Heather's Hungry Caterpillars Child Minding Servic Child Minding

Transcription

1 Heather's Hungry Caterpillars Child Minding Servic Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 4 October 2016 Service provided by: Howe, Heather 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 This service has been registered since year The childminder provides her service from her home in the town of Kilwinning in North Ayrshire. She can care for up to six children at any one time under the age of sixteen years, of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under twelve months. Numbers are inclusive of the childminder's own family. Minded children cannot be cared for by persons other than those named on the certificate. Overnight service will not be provided. At the time of the inspection the childminder was providing her service to eight minded children at various times. The childminder principally aims to: - Provide a happy, friendly, safe and secure environment - Provide the highest possible level of care for all children under my supervision - Ensure that all children feel content, happy, secure - Ensure parents feel happy and reassured about leaving their child/children in my care. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection which took place between 12.10pm and 2.40pm on 4 October The inspection was carried out by an early year's inspector. As part of the inspection we took account of the annual return and self assessment forms that we asked the provider to complete and submit to us. We sent the childminder three questionnaires to give to parents/carers using her service. All were completed and returned to us before the inspection took place. During the inspection process we gathered evidence from various sources including: - Supporting evidence from the most recent self assessment - Returned Care Standards questionnaires - Child's daily diary - Newsletters - Mind maps - Service information folder - Children's information folders - Allergy/health information - Medication policy/procedure/permission/recording page 2 of 9

3 - Parental permissions - Photographs - Snack/lunch weekly planner - Risk assessments - Displays - Accident/incident records - Infection control procedures - Policies/procedures - Information Commissioners office registration - Good practice guidance publications/leaflets - Service parent and child questionnaires - Childminder's diary - Training certificates - Registration certificate - Public liability and motor insurance certificates. We spoke with the childminder and observed interactions with the young children present. We also looked at some toys, equipment, activities and the general environment. 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 young children were present during our visit. The childminder provided a range of age appropriate toys/ activities for children to choose from. She readily met the children's needs and provided cuddles and reassurance in a kindly, caring manner. The older child was comfortable speaking to us and confidently showed us the activities she enjoyed taking part in. Three parents/carers completed and returned our Care Standards questionnaires. All indicated they were very happy with the quality of care their children received. One provided us with additional comments, telling us "Would highly recommend Heather to anyone needing a childminder". Self assessment The Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self assessment from the childminder. The childminder identified what she thought she did well under the relevant quality themes. She told us how she involved parents and children in providing her with feedback which helped inform her daily practice and meet their needs/interests/preferences. page 3 of 9

4 What the service did well The childminder had continued to develop her service in her first year of operation. She gathered a wide range of information to help cater for the children and had a good understanding of using the SHANARRI well-being indicators in developing individual plans. She had kept up-to-date with current good practice and legislation and attended ongoing training to further raise her knowledge and understanding and inform her daily practice. She knew the children she cared for well and responded positively to their needs, interests and preferences. Parent feedback told us they were confident in the service she provided. What the service could do better The childminder should continue to maintain and develop the very good service she provides. She could make use of our on-line HUB to help keep up-to-date and further develop ways of showing children's input in planning activities. 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 5 - Very Good Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder provided very good opportunities for children and their families to be actively included by listening to and acting on their views and providing them with choices and information. She used various methods of communication including daily discussions, daily diaries which gave them details of their child's day for younger children in her care, newsletters and use of the 'WhatsApp' to keep them up-to-date. Parents and children were encouraged to play an active role in decision making. Children were provided with choices on a daily basis and their views and suggestions respected. Mind-mapping was used to gain the children's ideas to include in planning for events, such as Easter and summer holidays. This told us that families input was respected and included in daily practice. Throughout our time in the childminder's home we observed the minded children to enjoy positive relationships with her. The childminder was able to discuss how she catered for the children's individual needs and preferences and to support them in their daily routines. She gathered a range of relevant personal information and had developed personal plans based on the 'Getting it Right for Every Child' SHANARRI well-being indicators to assist her in meeting their individual needs and progression. Parent/carer input was valued and respected. All information held on the children was regularly reviewed and updated to ensure changes were taken account of and 'next steps' identified to meet their changing needs. The childminder provided a nurturing environment and promoted healthy lifestyles. She was aware of the up-todate nutritional guidance 'Setting the Table' and had attended training to further raise her knowledge and understanding. page 4 of 9

5 Children were involved in decision making and weekly snack/lunch menu planners were displayed advising of daily choices. Regular active play opportunities helped the children to develop their physical skills and enjoy being in the fresh air. A wide and varied selection of resources/activities was available within the childminder's home for the children to choose from. Their experiences were further enhanced through visits to community resources such as soft play, toddler groups and joint activities/outings with other childminders and their children. She gathered information on the children's health needs and ensured permission was sought from parents to administer any medication. She gathered information on the children's health needs and, although none of the children presently required medication, permission and recording facilities were readily available should the need arise and her policy/ procedure outlined safe practice for the storage and administration of medicines. The childminder took steps to ensure the children in her care were kept safe within and outwith her home and was well aware of child protection issues, keeping up-to-date through training and good practice guidance. Discussions and activities helped raise the children's awareness of keeping themselves safe, for example, road safety and bonfire night. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The childminder provided the children with a safe, clean, warm and spacious environment. The children had access to a dedicated playroom, living room, kitchen and convenient toilet facilities on the ground floor level. The space allowed them to play safely and comfortably with their chosen toys/activities from a wide and varied selection. Activity ideas and planners were displayed in the playroom along with a SHANARRI display of photographs indicating examples of how the children's health and wellbeing needs were being catered for. The childminder ensured her home was safe and clean for the children. Prior to commencing her childminding service in her new home she completed and sent a satisfactory premises safety checklist to us. A fire safety check and installing of mains operated smoke detectors had been carried out by the local fire brigade. She showed us the risk assessments she had carried out which took account of car travel and various outings, venues and activities such as tree climbing. She advised that, following 'risk benefits' training she was intending to update these records to reflect the positive outcomes children experience while taking part in such outings and activities. The spacious rear garden used for outdoor play opportunities was secure and the children supervised to ensure their safety. The childminder carried out good practice procedures with regards to infection control. page 5 of 9

6 She wore appropriate protection when changing young children's nappies and provided individual hand drying facilities to help reduce cross infection and keep the children safe and healthy. Environmental Health had assessed her premises as suitable for providing the children with meals/snacks and she had achieved a food hygiene pass certificate. She held a current first aid certificate and appropriately recorded accidents/incidents ensuring parents were fully informed of any events and action taken by the childminder. 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 had kept up-to-date with best practice and legislation since becoming registered in She was aware of the importance of undertaking training relevant to the service she provides, her own professional development and to ensure the children and their families experience positive outcomes. She had attended courses on nutritional guidance, enriching play for 0-5 year olds, child protection, first aid, SHANARRI personal plans and risk benefits and used her learning to help inform her day-to-day practice. We discussed making use of our on-line HUB to access a range of resources aimed at supporting improvement. With regards to data protection, the childminder was registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) as required. The childminder's complaints policy informed parents of her procedure should any concerns/issues arise along with our contact details should issues not be fully resolved. Her service policies and procedures were updated to ensure they reflected current good practice in providing positive outcomes for the children in her care. Parents were provided with a range of information which included details about the service, policies/procedures, aims and training records to help them make informed decisions prior to using the service. The childminder advised that she was going to further develop how she provided information to them. She valued their feedback and, in addition to daily discussions, issued questionnaires to formally ask them for their views of her service and if any improvements could be made. The children were also consulted on their likes and dislikes and the childminder had taken action and provided additional toys/resources for older children in her care following observations made by them. This showed us that parents/carers and children were included and their views respected. page 6 of 9

7 Requirements Number of requirements: 0 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 registration. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at Enforcement No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since registration. page 7 of 9

8 Inspection and grading history This service does not have any prior inspection history or grades. page 8 of 9

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 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. page 9 of 9