Childminder inspection report. Sarah's Little Acorns Dundee

Transcription

1 Sarah's Little Acorns Dundee Inspection completed on 02 April 2015

2 Service provided by: MacDonald, Sarah Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS Inspection Type: Announced (Short Notice) 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 page 2 of 15

3 1 Introduction The service is located in the Barnhill area of Dundee. The childminder operates from her terraced house in a residential area. The minded children have access to the living room and kitchen on the ground floor and an upstairs bathroom. Children can play in the fully enclosed back garden. The childminder is registered to provide a care service 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. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. The childminder may use Gordon Shepherd as an assistant to the service. The childminder adheres to the conditions of her registration. Although named on the certificate Gordon Shepherd is not currently working as an assistant. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an announced inspection on 02 April between and We gave feedback to the childminder at the end of the inspection. As requested by us the service sent us a completed annual return. The service also sent us a self-assessment form. As requested by us the childminder issued questionnaires to parents to be returned to us. We received one completed questionnaire before the inspection. In addition to the information provided by parents we gathered information on the service from a range of other sources. These included: *a discussion with the childminder about her assessment of her service *observation of children during activities *observation of the childminder and her interactions with the children in her care *All about me booklets *home link diary *observation of the environment *a full range of policies and procedures kept by the childminder page 3 of 15

4 *discussion with the childminder *displays of childrens' work *photographs of activities and outings *toys and resources *service newletters *aims and objectives booklet *parent questionnaires and parent comments *registration certificate *learning journeys for minded children Views of people using the service During the inspection we observed the childminder working with one small child along with a member of the childminders own family. We could see that the relationships were warm and trusting. It was clear that the childminder knew the minded child very well and understood her interests and needs. As the children played together the childminder intervened sensitively. She encouraged the children to select toys and stories. The parents who responded told us that they agreed that they were happy with the quality of care that their child received while in the care of the childminder. They told us, "Sarah cares very well for our child and we cannot fault the service." 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. As a newly registered childminder a self-assessment had not been completed in advance of the inspection. During the inspection we talked with the childminder about her assessment of her service. She was able to identify the strengths and areas for development. The information she gave us was helpful during the inspection and in the writing of this report. page 4 of 15

5 What the service did well During the inspection we saw that the minded child had a very strong relationship with the childminder. She was confident and happily playing with a good range of toys. The childminder interacted with the child in a warm and positive way. She encouraged both children in their games and reminded them of the house rules. The experiences for the children were very good. The childminder told us that she regularly made use of the local parks and children's groups. She particularly enjoyed taking the children outdoors for games and outings. The childminder told us that she had developed very good relationships with families and worked closely with parents to support children in their development. Parents felt very positive about the level of information which was shared with them. What the service could do better The childminder had begun to gather information about the minded children. During the inspection we discussed how she could begin to develop these further. She was aware of the development milestones which toddlers and babies should meet and was recording regular observations of them. We would suggest that she begins to consider how she could incorporate aspects of Getting It Right For Every Child and the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators. We highlighted some areas for improvement which if implemented would contribute to the health and wellbeing of the minded children. These are described in this 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 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good not assessed 5 - Very Good page 5 of 15

6 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection From the evidence gathered during the inspection we found that the service was performing to a very good standard in this area. The childminder had a structured approach to settling a new child into her service. She met with parents and children and when possible they planned a series of visits to her house. Parents were encouraged to stay for a short time and then leave the child. The visits were very much tailored to the needs of the parent and child. A welcome pack was shared with the parents giving information about her service. The childminder told us that she was working hard to develop strong relationships with the families she worked with. She was happy to spend time each day with parents as they dropped off or collected children. She promoted an open discussion where families felt confident to share their suggestions and talk through any concerns. A parent told us, "There is always an opportunity to exchange information at the start and the end of the day." A very detailed daily diary was completed and sent home each day. We saw that parents were happy to contribute to the diary by sharing information about their child's home experiences. The children were encouraged to tell the childminder about things that they had done and this allowed her to follow their experiences and interests. A parent told us, "The detailed report received at the end of each day lets us know what our child has been up to. We always look forward to reading it." page 6 of 15

7 We looked at the individual folders for each child. These contained details about each of the children, information about their likes and dislikes had been collected from parents. Information about the childrens' medical history and the name of their GP was recorded. We advised that all the information that was held by the childminder on each of the children should be checked with parents at least every six months. Parents should sign and date to confirm that this has been done. We saw evidence that the childminder had shared information with the parents about their child's development. The learning journey for each child was used for recording their learning milestones. We found that the childminder was aware of the learning and achievements of the children and planned activities and outings to support and develop these. During the inspection we saw the childminder using activities to support the learning of colour matching and the colour names. We discussed that the childminder had some knowledge of Getting It Right For Every Child and the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators. She intends to investigate this further and adapt her learning journeys to reflect this. (The Scottish Government has put the wellbeing of children and young people at the heart of Getting it right for every child. The approach uses eight areas of wellbeing (Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included) in which children and young people need to progress in order to do well now and in the future. These are often written as SHANARRI as an abbreviation.) We saw that the childminder had a policy on the administration of medication. We referred her to the care inspectorate website and asked that she ensures her policy reflected the most recent good practice guidance on this. We discussed the need for all parents to be made aware of the exclusion from the service of children who are unwell. Information on this is available from the Health and Safety Executive. Following this guidance is an important way of safeguarding the health of the childminder and the minded children. page 7 of 15

8 The childminder had current training in child protection. She issued her policy to parents detailing her responsibilities to protect children from harm and abuse. Through our discussions it was clear that the childminder had an understanding of child protection situations and knew how to contact agencies who would offer support, advice or action where necessary. The childminder promoted positive behaviour. She had a calm manner with the children and used clear language. She made good use of distraction and diversion to diffuse situations between children. The childminder was respectful of the children and their personalities. They responded well to this. She used positive language and praised the children throughout the inspection. We saw that the children were encouraged to be responsible. They were asked to tidy up their toys before choosing something new to play with. We concluded that the childminder was aware of her responsibilities to ensure the health and safety of the minded children. She saw evidence that the children were respected and nurtured. The outcomes for the minded children were very good. Grade The quality of care and support is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations Quality of environment Findings from the inspection From the evidence gathered during the inspection we found that the service was performing to a very good standard in this area. page 8 of 15

9 From our observations we saw that the childminder's house was very clean, tidy and well organised. She operated a strict no smoking policy. We saw that the house was safe for children. Stairgates were used to restrict access to the upstairs of the house. Children using the stairs were supervised closely by the childminder. The kitchen cupboards were secured by childproof locks. The entrance to the childminders home was used to display examples of the childrens' art work as well as information for parents. A visitor book was used to record any adults who came to the house during the day. We saw that the childminder had a robust approach to keeping the children safe while in her care. On her outings she spoke to the children about road safety and crossing the roads. The children were able to tell us all the things that they should do when they were close to a road. They showed us the hand symbols for each of these. She made appropriate plans before leaving the house with the children and was aware of the potential risks. The minded children had the opportunity for active play in the fresh air. The childminders garden was safe for children. It was fully enclosed and had a good range of toys and activities which were appropriate to the age and stage of the children. The children were taken out by the childminder to a range of activities, these included; playgroup dance classes sports club art class They used the local parks and they regularly went to the beach. This was clearly a favourite place. The children told us that they liked to throw stones in the water and look at the ducks. The children used the upstairs bathroom for toileting and handwashing. We saw that the children were encouraged to wash their hands after using the toilet. Liquid soap and individual towels were available. This was good practice to help prevent the spread of infection. We discussed that before eating snack that the children should wash their hands with soap and water rather than using wipes or hand gel. See recommendation 1. page 9 of 15

10 We did not see the childminder changing a nappy during our inspection. She confirmed that she did this away from the playroom to protect the privacy and dignity of the child. She used a changing mat which was washed following each change. We felt that there were ways in which the nappy change could be improved to help prevent the spread of infection and contribute to the health and wellbeing of the children. See recommendation 2. The children were given the opportunity to sleep during the day. A travel cot was available if necessary but when this was not used the children were able to choose a pillow and a blanket to rest on the couch. The room was darkened and soothing music was played. We felt that the childminder created a warm and nurturing environment for the children. We saw that accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and shared with parents. A parent told us, "Sarah provides a safe and stimulating environment." "We are very happy with the type and range of activities provided." Grade The quality of environment is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations To contribute to ensuring the health and wellbeing of the children we would recommend that that the childminder should review her practice in handwashing. National Care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16, Standard 2: A safe environment. National Care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16 Standard 3: Health and wellbeing. page 10 of 15

11 5 Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection From the evidence gathered during the inspection we found that the service was performing to a very good standard in this area. The childminder had clear aims and objectives for her service. These included; to provide a warm and welcoming environment for children; to promote a healthy lifestyle; to allow children to be happy and free to play. We considered that these aims were met. She had an informal way of involving parents and children in evaluating her service. During the inspection we saw and heard the children being encouraged to offer their ideas and suggestions. They were given choices at snack time and during their play. She worked hard to build relationships with the families that she worked with. She spent time every day talking with parents and sharing information. page 11 of 15

12 We discussed the self-assessment that the childminder had made of her service. We found that she had a good overview of the strengths of her service and had identified appropriate areas for development. We agreed with these. We felt that when the developments were implemented they would have a positive impact on the experiences and outcomes for the minded children. The childminder had begun to involve the parents in assessing the service through a recently issued questionnaire. We would encourage her to continue to do this. She had completed pre-registration and child protection training with Dundee City Council before starting her service. She had considered and identified her training needs and how these would be used to improve the outcomes for the minded children. The childminder was a member of the Scottish Childminding Association and used their publications and website for advice and support. She made good use of online question and answer forums with other childminders. This allowed her to reflect on her own practice. She had close links with other local childminders with whom she met and shared information and discussed concerns and best practice guidance. The childminder told us that she kept photographs of the children to share their activities with parents. We advised that she should check her responsibilities when storing photographs and data on her computer and mobile phone. We suggested where further information may be found about the Information Commissioner's Office and the implications for childminders. The childminder promoted openness with the families with whom she worked. She had a complaints policy which was shared with parents. This contained all of the necessary information. A full range of policies was shared with parents when they began to use the service. A parent told us, "We were very impressed with the detailed information given during our first discussion and in the welcome pack." page 12 of 15

13 "It was made easy for us to make an informed choice to place our child with Sarah." From this inspection we found that the childminder had made a very good start to her childminding service. She was enthusiastic and committed to providing the very best for the children and families she worked with. We saw happy well nurtured children who were being treated with respect and were enjoying their play. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations What the service has done to meet any recommendations or requirements we made at our last inspection Previous requirements There are no outstanding requirements. page 13 of 15

14 Previous recommendations There are no outstanding recommendations. 8 Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at 9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection 10 Other issues None noted. 11 Inspection and grading history This service does not have any prior inspection history or grades. page 14 of 15

15 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 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 c?in eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 15 of 15