Strachan, Gillian Child Minding

Transcription

1 Strachan, Gillian Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 11 June 2018 Service provided by: Strachan, Gillian Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS

2 The service Introduction Gillian Strachan was registered as a childminder in 2012 to provide a childminding service to a maximum of six children under 16 years of age, of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and no more than one is under 12 months of age. This large and comfortable home is located on the main road running through Monifieth and within easy reach of local facilities. Children use the lower level of the house and a garden to the rear of the property. The childminder has three children of her own and was currently caring for five minded children, all on a part-time basis, one of whom was present at the time of this inspection. The childminder had developed a well written policy statement detailing the overall aims and objectives, including aims to provide a safe and friendly, clean, smoke free, home from home environment, where children will be welcomed every day that they attend. "Through communication and listening to each child I will strive to help develop their social, physical, emotional and creative skills" (extract only). What we did during our inspection We issued questionnaires to the parents of the children who currently use the service and received two completed questionnaires, in which these parents expressed good levels of satisfaction with the service. In this inspection, we gathered evidence from various sources, including the relevant sections of policies, procedures, records and other documents and the following: - observation of the childminder and her interactions with the child in her care - observation of the children's learning and experiences - viewing of the children's records - viewing photographs of the children at play - health and safety records - medication systems and records - accident and incident records - questionnaires that had been requested, filled in and returned to the Care Inspectorate - examining equipment and the environment - discussing training and the impact of learning on service development - Quality Assurance Systems and audits of service user involvement. We spent time talking to the childminder about the service and the range of activities that took place. Views of people using the service The pre-school aged child present was seen to be happy and settled with the childminder. He enjoyed playing outside with the children of another local childminder who were visiting. He had clearly formed a strong and trusting relationship with the childminder and was most comfortable in her care. Two parents returned Care Standards Questionnaires (CSQs) to us in which they expressed very good levels of satisfaction with the service, both 'strongly agreeing' that they were happy with the overall quality of care that their children receive. Parents comments included: for Strachan, Gillian page 2 of 11

3 - "We had a pre-visit before starting and Gillian asked me lots about the boys and their routines. We discussed food, naps and managing behaviour. Gillian took a 100% interest in my boys which was very reassuring". - "At pick up, Gillian will discuss how the day has gone and how the boys have interacted". - "Healthy foods and snacks, Gillian gives the boys a good choice". - "There are lots of age appropriate toys for the boys to play with in a lovely, cosy environment". - "The boys go out walking locally, enjoying fresh air, active play and have a chance to run around". - "She is very approachable and open". - "My children are so happy to visit Gillian and are positive about everything. I would recommend her services to anyone and our new experience of using a childminder could not have been any easier". - "I enjoy an open and honest relationship with my childminder. We speak every day discussing how the children have been. I know that any actions or requests that I make will be taken on board and will be met". - "There is a large selection of toys and during the holidays there are craft, baking and art activities provided. The home is safe, exceptionally clean,warm and welcoming". - "During holidays the children will enjoy trips on the bus or train. They go to parks, museums, the beach and participate in organised park ranger events. Very well organised". - "My views are sought and acknowledged". Self assessment We received a completed self assessment document from the childminder that was completed to a satisfactory standard. It gave us a range of information about how the childminder ran her service that was helpful to the inspection process. The childminder should continue to develop her approach to self assessment placing greater emphasis on outcomes for children. What the service did well The childminder was caring and had a conscientious approach to running her childminding service. She knew the children in her care very well and had established very good relationships with children and their families. The childminder had created a safe, welcoming and well cared for environment for the children. They were provided with a varied range of indoor and outdoor activities that offered them choice and good play and learning opportunities. The childminder had developed the recording and written aspects of running her service and was currently completing SVQ training in childcare which had enhanced her understanding of children's needs and had impacted positively on the development of her service. for Strachan, Gillian page 3 of 11

4 What the service could do better We discussed minor changes that should be made to the childminder's child protection policy and suggested further reading and training to consolidate her child protection knowledge. The childminder should continue to develop her awareness of relevant good practice guidance and consider how key principles can be implemented into her daily 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 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good not assessed 4 - Good Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder was caring for one pre-school aged child during this inspection. Another local childminder was visiting with her minded children and all children choose to play outside in the garden for most of this inspection. The childminder was picking up other minded children from a local primary school later in the day. Most of the childcare currently provided was before and after school and the younger child present during this inspection was quite new to the service. The childminder spent time with other local childminders to ensure that this minded child had the company and social opportunities to mix with other children during the day whilst the other minded children were at school. He clearly enjoyed these shared experiences and had formed good friendships with the other minded children. The child present had clearly settled well and was very relaxed and secure with the childminder, who had formed a very good relationship with the child. She knew him very well and had a good understanding of his needs, interests and preferences. The childminder had a positive and warm rapport with the child, she engaged enthusiastically with him and was open and approachable. He approached her readily for help and support and had formed a trusting bond with her. She was supporting him with toilet training, was encouraging and praised him warmly when he indicated that he needed the toilet. This warm and supportive care was supporting the child very well, who was seen to be confident, secure and happy in the setting. He had good opportunities to make choices and lead his own play and our discussions indicated that children were well consulted and actively involved in planning activities and outings. The childminder had a flexible approach to play after school, recognising that children were sometimes tired and that play needed to be spontaneous and relevant to the children's ideas, interests and energy levels on the day. The childminder explained how she organised her week to meet the children's needs and offer varied activities that kept children interested and involved. She described a varied weekly programme that included home based play and outings in the local community. Active lifestyles were encouraged through the daily walks to and from school, where they often stopped at a local playpark on the way home which was a positive and active end to a busy day at school. She said the walk home from school was always an enjoyable experience for the children, was unrushed and they always made time to gather sticks or play 'tig 'and other games. Home based activities were flexible and child-led and included baking, art and craft activities, games and regular outdoor play. Since for Strachan, Gillian page 4 of 11

5 the childminder had started her SVQ training, she was more aware of her role in supporting children's play and learning and had introduced more open-ended resources that promoted children's creativity and imagination. Viewing of photographs and the children's individual files further evidenced the wide range of activity that the children enjoyed and benefitted from. We concluded that children were getting varied play experiences that were of interest to them, were inclusive and supported their development. The childminder currently cares for a child with additional support needs and gave examples of how she takes account of her specific needs to ensure her inclusion with other children. The childminder promoted healthy eating through providing healthy snacks and drinks for children and was aware of current guidance to inform healthy eating. She had appropriate systems in place for recording accidents and for the administration of medication. The childminder communicated regularly with parents to share information and to plan for consistent care. Parents told us that the childminder was open and approachable and always made time to discuss their children's needs. We received two completed CSQs from parents currently using the service, who all expressed very good levels of satisfaction with the service and had confidence in the childminder. We found the childminder to be caring, well-organised and providing flexible care that took very good account of children's needs, ideas and interests. She had created a safe, relaxed and comfortable atmosphere for minded children, which was conducive to their general wellbeing. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The childminder's home offered very good facilities for childminding, being spacious, well cared for and welcoming. The layout was well-suited to childminding, with space for eating, playing and sleeping all available at ground floor level, with access to toilet facilities. Children played mostly in the comfortable playroom that was set out attractively with a range of resources. It was a child-centred space, with displays and photographs and where children could also watch the television. This room was adjacent to the kitchen/dining room where children had ample space to eat together at the large dining table and to enjoy art and craft activities. Children had immediate access into the garden from the kitchen. There was a suitable range of resources, including art and craft materials that offered choice and challenge to children of all ages. The childminder had introduced more natural and open-ended resources and we saw the minded child enjoying playing with some small 'loose parts' materials outside. We saw that the child present was very relaxed and comfortable in the home. He chose to play outside in the garden for much of this inspection, where he had access to a range of resources and activity. for Strachan, Gillian page 5 of 11

6 The childminder took very good measures to minimise the spread of infection. We saw that her home was well organised and in a very clean, tidy and hygienic condition. Children's health and safety was very well supported, which was evidenced through our discussions, observation of practice and viewing of the service's policies and procedures. We saw that there was a good approach to hand-washing and hygienic practice in place for children's contact with the family dog, which was detailed in her contact with animals and pets policy. The home was a smoke-free zone. The childminder had appropriate written risk assessments for the service that were further supported by daily visual checks of the home. She described very good practice for outings and daily walks with children, ensuring that all safety measures were in place, whilst supporting children to be independent and to learn to manage risk for themselves. Children had regular access to the safe, well-maintained and enclosed rear garden. Opportunities for fresh air and energetic play were further supported by regular walks and outings in the local community, including daily walks to and from school. We reviewed the childminder's records and saw that there had been no significant accidents or incidents since her last inspection and that there were appropriate systems in place to record accidents. The childminder had appropriate systems in place that took account of good practice for administering medication. The parents who returned CSQs to the Care Inspectorate expressed very high levels of satisfaction with the premises and resources. We concluded that the childminder was providing a safe, hygienic, comfortable and inviting environment for minded children and graded Quality of environment as very good. 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 We graded the childminder as good for Quality of management and leadership and found that she had a well organised approach to running her service that had developed significantly since her last inspection. We were impressed with the improvements that had been made in a short space of time. Elements of her practice were for Strachan, Gillian page 6 of 11

7 found to be very good and she should sustain, continue to embed and develop the changes she has made to further enhance her practice and outcomes for children. The childminder had been undertaking SVQ childcare training since January 2018 which had been effective in extending her skills and knowledge and had a positive impact on the quality of her service. Her knowledge of child development was deeper and of her role in supporting children at play and in supporting their holistic development. Our discussions evidenced that she was more reflective and used her observation skills more effectively to support the children in her care. The reflective accounts written for her course had helped her to reflect on how she ran her service and about the experiences and opportunities that she was offering the children. She was fortunate to be studying with other local childminders and found this to be very supportive and provided very good opportunities for them to discuss their work and their learning. This supportive networking had been very helpful and enabled the childminders to share ideas and develop their practice. The childminder recognised that it was some time since she had last undertaken training in child protection and informed the inspector that the subject had been covered within her SVQ training. We still suggested that child protection training should be refreshed and that the childminder could undertake more self-directed learning through reading key documents and child protection guidance. (See recommendation 1). The childminder was able to demonstrate a suitable understanding of child protection and of her responsibilities to protect children from harm. She was confident that she would recognise any circumstances and changes that would cause concern and alert her to seek advice or inform relevant agencies. She had a suitable child protection policy in place and knew who she should contact should she have any child protection concerns, we suggested a minor update to her policy relating to the recording of any concerns. The childminder had some knowledge of current childcare frameworks and good practice guidance, including 'Building the Ambition', 'GIRFEC' and 'My World Outdoors'. She should continue to keep updated with new guidance and documents through her own reading and learning and consider how she implements the key principles of relevant guidance into her childminding service. (See recommendation 1). The childminder took account of the GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) framework and its associated wellbeing indicators in her daily work and recording. We saw that the SHANARRI indicators were naturally reflected through her good practice. We saw that she was respectful to families, was nurturing and providing children with good opportunities to achieve and be active within a safe and healthy environment. The childminder had developed her systems for recording children's needs that included personal plans in the form of 'All about me' documents and SHANARRI wheels that reflected on how children's holistic needs were being met within the service. She also had photograph albums with comments and details about the children's activities that kept good account of children's experiences whilst in her care. She should continue to develop her recording systems with further emphasis on supporting children's progress. She had created a wall display in the playroom, 'Our next steps to success' which reflected some ideas she had discussed with the children for them to develop and achieve, for example 'to help with the little ones'. The childminder had a range of well written policies for her service that accurately reflected her practice. The childminder was growing increasingly confident in her role and with the recording and organisational aspects of running a childminding service. It was evident that child and parental views were sought and respected. The childminder gave some examples of how she worked closely with parents to support individual children, for example working together on toilet training and managing transitions into nursery or school. for Strachan, Gillian page 7 of 11

8 Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The childminder should continue to develop her skills and knowledge through broad training, self-directed reading and learning and developing awareness of current early years frameworks and good practice guidance to further enhance outcomes for children. Referring to Health and Social Care Standards which state, 'I have confidence in people because they are trained, competent and skilled, are able to reflect on their practice and follow their professional and organisational codes'. (HSCS 3.14) 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. What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at or since the last inspection Previous recommendations Recommendation 1 The childminder should further develop her skills and knowledge through training, ensuring that her knowledge is refreshed and current in key areas, including child protection. National Care Standards: Early Education and Childcare Up to the Age of 16 - Standard 3: Health and Wellbeing, Standard 12: Confidence in Staff and Standard 14: Well-Managed Service This recommendation was made on 3 October for Strachan, Gillian page 8 of 11

9 Action taken on previous recommendation The childminder is currently undertaking SVQ training which has had a positive and significant impact on the quality of her service. The childminder did demonstrate a suitable understanding of child protection and her responsibilities and told us that she had covered some elements of child protection in her current SVQ training. This recommendation has been partly met and a further recommendation is made in this inspection report. Recommendation 2 The childminder should develop her understanding of current childcare frameworks and best practice documents, including GIRFEC, Building the Ambition, My World Outdoors and Getting Ready to Read, giving consideration to how she implements their key principles into her daily practice. National Care Standards: Early Education and Childcare Up to the Age of 16, Standard 3: Health and Wellbeing, Standard 5: Quality of Experience, Standard 12: Confidence in Staff and Standard 14: Well- Managed Service This recommendation was made on 3 October Action taken on previous recommendation The childminder demonstrated some awareness of current good practice guidance and had referred to some current guidance in her recent SVQ training. A further recommendation is made in this inspection report with a view to seeing some of the learning being more visual and evident in daily practice. 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 Date Type Gradings 23 Aug 2017 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership 3 - Adequate for Strachan, Gillian page 9 of 11

10 Date Type Gradings 18 Oct 2013 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and leadership 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good Not assessed for Strachan, Gillian page 10 of 11

11 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 Strachan, Gillian page 11 of 11