Caterpillars & Butterflies Child Care Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 9 December 2016 Service provided by: Gibb, Susan Service provider number: SP2015987279 Care service number: CS2015340419
The service Introduction This service, Susan Gibb, trading as Caterpillars and Butterflies Childcare, was registered by the Care Inspectorate on 10 November 2015. The service 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 than 1 is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. Minded children cannot be cared for by persons other than those named on the certificate. Overnight care will not be provided. The childminder provided the service from her end terraced home on the outskirts of the town of Galashiels. Aims and objectives of the service included: 'To provide a safe, secure, welcoming and happy environment for children from the ages of 6 weeks to 5 years. To treat every child as an individual and meet additional needs regardless of gender, age, race, nationality and culture without discriminating. To promote positive behaviour by praising, encouraging and being attentive to the needs of the children. To recognise the value of parents input and encourage them to share in their children's learning'. The Care Inspectorate is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all children receiving a care 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's 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 Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approach puts wellbeing at the very heart of its approach. The eight 'indicators' of wellbeing that form the basis of GIRFEC are- safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included - often referred to as 'SHANARRI'. What we did during our inspection We sent the childminder three care standard questionnaires to give to parents who used the service. All were returned before the inspection. Comments were very positive and included: 'Overall very happy with the care my child receives. Couldn't ask for a better childminder. I am very content and assured whilst my child is with them'. page 2 of 8
'Our (child) is happy to see Susan each morning and the other children that she cares for. (child) often doesn't want to leave Susan when it's time to come home in the evening so that tells us a lot about the care and stimulation (child) gets from being looked after by Susan'. 'Susan is an extremely experienced child carer and she still appears to have a drive and enjoyment for helping each child she cares for develop and learn'. 'It's great to know our child is being looked after by someone with the knowledge, patience and understanding that Susan has'. There were two minded children present at the inspection. At this inspection we gathered evidence from a number of sources including: The annual return Relevant policies and procedures The noticeboard for parents Children's personal information Children's 'Learning Journals' Detailed daily diaries Personal care plans Progress and development records We chatted with the childminder and listened to them telling us about the service. We observed their interaction with the children. We also looked at toys, equipment and the environment. Views of people using the service Both of the children were of a young age and unable to comment. They seemed happy, relaxed and confident in the childminder's care. Self assessment The Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self assessment document from the service provider. We were satisfied with the way they had completed this and with the relevant information they had given us for each heading that we grade them under. What the service did well The childminder provided a very good, flexible service to children and their families. She was warm, caring and nurturing to the children throughout the inspection and met their needs very well. page 3 of 8
What the service could do better The childminder should develop further ways to involve parents and children in evaluating the service and give feedback. 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 We found the childminder provided a very good level of care and support to children and their families, for example working with parents to ensure the best outcomes in their health, wellbeing and development. The childminder knew the children well and we could see they had developed very good bonds. Children were nurtured and achieving as the childminder encouraged them in activities in a warm, caring, loving manner. For example sitting with them at activities, giving them praise and freedom to express themselves in their drawings. The childminder had a good understanding of GIRFEC and SHANARRI and had used her learning to further develop children's folders, for example 'My Learning Journal', progress and development records, observations, achievements and next steps in their personal and learning development. It was clear the childminder was committed to promoting the best outcomes for children in their care and support. Care plans were very detailed and reviewed with parents every six months. This kept her up to date with each child's changing needs so she could provide the appropriate level of support. Children's diary folders were very detailed and included children's achievements, activities they had enjoyed and how they had been at the childminders. This information was shared with parents weekly which kept them informed and included of what their child had been doing that week. Parents who completed our questionnaires commented on how the childminder involves them in reviewing the information they have about their child, taking into account their views: 'Produces a daily/weekly information chart on child's activities, development, thoughts and feelings'. 'We communicate on a daily basis to share views and information regarding my child. We also have a weekly diary'. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 page 4 of 8
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We found the childminder's home to be a warm, caring, nurturing environment for children, promoting their safety and wellbeing. Policies and procedures were in place to support this, for example risk assessments, health and safety, hygiene and infection control. We saw the childminder provided a 'home from home' environment where children were encouraged to make choices and develop confidence through activities and play, while ensuring they felt respected and included. Children were encouraged to be active and have lots of fresh air as they had daily opportunities to play outside in the garden, which led directly from the playroom. The childminder made sure children were safe indoors and outdoors, for example completing written risk assessments. She told us she checked the outdoor play area every day making sure it was free from hazards and safe for the children. Children enjoyed learning about their local community as the childminder frequently planned outdoor activities, for example trips to the local parks and nature walks, encouraging them to be curious and explore their natural surroundings. Children learned to be safe while out and about as the childminder practised road safety with them. Parents who completed questionnaires all 'strongly agreed' the childminder makes good use of resources in the community, for example local toddler groups and parks. Comments included: 'Susan spends a lot of time engaging our child in stimulating activities both in her home and at various local toddler groups, including music group and soft play'. 'Each day seems to involve some kind of outdoor activity i.e. play park or a walk in the woods'. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good page 5 of 8
Quality of staffing This quality theme was not assessed. Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection Through discussion with the childminder we found she kept up to date with best practice guidance and legislation through the Care Inspectorate (CI) and Scottish Childminding Association (S.C.M.A.) magazines and websites. We told the childminder she could also look at our HUB for resources and best practice guidance - http://hub.careinspectorate.com/. The childminder was familiar with 'Getting it Right for Every Child' (GIRFEC) and the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators. She described how she had used her knowledge and learning to promote better outcomes for children. For example, children's progress and development records to track children's learning and development. Children were included in the evaluation of the service as the childminder spoke to them about things they enjoyed, things they would like to do and planned activities taking this into account, making sure they were listened to and able to make choices. The childminder told us she always welcomed ideas/suggestions from parents so she could improve the service and done this verbally. We discussed this with the childminder and suggested further ways they could be involved in evaluating the service and give feedback, for example through questionnaires. (See recommendation 1). Parents who completed questionnaires all 'strongly agreed' the childminder involves them and their child when making improvements or changes to the service 'Through daily communication to ensure I am happy with decisions being made'. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The childminder should develop further ways to involve parents and children in evaluating the service and give feedback. National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 6 - Support and development, Standard 14 - Well-managed service. Grade: 5 - very good page 6 of 8
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 www.careinspectorate.com. Enforcement No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since registration. Inspection and grading history This service does not have any prior inspection history or grades. page 7 of 8
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 www.careinspectorate.com Contact us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com 0345 600 9527 Find us on Facebook Twitter: @careinspect 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 8 of 8