The Windmills Dundee Inspection completed on 26 November 2015
Service provided by: Sandra Gallacher and Michele Brough a partnership trading as The Windmills Service provider number: SP2009973390 Care service number: CS2009195419 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 0345 600 9527 www.careinspectorate.com @careinspect Childminder inspection report page 2 of 15
1 Introduction Childminder inspection report The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com The Care Inspectorate is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all children receiving a care service. We want to ensure they have the best start in life, are ready to succeed and live longer, healthier lives. We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it right for every child (also known as GIRFEC). Set up by Scottish Government, GIRFEC is a national approach to working in a consistent way with all children and young people. It is underpinned by the principles of prevention and early intervention. The approach helps services focus on what makes a positive difference for children and young people - and what they can do to improve. Getting it right for every child is being woven into all policy, practice, strategy and legislation that affect children, young people and their families. There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of Getting it right for every child. They are: safe; healthy; achieving; nurtured; active; respected; responsible; and included. They are often referred to as the SHANARRI indicators. We use these indicators at inspection, to assess how services are making a positive difference for children. This service was previously registered with the Care Commission and transferred its registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011. When Sandra Gallacher and Michelle Brough are working together the care service may be provided to a maximum of nine children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom no more than six are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than two is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of the childminder's family. When Sandra Gallacher is working alone or Michelle Brough is working alone, the care service may be provided to a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and no more than one is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of the childminder's family. page 3 of 15
The service will be provided at the address detailed in the notice granting registration. Alison McMahon may be employed as a relief assistant to the service. The service is provided from a semi-detached family home situated in the east side of the city of Dundee. The house has a fully enclosed rear garden suitable for outdoor play. All areas to which children have access are attractively decorated, bright, light, child centred and inviting. The objectives and aims of the service "is to ensure a safe, warm and secure environment. This will allow the children to develop their own personalities and independence while they are being stimulated throughout the time they are in our care." What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection which took place on Thursday 26 November 2015 between 10.10am and 12.25pm. At the end of the inspection we gave feedback to the childminders. As part of the inspection, we took account of the completed annual return and self-assessment forms that we asked the childminders to complete and submit to us. We sent care standards questionnaires to the childminders to distribute to parents. Parents returned two completed questionnaires before the inspection. During the inspection process, we gathered evidence from various sources, including the following: - discussion with the childminders and minded children - observation of the childminders and their interactions with the minded children - inspection of the premises and some equipment page 4 of 15
We looked at policies, procedures and other documents including: - personal plans and relevant information for the minded children - All about me - observation records - service planning - teddy Edward photographs and information - child protection policy - medication policy and administration record - infection control policy - accident and incident records - registration certificate - liability insurance certificate Views of people using the service There were four children present during the inspection. Two children were two years old, one child was 3 years and a toddler of 16 months. The children were relaxed and happy around the childminders. They played with a variety of toys and the childminders supported them as they needed throughout the visit. We sent out care standard questionnaires to the childminder to distribute to parents. We received two completed questionnaires before the inspection, with both parents/carers indicating they were very happy with the care and support the childminders provided. The parents and carers told us: "I could not be happier with the care my son is receiving here. I am totally at ease when I drop him off and have full confidence knowing he is happy there. We are kept informed daily with texts and pictures of what he is doing. I love reading his book at night to see what he has been doing and we are always aware of where they are/what they are doing. I feel myself and my husband have made great friends with Sandra and Michelle and we fully trust them with our child. We were apprehensive to begin with as he had never been in a setting before but we needn't have worried he is getting on great." page 5 of 15
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 must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate. The Care Inspectorate received a completed self-assessment document from the provider. We were satisfied with the way the provider completed this and with the relevant information included under each heading that we grade the services under. What the service did well The childminders have created a fun and caring environment for the minded children that focuses on their individual needs and encourages their wellbeing and development. What the service could do better The childminders should continue to keep updated with best practice guidance and establish it within the service. 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 not assessed page 6 of 15
3 Quality of care and support Childminder inspection report Findings from the inspection The childminders worked hard to make sure that parents and children had lots of opportunities to stay informed and share their views. Examples of this were daily conversations, using WhatsApp and service newsletters. Photographs were shared daily with parents through WhatsApp, this meant parents were fully included and involved in what their child was doing while in the childminders' care. Parents who wished to communicate with the childminders using daily diaries were given a summary of their child's day at the service and encouraged to use the diaries to comment in. Questionnaires were provided to parents regularly, seeking their views and opinions on all areas of the service. The questionnaires we read through were all very positive. We discussed the different ways in which the childminders could word the questionnaires in order to receive more feedback and not just yes/no answers. Child friendly questionnaires were used to get the children's evaluations of activities and experiences. These questionnaires ensured that even the youngest children could participate in the service and have their views included. Families were encouraged to spend time in the childminder's home before they decided that the service would be right for their child. This was an opportunity for the parents to see what the service offered and to share information about the child's needs, routines and interests. The childminders recorded this information when the child started at the service and this supported them in meeting children's needs and providing consistency with home. We looked at a sample of the information gathered about the children and found that it contained up to date information about the child's needs and plans to support their development. This information was reviewed regularly and shared with parents. We reminded the childminders to date the information when it was reviewed in order to ensure that it was kept up to date. Teddy Edward went home with the children at weekends and the families included him in their activities. Photographs and a written summary explained what the bear had been up to while it was with the child. This information was shared with the child's friends when they returned to the childminders. page 7 of 15
The childminders provided meals and snacks for the children. They understood the importance of good nutrition in supporting the children's wellbeing and encouraging healthy lifestyles. The children's likes, dislikes and nutritional guidance were taken into consideration when planning menus. Active play and access to fresh air was encouraged by the childminders. We were told that the children were out in all weathers and dressed appropriately. For example, they played in the enclosed garden, ran around in the parks, visited the library and fed the ducks. Once a week they visited another childminder where the children were able to play with the children and socialise. The childminders were very aware of their responsibility in keeping children safe and protected. The childminders had previously undertaken child protection training and were looking to refresh their knowledge in the near future. They were confident in their understanding of the procedures they would follow should they be concerned about any child. There was appropriate storage for medication and an administration of medication record was in place to record when medication was administered to a child. The parents provided written consent on every occasion they wished medication to be administered to their child. A medication policy was in place which provided the parents with details about the administration of medication within the service. We discussed with the childminders what they would do should a child refuse to take their medication or spit it out. We advised them to include this information in their policy so that parents were informed. Grade The quality of care and support is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 page 8 of 15
4 Quality of environment Childminder inspection report Findings from the inspection We evaluated the childminding environment to be of a very good standard. We found the childminders home to be warm, clean and safe on the day of inspection. The childminders had created a comfortable, child centred environment. The childminders ensured the childminding environment was safe on a daily basis for the children attending. Visual risk assessments were undertaken every morning before the children arrived to ensure that all risks were minimised and the children were kept safe and protected. Written risk assessments were in place and reviewed regularly to support the childminders in keeping all areas of the service safe. A fully enclosed back garden was available to the minded children for them to run around and enjoy active play. The childminder had recently knocked down the garage and talked about how this space was now going to be used to provide additional space and resources for the children. The childminders told us how they provided a homely environment for the children. They told us about the ways in which they supported the different ages and stages of development and the individual needs of the children they cared for in partnership with the parents and carers. We saw that the minded children were able to choose from a variety of toys. There was a designated toyroom with easily accessible storage that children were able to reach. The children had lots of space to play and move around in the in the kitchen diner. A child's sized table and chairs were available for the children to sit and have snack at together and for art activities and play. One childminder sat at the table to support the children when they were sitting at the table and the other childminder sat on the floor and supported and encouraged the children in their play. page 9 of 15
The toys were cleaned regularly and the childminder carried out daily cleaning to ensure that her home remained clean and the spread of infection was minimised. The childminders followed infection prevention and control procedures to ensure children were kept safe from the spread of infection, for example, children and childminders washed their hands regularly and the childminders wore disposable gloves and aprons when nappy changing. Accidents and incidents were recorded and shared with the parents, who signed the records when they were informed of the accident or incident by the childminders. Grade The quality of environment is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 5 Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection We considered the management of the service to be performing to a very good standard. Both the childminders were committed to their professional development and to the development of the service. The childminders discussed the difficulty they had had accessing specific training which they had been interested in, for example, first aid. Michelle had refreshed her first aid and Sandra was to attend training in the near future. page 10 of 15
The childminders told us that they were looking into online child protection courses as they wished to refresh their child protection knowledge. We encouraged them to continue with this plan and to continue to identify training needs which would help them support the children's individual needs and further develop the service. As SCMA (Scottish Childminding Association) members, the childminders received regular updates and emails which they found very helpful in keeping up to date with any new information. The SCMA magazine and the Care Inspectorate magazine, Care News also kept them updated on best practice, legislation and news from the childcare and education field. The childminders also met regularly with other childminders and this gave them the opportunity to discuss and share any information or worries. Both childminders discussed with us how they had been supporting a recently registered childminder and shared their knowledge and experience with her. Parents and children were regularly asked for their thoughts and opinions on the service provided. The childminders spoke with the parents daily and texted them throughout the day, regularly asking if any improvements could be made to the service. Written questionnaires and evaluations were provided regularly to parents and children which we saw were very positive about the service and activities provided. This meant that children and parents were respected by the childminders and involved in the service they provided. The childminders talked with us about the good relationships they had developed with the children and parents. They hoped that any concerns or issues parents had could be brought to them and discussed. Parents had access to the complaints policy should they feel that they wished to raise any concerns they had about the childminder or her service. The policy had the Care Inspectorate's details so parents were able to contact us if they felt their complaint had not been sufficiently addressed by the service. page 11 of 15
Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 7 What the service has done to meet any recommendations or requirements we made at our last inspection Previous requirements 1. The childminder should review and update her administration of medication record to ensure that it records all information required as stated in the best practice guidance. 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) Welfare of users. Timescale for implementation: immediately on receipt of this report. This requirement was made on 05 December 2013 The administration of medication record now contains all necessary information and follows best practice guidance. Met - Within Timescales page 12 of 15
Previous recommendations 1. The childminders should continue to develop the "All about me" profiles and involve the children in this process. The profile information will help them learn more about the children and support future planning of activities. This information should be reviewed with the child dependent on their age, every 6 months to see if any information has changed. National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the Age of 16, Standard 6: Support and development. This recommendation was made on 05 December 2013 The childminders gather information from the parents when the children start at the service. This information is recorded in the 'All about me' booklet which is reviewed and updated if required at least every 6 months. 8 Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com. 9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection 10 Other issues None noted. page 13 of 15
11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings Childminder inspection report 5 Dec 2013 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed 21 Feb 2012 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed Not Assessed 9 Jun 2010 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed page 14 of 15
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 enquiries@careinspectorate.com 0345 600 9527 www.careinspectorate.com @careinspect Other languages and formats Childminder inspection report This report is available in other languages and formats on request. Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is c?nain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 15 of 15