Armour, Suzanne Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 16 May 2017 Service provided by: Armour, Suzanne Service provider number: SP2012983932 Care service number: CS2012310898
The service Introduction This service registered with the Care Inspectorate on 17 October 2012. Suzanne Armour 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 the childminder's family. Minded children cannot be cared for by any other persons other than those named on the certificate. Overnight care will not be provided. The childminder operates the service from her family home in the Mosspark area of Glasgow. It is well-situated to local amenities, schools and a nursery. The children have the use of a playroom, office, kitchen and bathroom on the ground floor. There is an enclosed garden. At the time of our inspection, there were four children attending the service. The childminder had eight children on her roll. The childminder's aims include to 'provide a safe, stimulating, caring and happy home environment for children' and to 'complement the formal education of children by providing a stimulating and happy atmosphere in which learning through play can be offered.' What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection visit to the service on Tuesday 16 May 2017 between 9.30am and 12.50pm. During this time, there were four children attending the service. The inspection was carried out by a Care Inspectorate early years inspector. During the inspection, we spoke with the childminder and the children present. We observed the care given to the children by the childminder. We looked at a number of documents and procedures including health and safety records, infection prevention and control procedures, training information, registration and insurance certificates. We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it right for every child (also known as GIRFEC). This is 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. Views of people using the service The children clearly enjoyed being with the childminder. We watched them as they had fun playing with a very good range of toys and activities. For example, building a tower of bricks, drawing, catching bubbles and dancing. The children were secure, happy and confident in the care of the childminder. page 2 of 9
Two parents returned a care standards questionnaire to us. Their responses told us that they were very happy with the quality of the care their children received. 'Very happy. Very flexible service. My child loves Suzy. My child looks forward to going. Couldn't do without Suzy.' 'Delighted my child has a great time at Suzy's. They go to playgroup, library, local swing park and Pollok Park. They play bubbles, read books, sing, dance, play, and have a great time.' Self assessment We received a completed self assessment from the childminder. The childminder identified what she thought the service did well and gave some examples of improvements she had implemented since her last inspection. The childminder used feedback from the children and their parents to plan activities and meet the needs of the children attending the service. What the service did well We found that the childminder had created a warm, friendly and homely environment for the children to play and relax in. She had built very good relationships with the children and parents. The childminder offered a flexible service to help meet the needs of the children and families using her service. The childminder had continued to develop her skills and knowledge by undertaking an excellent range of training. This included a BA in Childhood Practice from the University of Glasgow. What the service could do better When the childminder and parents review and update the children's care plans, they should date and sign them. The childminder should expand the written information she asks parents to provide, if their child has allergies. This is to ensure that she holds all relevant information to support the child while in her care. page 3 of 9
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 that the childminder provided very good opportunities for parents and children to give feedback to help develop the service. For example: - daily discussion with parents and children - regular informal contact by telephone, text and closed Facebook page - photographs were shared with parents and children showing the children taking part in activities - questionnaires - regular opportunities for children to contribute to activity planning. This approach meant that the parents and childminder had formed a working partnership that ensured continuity of care and support for the children attending the service. Parents and children visited the service before the children started. This approach enabled everyone to get to know each other and helped the children settle. Parents discussed their children's needs and completed forms giving information about their children. The childminder used these to shape the children's day-to-day care and experiences. The childminder asked parents about allergies their child may have, as part of the child's care plan. We found that the information in one of the care plans needed to be expanded. The childminder agreed to update this to ensure that she held all relevant information to support the child while in her care. Good communication between the childminder and parents helped keep the care plan information up to date. The childminder and parents should sign and date the care plans after these have been reviewed and updated. There was very good interaction between the childminder and the children who were relaxed and happy in her care. We watched the children as they had fun dancing and catching bubbles. They enjoyed playing with the musical toys, dolls, drawing and looking at books. This approach helped settle and nurture the children and contributed to an ethos of respect within the childminding service. The childminder told us what she would do if she had a child protection concern. She knew whom to contact to discuss these concerns and a child protection policy was in place. The childminder had attended child protection training. This approach helped keep the children safe from abuse. The childminder provided snacks, which included fruit and water, in line with parents' wishes and the children's dietary requirements. The childminder was registered with the local authority to provide food. page 4 of 9
We found that the childminder provided very good child-centred care. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The childminder operated the service from her family home which was clean, safe, smoke free and child friendly. The childminder regularly risk assessed her home to ensure it was safe for the children. She had also considered the outdoor space and outings. She agreed to review and update the risk assessments to include the kitchen area. The approach helped to reduce the risk of harm to children, and helped to provide a safe and comfortable place to play. The childminder had procedures in place to help minimise the spread of infection and ensure that the environment was safe, clean and tidy for the children. The childminder had created a playroom for children that was cosy, bright and homely. She had developed a very good range of toys and equipment for the children to choose from. We found that the children were very comfortable and relaxed in the setting. They moved easily around the playroom and confidently chose toys and books they liked to play with. The childminder displayed a range of photographs and pictures on the playroom walls. This showed us that the children had taken part in a range of interesting activities. One of the displays showed how the children's care and play linked to the eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of Getting it right for every child: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. The childminder was able to tell us about some of the training she had undertaken and how this had helped her continue to develop and improve the service. The childminder ensured that the children had plenty of opportunity for fresh air and exercise. She promoted active play and encouraged the children to explore their environment. For example, visits to the park, toddler groups, rhymetime and other places of interest. This contributed to children's general health, wellbeing and confidence. A parent commented: 'Go to the park, playgroup, read, sing and dance a lot. Happy with it all.' Appropriate insurance and registration certificates were in place and up to date. page 5 of 9
Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of staffing This quality theme was not assessed. Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection The childminder kept up to date with best practice in childcare through a variety of ways for example Scottish Childminding Association publications, the Care Inspectorate Care News and internet information. The childminder was excellent at sourcing and undertaking a wide range of training to help her continue to develop her skills and knowledge in her childminder role. She had undertaken the following courses, since her previous inspection: - BA in Childhood Practice at University of Glasgow (a three-year course, graduating in July 2017) - Building the Ambition - Pre-Birth to Three - First Aid - Zero Tolerance: Challenging Gender Stereotypes - Community Childminding Service Training - Awareness Talk on Epilepsy - An Introduction to Equality and Diversity - Child led planning. The childminder told us that she had applied what she had learned on the courses to develop her childminding service and support the children in her care. We noted that the children were benefiting from her training. For example, the childminder had started to link the children's personal and general plans to the Getting it right for every child health and wellbeing indicators. This helped the childminder ensure the children in her care were safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. The childminder regularly discussed the children's care, support and development needs with their parents. We found that the childminder was supportive of the families she cared for and listened to the ideas and feedback given from the children and parents to help improve the service. Parents' comments included: page 6 of 9
'Talk daily at pick up. Talks to child. We complete questionnaires. We talk to each other, asks us for views and suggestions. Facebook group.' 'Talks to me. Reviews info held and asks for updates. Asks our opinions. Questionnaires.' The childminder had a range of written policies and procedures that she had shared with parents when they started using the service. This included a complaints policy. The parents confirmed they would speak with the childminder if they had a concern. We suggested that it would be beneficial if parents were offered their own copy of policies to refer to. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good 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. page 7 of 9
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. Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 4 Apr 2013 Announced (short notice) Care and support 4 - Good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership Not assessed page 8 of 9
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 9 of 9