McEwan, Fiona Child Minding

Transcription

1 McEwan, Fiona Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 13 December 2016 Service provided by: McEwan, Fiona Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS

2 The service Introduction Fiona McEwan has been registered since She is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of 6 children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of 6 will be under 12 of whom no more than 3 are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more that 1 is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of the childminder's family. The parts of the premises not used are the three bedrooms on the first floor and the front or rear garden. Overnight service will not be provided. The service operates from a three bedroom terraced house on the outskirts of Thurso. The children use the downstairs of the house, which is a sitting room and kitchen. The garden was not used for childminding, but there was a grassed area adjoining the house, which was suitable for the children. The aims and objectives of the service were to: - "Offer a quality service. Create warm, caring and relaxed atmosphere. Provide a clean, safe and secure environment in which your child can play and learn". What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection undertaken by an inspector from the Care Inspectorate. The inspection took place on 13 December 2016 between 9:00am and 11.15am. During this inspection we spoke to the childminder and the child present. We observed the care given by the childminder and looked at a number of documents including health and safety records, children's records and certificates of training. We sent three Care Standards Questionnaires (CSQs) to the childminder to distribute to parents, but none were returned. 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 GIRFEC. They are: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. They are often referred to as the SHANARRI indicators. Views of people using the service No parents were present at the time of the inspection and no CSQs had been returned. The young child who was being cared for was happy and smiling and relaxed with the childminder. She was pleased to chat about her toys and the 'Paw Patrol' who were her favourites. for McEwan, Fiona page 2 of 10

3 Self assessment The Care Inspectorate received a very brief self-assessment from the childminder. They identified what they thought the service did well and gave examples of improvements in some areas such as the recordkeeping. The self-assessment identified areas the childminder believed can be improved, such as helping the children to keep themselves safe and protected. What the service did well The childminder provided a warm comfortable home where the children could be cared for. She was gentle and encouraging in her approach to the children. Children have the opportunity to use community resources such as playparks and toddler group. What the service could do better The children could be given a wider range of activities including more outside and creative play. This would also give them more opportunities to be responsible and active. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of environment Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 3 - Adequate not assessed 3 - Adequate Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder had a gentle approach to the child who was being minded at the time of the inspection. She knew her likes and interests and which toys she preferred to play with. She was able to talk to her about the activities she was undertaking and encourage her play. The child was happy to come to her for reassurance and cuddles and was obviously comfortable with her. The childminder felt that communication with parents was important and made time each day to chat to parents and discuss the day's plans and activities. However, there was no indication that parents' views were recorded or acted on and it is important to ensure that parents' wishes are followed. A system for regularly sitting down with parents and updating the children's information and gathering their views would help to ensure that the service was still meeting the needs of the children. All the children were part-time in her care and so she arranged activities and outings depending on which children were going to be present and their individual interests. (See recommendation 1.) Personal plans had been introduced for each of the children using the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) recording system. These need to be updated at least every six months, but often more regularly for young children whose needs vary over the months, as they go through different stages such as teething or toilet for McEwan, Fiona page 3 of 10

4 training. We discussed the need to record stages such as starting nursery and how children are being helped to become more independent as they move from the home based environment to the school. (See recommendation 2.) The childminder helped children to learn about healthy lifestyles through encouraging active play and outside walks and outings. She talked about outings they went on, especially in the summer, which included Puffin Croft, Castletown play park and the beach. It is important that children get regular fresh air and exercise throughout the year so parents need to be reminded to provide suitable clothing and footwear to allow daily walks and outings. Children generally brought their own food, although she did supply snacks if needed. Healthy snacks and lunches are important and children should have opportunities to learn about healthy choices and being involved in thinking about what food is good for you. Talking about healthy choices when shopping or preparing food would be good for the children even when parents are providing meals. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 2 1. The childminder should begin to record and use parents' views and comments to assess and improve her service. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare Up to the Age of 16 - Standard 10: Improving the Service 2. The childminder should build on the children's records, to show their progress and areas for development. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare Up to the Age of 16 - Standard 4: Engaging with Children Grade: 3 - adequate Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The house was seen to be clean and the sitting room was tidy. Toys were stored in a hall cupboard and rotated depending on the children's preferences. They were able to make choices each day when they arrived. They were encouraged to take part in tidying up during the day so that the floor did not get too cluttered and there was still room to play. The childminder was aware of the importance of infection control and keeping the toys and resources clean, as well as helping children to learn about hand washing. There was a dog in the house and this meant that cleaning procedures had to be more rigorous, although he did not often come into contact with the children. for McEwan, Fiona page 4 of 10

5 The childminder told us she often visited the pond to feed the ducks, and went on walks. These activities helped ensure children were kept active and had good opportunities for fresh air. They also went to toddler groups and a childminder group at the church hall, to allow the children to socialise with other children and adults. Children also enjoyed the change of toys and the space to move about when they went to group meetings. In the summer they went on longer outings to the beach and to the forest, as the children enjoyed the opportunity to play and be active outside. There were a number of playparks in Thurso which they also visited as the garden was not suitable for the children to use. Outings give opportunities to help children learn about road safety, as well as keeping themselves safe near swings and when using slides. Parents had given permissions for these longer outings and activities were always discussed with parents. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 4 - good Quality of staffing This quality theme was not assessed. Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection At the last inspection this theme had been graded as weak as the childminder had not undergone any training and care plans had not been in place. Since then, the childminder had attended training including Child-Led Participation and become more familiar with recent changes to good practice. She would now like to update her GIRFEC training and was planning to undertake more courses with the SCMA in 2017, through the Thurso childminding group. The childminder had completed her self-assessment very briefly and she should now give more thought to how she could further develop and improve her service to provide children with more stimulating activities and opportunities. Using the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators to assess her service would allow her to think about how she could help to ensure children were safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included during their time with her. This includes helping children to learn about how to keep themselves safe and healthy through active lifestyles and understanding how to assess their own safety as they grow older. It is also about respecting their ideas and involving them in planning activities and outings. The childminder should also become more familiar with guidance such as Building the Ambition where the emphasis is on encouraging curiosity, enquiry and creativity from babies through to pre-school children. As a for McEwan, Fiona page 5 of 10

6 member of the SCMA she will receive information and advice about how to improve her service in line with good practice and it is important that childminders make changes and respond to new ideas and evidence from research. Although the childminder has now started to update her practice it is important that she continues to keep up to date with new legislation and good practice. Information can be found online in the Care Inspectorate Hub and in the SCMA site. The increased emphasis on outdoor and active play can be explored through the Care Inspectorate document My World Outdoors and the Scottish government Play Strategy. (See recommendation 1.) Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The childminder must continue to up date her knowledge and experience to further improve her service by sourcing and attending relevant training. She should access web sites such as the Care Inspectorate Hub or Scottish Childminding Association sites to get information on best practice guidance and new legislation. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare Up to the Age of 16 - Standard 14: Well- Managed Service and Standard 13: Improving the Service Grade: 3 - adequate What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at or since the last inspection Previous requirements Requirement 1 Each child requires to have a personal plan, which shows how the service is going to meet their needs. Plans must be updated at least every six months and more if needed. Plans should always be discussed and reviewed with parents. This is in order to comply with: The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011, (SSI 2011/ 210: regulations 5(1)(2) - Personal Plans. Timescale: Within four weeks from the date of this report. for McEwan, Fiona page 6 of 10

7 This requirement was made on 13 January Action taken on previous requirement The childminder had purchased documentation from the SCMA and using their framework had begun to develop personal plans for children. She now needs to continue to update these on a regular basis and review them with parents. Met - outwith timescales Requirement 2 The childminder must up date her knowledge and experience to further improve her service. In order to do this she must source and attend relevant training. She should access websites such as the Care Inspectorate or Scottish Childminding Association sites to get information on best practice guidance and new legislation. This is in order to comply with: The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/210) - regulation 4(1)(a). Timescale: Within four months from receipt of this report. This requirement was made on 13 January Action taken on previous requirement The childminder had attended training organised through the SCMA and was planning to attend further training in 2017, including updating her first aid. Met - outwith timescales What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at or since the last inspection Previous recommendations Recommendation 1 The childminder should begin to record and use parents' views and comments to assess and improve her service. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare Up to the Age of 16 - Standard 10: Improving the Service This recommendation was made on 13 January for McEwan, Fiona page 7 of 10

8 Action taken on previous recommendation The childminder said she spoke to parents regularly to discuss their views. This should now be formalised and recorded to see how their views influence the service. This recommendation is restated in the report. Recommendation 2 The childminder should build on the children's records, to show their progress and areas for development. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare Up to the Age of 16 - Standard 4: Engaging with Children This recommendation was made on 13 January Action taken on previous recommendation The childminder needs to build on the children's records to show their progress and development. This recommendation is restated in the report. 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 2 Nov 2015 Announced (short notice) Care and support 2 - Weak Environment Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership 2 - Weak 5 Nov 2014 Unannounced Care and support Environment Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership 3 - Adequate for McEwan, Fiona page 8 of 10

9 Date Type Gradings 16 Aug 2013 Unannounced Care and support Environment Staffing Management and leadership Not assessed 30 Mar 2010 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Environment Not assessed Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed 10 Mar 2009 Announced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing Management and leadership Not assessed for McEwan, Fiona 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 McEwan, Fiona page 10 of 10