Childminder inspection report. Stevenson, Linda and Murdoch Edinburgh

Transcription

1 Stevenson, Linda and Murdoch Edinburgh Inspection completed on 08 March 2016

2 Service provided by: Linda and Murdoch Stevenson a Partnership Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS Inspection Type: Unannounced 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 16

3 1 Introduction The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at The Care Inspectorate is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all children receiving a service to ensure they have the best start in life, are ready to succeed and live longer healthier lives. The Care Inspectorate has an important role to play in supporting this approach in inspecting care services for children. The Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) approach is underpinned by the principles of prevention and early intervention. It is a consistent way for people to work with all children and young people. The approach helps practitioners focus on what makes a positive difference for children and young people - and how they can act to deliver these improvements. Getting It Right For Every Child is being threaded through all existing policy, practice, strategy and legislation affecting children, young people and their families. In Scotland, the GIRFEC approach puts wellbeing at the very heart of its approach. The eight indicators of wellbeing that form the basis of GIRFEC often referred to as SHANARRI. Requirements and recommendations If we are concerned about some aspect of a service or think it could do more to improve its service, we may make a recommendation or a requirement. - A recommendation is a statement that sets out actions the care service provider should take to improve or develop the quality of the service but where failure to do so will not directly result in enforcement. - A requirement is a statement which sets out what is required of a care service to comply with the Public Services Reforms (Scotland) Act 2010 and Regulations or Orders made under the Act, or a condition of registration. Where there are breeches of he Regulations, Orders or conditions a requirement must be made. Requirements are legally enforceable at the discretion of the inspectorate. Linda Stevenson (referred to as the childminder in this report) provides a childminding service from her home in the Brunstane area of Edinburgh close to the local school, local shops, parks and other amenities. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under the age of 16 page 3 of 16

4 years, of whom a maximum of six will be under 12, 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 the childminders own family. Children have access to a lounge, a separate playroom, the kitchen, a toilet and an enclosed garden to the side of the house. On the day of the inspection two minded children aged 21 months and two and a half years old were present. She also provided a service to another seven children aged between three years and eight years. The childminder is registered as a day carer under the social work department as well as a private childminder. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection carried on Tuesday 8 March 2016 between 10.15am and 12.10pm. When we arrived the childminder was settling a new child from the social work department into her service. Due to the sensitive manner of this, and too many people being present in her playroom, we returned an hour later to carry out our inspection. Feedback was given to the childminder at the end of the inspection. We sent the childminder four questionnaires to give to parents and carers of the children who use the service. Three were returned to the Care Inspectorate before the unannounced inspection took place. During this inspection process we looked around the areas of the childminder's home used by the minded children and we gathered evidence from various sources, including the following: - The childminder's self assessment and annual return. - The childminder's records. - Children's personal care plans. - Children's daily diaries. - Policies and procedures. - Accident/incident records. - Risk assessments. - Registration certificate. - Parent and children questionnaires. page 4 of 16

5 Views of people using the service The children present were very happy in the care of the childminder and received lots of cuddles and reassurance from the childminder. We watched them enjoy drawing pictures and could see that they were very settled and relaxed in the setting and familiar with the environment. The responses we received in the care standards questionnaires demonstrated that parents were satisfied with the service they and their child received. They all strongly agreed that overall they were happy with the quality of care their child received. Parents who gave us additional comments are noted throughout this report. 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. Every year all care services complete a 'self assessment' telling us how their service is performing. We check to make sure this is accurate. We received a completed self-assessment document from the childminder. We were satisfied with the way she had completed this and with the relevant information she had given us for each of the headings that we grade her service under. What the service did well The childminder's commitment and enthusiasm was a clear strength. Her friendly, reassuring and professional manner meant that she provided a high quality service that was supportive and caring to the families she worked with. We found that children were having fun and enjoying access to a wide range of toys provided. Warm, loving interactions through cuddles and positive praise were given by the childminder. Children had lots of opportunities for outings in the local community. What the service could do better The childminder should: - Review her behaviour procedure to bring it more up to date with best practice. - Include the name and address of the local social work department to her child protection policy. page 5 of 16

6 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 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection We saw that the childminder had developed very good relationships with the children she cared for. Children were observed to be confident, relaxed and comfortable in her care. The childminder speaks with parents to support children's settling in period and to ensure her care was consistent with the parents' wishes. Prior to settling in, she asked parents to complete a child's personal plan; all about me. This told her about the family and child, which enabled her to plan the care that would build and develop a nurturing relationship with the child. Parents in our questionnaires how the childminder supported their child: "We have an in-depth chat before taking up care and then chat on-going as she's changes and develops. Already since starting the care we have updated information on my child's food/eating. Linda updated and took on board what she had for snacks in order to encourage more at meal times." "Linda has cared for my children for many years now. She is caring, kind and child centred. She juggles all the needs if the individual children with love, patience and warmth. We are so lucky as a family to have such a wonderful childminder caring for our children." page 6 of 16

7 Some of the children attended the local nursery school. The childminder provides a drop off and pick up service for this. The childminder told us when taking the children, they talk about road safety. This enabled children to learn about their own safety whilst receiving appropriate protection, care and guidance from the childminder. Active, healthy lifestyles were promoted and encouraged well by the childminder. Examples that lead us to this evaluation were: - Regular outdoor play in the garden provided children with a range of experiences that enabled them to be active and explore. - Any special dietary requirements, details of foods to be avoided and guidance for the childminder was recorded in children's personal plans. - Children developed an understanding of personal hygiene as they were reminded to wash their hands after going to the toilet and before meals. Two parents in our questionnaire's told us: "Linda does activities appropriate for the time of year she follows my children's ever-changing and varied interests. She does all this whilst taking account of my children's mood/enthusiasm/ energy levels. She has a wide variety of toys, crafting supplies, books and equipment. I am very impressed by how she keeps on updating her supplies, making sure all the children in her care are well looked after, stimulated and entertained." "There is a great range of toys and things for my child to use her imagination. She take my child to a toddler group and sometime Rhyme time at the library and a variety of parks." Some parents supplied their child with meals and snacks and the childminder told us she supplied some children with these. She told us she always encouraged the children and their families to make healthy choices regarding food. She was aware of the new guidance on nutrition; 'Setting The Table' and used this when providing food. We suggested she add examples of what food would be on offer to her information she shares with parents. It was clear from the interactions with the childminder that the children were very familiar with nurturing, good quality and fun interactions. The children approached her easily for reassurance and cuddles. The childminder spoke page 7 of 16

8 about the importance of providing cuddles and comforting to children to support them to feel secure. This helped to make the children feel safe, nurtured and at home within the service. During our inspection we saw that no children were currently receiving medication. The childminder explained what she would do if a child attending her service required medication. We could see that the policy included that parents must give their child their first dose of any medication brought into the childminders home. We informed her about the guidance on Medication; which can be found at We recognised that children's care and support needs were reviewed and verbally updated with parents. The childminder kept written personal plans and she was aware these were to be updated every six months. These were then used to plan each child's care and support to suit their individual needs. We discussed Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC). (GIRFEC is the national approach to reforming children's services to improve outcomes for children). We saw that the childminder had started to use the 'Shanarri Indicators' which underpin GIRFEC into her observations. We suggested she include information on this into her policies and inform parents how she will follow this whilst caring for their child. She should continue to familiarise herself with the GIRFEC guidance which can be found at We spoke to the childminder about behaviour management and confirmed the use of 'quiet time' where the child was moved away from the situation to take time out followed by discussion. We shared current thinking on the negative impact of 'time out' especially on young children. We then encouraged the childminder to review this approach and update the policy to reflect the change to a more restorative approach. (See recommendation one.) In our questionnaires, all three parents confirmed that: - The childminder asks for my views about how I want my child to be cared for. - The childminder provides a healthy and well balanced diet which meets my child's dietary and cultural needs. - The childminder regularly involves me in reviewing the information they have about my child. page 8 of 16

9 Grade The quality of care and support is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations The childminder should review the behaviour management approach to make this more restorative and inclusive. The policy should then be reviewed to make this clear to parents. This would mean children's self-esteem would be supported whilst addressing issues of behaviour. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 7: A caring environment. 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection At this inspection we could see that children were cared for in a clean, welcoming, well maintained and child centred environment where hazards had been minimised. Mains smoke detectors were in place and she held appropriate safety equipment including kitchen cupboard locks, stair gate and fire blanket. The front door was kept locked during childminding hours ensuring no unannounced entry to the property. These measures had a positive impact on children's safety. A parent in our questionnaire told us: "Baby gates are in place along with a separate playroom and the garden is well used which is secure. My child is always out in the fresh air doing different fun things." Space within the home was well organised and encouraged children to choose page 9 of 16

10 resources and play where they felt comfortable. We saw children play together, share and take turns. The kitchen area provided an art, craft and drawing table. The playroom provided children with a wide variety of toys and equipment. This meant children had access to a variety of resources which supported their play and respected their right to make their own choices. Children's interests were taken into account when the childminder purchased new resources. She told us she provided a large number of educational resources to support children for when they were ready to move onto school. All of the toys and equipment that we saw were in a clean and safe condition. The childminder described how she regularly checked her toys and dealt with any concerns immediately, either by cleaning, repairing or disposing of anything she felt was not safe. Parents received information about infection control procedures and safety checks as part of their welcome pack. Children had daily access to fresh air and energetic play. The childminder used outdoor play to encourage children to be active and to develop their physical co-ordination. This meant that children had access to daily energetic play which supported and developed their physical skills, stamina and strength. Most resources were stored with low-level storage boxes in the playroom, which we saw children independently access. This helped children feel included as they were able to make choices from a wide range of resources available to them. The childminder talked us through the daily visual risk assessment checks she did before children came into her home. We were satisfied that this was sufficient to identify any major hazards. In addition a written risk assessment was in place, this was checked and updated monthly. Sleeping children were checked on regularly. Parents were informed of any accidents or incidents their child had been involved in. The childminder kept a note of these and parents were asked to sign to confirm they had been informed and were happy with how she had dealt with it. page 10 of 16

11 A procedure for recording accidents and incidents was in place and shared with parents. The childminder told us she recorded any accidents and would share these with the parents when they collected their child. In our questionnaires, all three parents confirmed the following: - The childminder's home was safe, secure, hygienic, smoke free, pleasant and stimulating environment. - There is enough space for my child to play and get involved in a range of activities. - The childminder provides a suitable range of equipment, toys and materials for the children. Grade The quality of environment is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection There was a clear commitment from the childminder to continually assess her service and consider how she could make it even better. She tried hard to involve children and parents in the development of her service. She made very good use of s, questionnaires, text messaging daily diaries and daily chats to encourage parents and children to give their feedback. page 11 of 16

12 A parent in our questionnaire told us how the childminder involved them in the service: "We have twice weekly discussions where we discuss how my children are getting on. I see evidence of Linda using information in the way she plans her time with the children, everything from games, books and activities they are interested in to discussing topics they are interested in. We discuss regularly how my children are getting on including any relevant policies/procedures/ protocols and review the information as needed." Throughout the inspection the childminder demonstrated a very good knowledge of childcare and child development. She kept up to date with best practice in child care through a wide variety of ways such as reading the Care Inspectorate Care News and obtaining information sent through the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA). We told her about the Care Inspectorate 'Hub' which gave examples of excellent and innovative practice as well as links to legislation, best practice documents and research. At this inspection it was clear that the childminder's approach to her work was underpinned by the principles of the National Care Standards. As a result she was well aware that each child had the right to dignity, privacy, choice, safety, to realise their potential with quality and diversity. Her understanding of implementation of the eight 'indicators' of safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included (SHANARRI) helped us conclude that the childminder was achieving high standards. The childminder gave parents the Care Inspectorate contact details and made it clear to them that they could contact us without her knowledge should they wish to do so. In our questionnaire, parents confirmed they had confidence that the childminder would deal effectively with any concern or complaint they may have. The childminder had built up professional relationships with other childminder's in the area. She told us how this was particularly useful as they shared hints, tips and gave one another advice on a range of topics. Keeping children safe, healthy and protected from abuse was important to the childminder. She had up to date training in First aid, Child Protection, Food Hygiene and Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). This was beneficial as it page 12 of 16

13 helped keep her practice and knowledge up to date whilst increasing her knowledge of new and current best practice. In our questionnaires, the three parents confirmed that the childminder had involved them and their child in developing the service, for example asking for ideas and feedback. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 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. 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 page 13 of 16

14 9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection 10 Other issues The childminders husband is named on her certificate as a provider. She told us that she no linger wishes him to be on the certificate as he has never been part of her childminding business. She will apply to have his name removed through her eforms system. 11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 25 Mar 2014 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed 13 Mar 2012 Re-grade Care and support Not Assessed Environment Not Assessed Staffing 3 - Adequate Management and Leadership Not Assessed 1 Mar 2012 Re-grade Care and support Not Assessed Environment Not Assessed Staffing 1 - Unsatisfactory Management and Leadership Not Assessed 12 Jan 2011 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed Not Assessed Not Assessed page 14 of 16

15 14 May 2008 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership page 15 of 16

16 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 cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 16 of 16