Pirie, Keli Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 9 November 2016 Service provided by: Pirie, Keli Service provider number: SP2008971545 Care service number: CS2008184499
The service Introduction Keli Pirie was registered in 2010, to provide the following service: When one person is working alone, to provide a care service to a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 16, 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 children of the people working together. When two people are working together, to provide a care service to a maximum of nine children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of nine will be under 12, of whom no more than six are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than two are under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the people working together. When three people are working together, to provide a care service to a maximum of 12 children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of 12 will be under 12, of whom no more than nine are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than three are under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the people working together. Other conditions unique to the service are Tracy Daun, Nicola Robb and Dawna Wilma May Bell are employed as childminding assistants and overnight service will not be provided. The childminder provides the service from her detached home in Forfar. The service is operated from a large annexe connected to the house, which provides children with a large playroom, smaller arts and crafts room, sleep room, toilet, nappy change and kitchen. The children also have access to a very large enclosed garden area. There is a variety of local amenities nearby, including several parks, shops and libraries. The service aims and objectives include: - "Provide fulltime, reliable childcare in a warm, caring, friendly and developmental environment." - "To integrate children within our setting, building and developing all aspects ensuring they will reach their potential." - "Working together with parents/carers, gaining feedback, ensuring we all reach the goals for every individual." What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection. This was carried out by an inspector from the Care Inspectorate on Tuesday 8 November 2016. Feedback was given to the childminder on Wednesday 9 November 2016. During the inspection process, we gathered evidence from various sources, including discussion with the childminder and assistants, observation of the interaction between the childminder, assistants and the minded children, inspection of the premises and service documentation. 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 Getting it Right for Every Child: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. page 2 of 10
Views of people using the service There were seven children present during the inspection, ageing in range from one year old to three years old. Although most of the children were too young to express their views, we could see that they were happy and content with the childminder and assistants throughout the inspection. Older children were happy to chat to us, their comments included: "Can I have carrot please?" "Can that go back to the knights" "Aaaaaarrrgh dinosaurs!" "Outside" "Milk please". Seven parent and carer questionnaires were returned to the Care Inspectorate. All 'strongly agreed' with the statement "Overall, I am happy with the quality of care my child receives at this service." One parent wrote in the questionnaire: "I have been using Keli Tots for a number of years now and I am very happy with the service and most important my daughter loves going there. I will continue to use Keli Tots for the foreseeable future." 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. The childminder had submitted a self assessment as requested. This was completed to a very good standard, and we found this to be an accurate reflection of the service provided. The childminder had identified improvements since last inspection, ways in which families and children were consulted, as well as areas identified for further development. What the service did well The childminder provided a very flexible and individualised service to meet the needs of the children and families attending. The childminder had established warm relationships with children and families and valued their opinions, using this effectively in evaluating her service. Children were consulted regularly through mind maps and circle time to gather their thoughts and ideas, and were offered a wide variety of experiences suitable to their individual needs and interests. Assistants were supported well in the setting, contributing to the development of the service. Robust quality assurance systems contributed to the continual evaluation and development of the service. page 3 of 10
What the service could do better The childminder had moved premises recently and was still in the process of developing and establishing the indoor and outdoor environments. As part of this review, the childminder should further develop the indoor environment to offer younger children more soft and 'cosy' areas to relax in. The childminder should continue to provide her very good standard of care. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of environment Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 6 - Excellent 5 - Very Good 6 - Excellent 6 - Excellent Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection Overall we found the childminder to provide an excellent level of care and support to minded children. The childminder and assistants were seen to be caring in their approach, and knew all the minded children well. Children were supported in an individualised manner, and their needs were recognised and responded to sensitively. For example, a child who had recently started at the setting was upset, and was supported by the childminder and assistants with reassurance, being taken to play outside with the other children where he settled for a short while. The minded children played well together and were seen to be familiar, comfortable and confident within their surroundings, and with the childminder and assistants. The extensive variety of resources were laid out in a manner which promoted children's independence and supported their choice. Children had regular access to a large secure outdoor garden, which provided them with the opportunity for fresh air and play with larger equipment such as bikes, trikes and slides. Children's opinions were valued, and they were consulted regularly through circle time and mind maps, which captured their thoughts and interests. Their opinions then contributed to the development of the activity planner and 'topics' to explore. For example, a recent story topic had been 'The Gruffalo' and the children had gone on a trip to nearby woods to explore this further. There was a floor book available for parents and children to view, displaying photographs and descriptions of their outings. Children's individual information was in place, including medical and any allergy information, and this was reviewed regularly with parents. Relevant documentation was in place, in line with best practice guidance. Children had individual folders which contained very detailed observations, and tracked their development in line with the SHANARRI indicators. Parents were encouraged to comment on these and the childminder worked with parents to identify any areas for development. Parents confirmed in the questionnaires returned to us that these folders were sent home weekly to keep them informed about their child's progress. page 4 of 10
We reviewed the service child protection procedures, and were satisfied with the procedures in place. The childminder and assistants were clear on their role and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 6 - excellent Quality of environment Findings from the inspection Overall we found the childminder provided a very good environment for the children. We found the environment to be welcoming, safe and clean. The children had access to a very large playroom, smaller arts and crafts room, sleep room, nappy change, toilet and kitchen areas. They also had access to a very large secure garden area, which provided a variety of larger outdoor equipment. The childminder told us of her plans to further develop the garden area, as part of the ongoing development of the service. The childminder was aware of safety and had stair gates for use as required to keep children safe from the kitchen and nappy change areas. There were risk assessments completed for the indoor and outdoor environment, and daily checks were undertaken prior to children attending the service. Regular fire drills were carried out and recorded. Detailed risk assessments were undertaken for outings and trips, and these were reviewed regularly. The indoor environment offered a wide variety of resources such as music, jigsaws, story corner, a post office, role play and arts and crafts. The environment was welcoming and engaging for children, providing them with ownership through vibrant displays of their artwork. Their achievements were celebrated on the 'look at our great work' wall, and they could share their feelings on the 'feelings tree'. Parents commented positively in the questionnaires returned to us about the choice of resources and activities at the service, and their children's enjoyment of these. One parent commented: "Visits to toddlers, library, jigsaws, baking, arts and crafts. There is a wide variety of activities on offer that cater for the children's needs." A separate sleep room provided a quiet area for children to sleep when needed. There was a large number of very young children present during the inspection, and we discussed the layout of the playroom, and the benefit of introducing more soft, cosy areas where the younger children could rest and relax throughout their day. page 5 of 10
Accident and incident forms were completed as necessary, and these were signed and shared with parents. We observed good infection control practices, with children washing hands before snack and after the toilet or nappy changes. We discussed the use of anti-bacterial hand gel after wiping noses, and referred to best practice guidance regarding infection control. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of staffing Findings from the inspection We reviewed written records, observed practice, spoke to assistants and concluded that the service performed to an excellent level in this area. There were three assistants employed within the service, who had been recruited following safer recruitment practices. Parents were kept well-informed of new assistants joining the service, and robust information was in place to support the staff within their role as assistants. Accurate training records were kept for staff, and any development needs were identified and planned for. Staff were seen to be caring and nurturing with children, supporting their individual needs as necessary. Staff gently encouraged children to join in activities, whilst respecting their choice if they did not want to. There was an ethos of respect throughout the setting, with children's opinions and feelings being valued. Staff had attended a variety of training to provide them with the knowledge and skills to carry out their role. Staff reported that they felt very supported in their roles by the childminder, and also felt very included in the review and development of the service. We viewed staff meeting minutes and these showed staff's opinions contributing to decisions about improvements and developments within the service. Staff were encouraged to be reflective by completing self-reflection questions about their practice and training attended. This contributed to their annual appraisal, offering them the opportunity to reflect and consider any areas for development. The appraisal also provided staff with the opportunity to hear positive feedback from the childminder about their practice. Staff were observed to work well together as a team during the inspection, with clearly defined duties and roles throughout the day. Communication was very good amongst the staff, and this impacted positively on children's experience at the setting. page 6 of 10
Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 6 - excellent Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection We reviewed written records, policies and procedures and training records, and concluded that the childminder performed to an excellent level in this area. The service registration certificate and relevant insurance was displayed for parents to view. The childminder had attended a significant amount of training since her last inspection, including updating her child protection and first aid training. The childminder was aware of current national documents and developed children's records in line with this. The childminder was very pro-active in updating her skills and knowledge as well as that of her assistants. She was reflective in her approach and considered how the training she had attended impacted on her practice, as well as considering the overall service development. Self-reflection paperwork provided a robust quality assurance system for the continual review of staff practice and service development. Parents were kept informed of progress within the setting through a regular newsletter. We discussed the development of social media as a method of sharing information and receiving comments from parents. Regular consultation with parents through questionnaires ensured that parents' opinions were gathered and contributed to the evaluation of the service. This included consultation where a change was planned, to gather parents' views prior to changes being made. This again reflected the respectful ethos of the setting. The childminder had comprehensive policies in place to support her practice, and these were in line with best practice guidance. Policies were reviewed annually, or sooner where there was a change in practice or guidance. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 6 - excellent page 7 of 10
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 the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com. Enforcement No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection. page 8 of 10
Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 2 Oct 2012 Announced (short notice) Care and support 6 - Excellent Environment 6 - Excellent Staffing 6 - Excellent Management and leadership Not assessed 3 Apr 2012 Re-grade Care and support Not assessed Environment Not assessed Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed 28 Feb 2012 Re-grade Care and support Not assessed Environment Not assessed Staffing 1 - Unsatisfactory Management and leadership Not assessed 28 Apr 2011 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed page 9 of 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 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 10 of 10