informed of any issues. The childminder and two assistants had current first aid certificates, expiry dates of August and September 2018, to keep their knowledge up to date and to support them in dealing with emergencies. The childminder and assistant were very aware of the importance of appropriate infection control methods being in place to help keep children healthy. They were observed using disposable aprons and gloves where required during the inspection. We signposted the childminder to the September 2015 dated version of the following best practice guidance; 'Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings (Day Care and Childminding Setting)' to assist her practice and to support positive outcomes for children and their families. Although the childminder has no pets, she shared information with parents about the procedures in place to promote good hygiene and safe working practices regarding the pet dog of the owner of the premises. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of staffing Findings from the inspection We observed that the childminder and assistant worked very much in partnership, complementing each other's skills and experiences to meet the individual needs of children and their families. This resulted in children being cared for in an inclusive and nurturing environment. Parents comments included: "There are always two staff present in Little Ark. They all look after and care for the children equally. It is also stated in the diary who looked after my child that day." The assistant's interactions with the children were respectful and caring. We saw that the children were comfortable in interacting with the assistant throughout the inspection through her reading stories, taking part in their play and attending to their care needs. The assistant had an early learning and childcare qualification and experience of working in a daycare setting. The assistant discussed how she felt that her previous experience and on-going development was a positive contribution to the service. She remained committed and motivated to her role within the service and improving outcomes for children in their care. The assistant told us about the systems in place to identify training needs, discuss practice issues and review the service in general. For example: six monthly supervision sessions, monitoring of practice and staff meetings. We audited the file of an assistant the childminder had employed since the last inspection. Through this process we were able to confirm that the childminder had an effective system in place. This included a record of staffs skills, experience and qualifications; professional and personal references and Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) for Little Ark - Childminding page 6 of 10

7 scheme and confirmation of employee's health and welfare. We sent the childminder an electronic copy of the most recent guidance: "Safer Recruitment Through Better Recruitment" for future guidance. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection The childminder had a recognised childcare qualification, experience in working within a daycare setting and her on-going personal development supported her in providing a valuable childcare service. The childminder showed commitment and enthusiasm in continually reviewing and updating her practice to make sure she followed best practice and current legislation. The childminder was aware of 'the hub' section within the Care Inspectorate's website and used the online information and publications to keep abreast of current news, policy and legislation in relation to childminding. She also accessed a range of other websites to keep up to date and support positive outcomes for children and their families. The childminder and assistants had set up individual learning accounts to assist their personal development. Training attended included: 'Building the Ambition', 'Preventing Bullying Behaviour' and 'Autism as well as others noted throughout this report. They had developed records and evaluations of training attended that demonstrated the impact this has had on their development, outcomes for children and the service as a whole. The childminder reviewed the service with children and parents on a regular basis. Examples of this included: newsletter, s, Facebook, daily diaries where appropriate and exploring topics with the children. Questionnaires were regularly issued covering aspects of the service. This ensured that children and parents were actively involved in planning and reviewing the service. Parents comments included: "We are given newsletters and our points of views are always welcomed." "I chat with my childminder every day. My child has a daily diary that is filled out throughout the day. The childminder goes above and beyond to keep parents and children updated with change, improvements and how service is run." "My child was learning about the body parts and organs and could tell us how the heart pumped blood around the body in tubes, very impressed." The childminder gave parents access to the complaints procedure. This created an opportunity for parents to raise any concerns they may have about the service. No complaints had been received about the service since the last inspection. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 for Little Ark - Childminding page 7 of 10

8 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very 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 Enforcement No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection. for Little Ark - Childminding page 8 of 10

9 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 18 Dec 2014 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good for Little Ark - Childminding page 9 of 10

10 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 Little Ark - Childminding page 10 of 10