Christie, Gabriella Dollar Inspection completed on 20 May 2016
Service provided by: Christie, Gabriella Service provider number: SP2015987007 Care service number: CS2015338016 Inspection Type: Announced (Short Notice) 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 page 2 of 13
1 Introduction The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com This service registered with the Care Inspectorate on 13 August 2015. Requirements and recommendations If we are concerned about some aspect of a service, or think it could do more to improve, we may make a recommendation or 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. Recommendations are based on the National Care Standards, relevant codes of practice and recognised good practice. A requirement is a statement which sets out what is required of a care service to comply with the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and Regulations or Orders made under the Act or a condition of registration. Where there are breaches of Regulations, Orders or Conditions, a requirement must be made. Requirements are legally enforceable at the discretion of the Care Inspectorate. 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 page 3 of 13
these indicators at inspection, to assess how services are making a positive difference for children. Ms Christie is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 12 of whom no more than three children are not yet attending primary school. There should be no more than one child under 12 months old. Numbers are inclusive of the children of the childminder's family. At the time of the inspection the childminder had five children on her register. The children are all part-time. The children she cares for are between three years and nine years of age. At the time of our inspection three minded children were present together with Ms Christie's three children. Ms Christie operates the service from the family home in the town of Dollar, Clackmannanshire. Her home is well situated to access a range of local amenities, such as, schools, nurseries, shops and parks. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following a short notice announced inspection that was carried out by an inspector on 20 May 2016 between the hours of 1:30 pm and 4:00 pm. During the inspection we gathered evidence from a variety of sources including discussion around relevant policies and records such as, Child Protection, Medication Policy, Accident Forms and Personal Plans. We spoke about good practice guidance for early years, such as, 'Building the Ambition' and' My World Outdoors'. We spoke with the childminder and observed how she interacted with the children. We examined the general environment and equipment used in the provision of the childcare service. We sent three questionnaires to the childminder to distribute to families and one completed questionnaire was returned prior to writing this report. Comments received from the parent were very positive about the service. Views of people using the service The children told us they liked coming to the childminder and playing with the toys and playing outdoors. page 4 of 13
The childminder's own children said they liked the children in their house and spoke about their school projects they were undertaking. All the children were seen to be very happy and chatted to one another throughout the inspection. 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 Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self-assessment document from the provider. We were more than satisfied with the way the provider completed this and with the relevant information included for each heading that we grade services under. The provider identified what it thought the service did well, some areas for development and any changes it had planned. The provider told us how the people who used the care service had taken part in the self-assessment process. What the service did well Ms Christie is a caring person and ensured that children's needs were seen to throughout the inspection process. Comments received from a parent shows she provided a stimulating, fun and flexible service. The parent considered she was lucky to have her as a childminder. We could see the children enjoyed each other's company and got on very well with one another. We could see that Ms Christie is keen to continue to progress her professional development to ensure the service she offers is of a high standard. What the service could do better To continue to evolve the service with parents and children's input. page 5 of 13
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 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good not assessed 5 - Very Good 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection Ms Christie has been childminding for around ten months and within that time she has provided a very good service to families. The questionnaire returned to us by a parent of three children who attend the service provided many positive comments about the service, such as: "Gabriella is an absolutely supreme childminder which I would recommend to anyone. I trust her with my children. My 3 boys love her and my 2 year old is always reluctant to leave, this is a very, very good sign". "She has a wide range of toys in very good condition. They are clean, bright and are fun for the children". "The children make good use of resources in the community such as; the library, parks, soft play and use the school football grounds". The childminder showed to have a thorough understanding of the needs of each child in her care. She had a sound knowledge on healthy growth, age and stage of children's development and described each child with fondness. We could see she was responsive to children's individual needs, such as, when page 6 of 13
they required to play on their own, or alongside other children. Children were involved in planning their day and this included when they wanted their snack. This inclusive approach encouraged children to have real choice. Children access many meaningful and quality outdoors experiences. They were able to explore the environment around them, such as, the well-kept enclosed garden which had outdoor play resources for children to use. The children have grown some plants and have planted vegetables which they can eat. Children used the local parks and soft play area. All of these fun activities supported children to be active, healthy and keep well. Children were supported to take risks and to achieve positive outcomes, for example, climb a tree or challenged with a new activity. Parents were very much included in the service, for example, they provided healthy packed lunches for their child. The childminder referred to good practice guidance, such as, 'Setting the Table' to ensure that children received healthy snacks and drinks while in her care. We observed the childminder provided children with praise, encouragement and showed them she cared for them. Children were confident in approaching the childminder for comfort and reassurance when required. This meant that children were nurtured throughout their time at the childminder. There was very good evidence the childminder has built and maintained trusting and supportive relationships with children and parents. She provided children with a broad range of activities that reflected their interest and needs. Achievements were recognised and celebrated. The childminder had a clear understanding of her responsibility should she provide children with medication while in her care. She had a suitable system in place for recording children's accidents and incidents. Overall, we found that the quality of care and support provided to children and families was of a very high standard. page 7 of 13
Grade The quality of care and support is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The quality of the environment for childminding was found to be very good. Children were cared for in a safe, warm spacious and comfortable home. The ground floor of the house was mainly used for childminding. The childminder had three young children of her own therefore had a clear understanding of what created a safe, caring environment for young children. Children had access to two rooms and this included a playroom and a bathroom. Children easily accessed the bathroom which encouraged their independence. We saw a child wash their hands independently before having snacks. The childminder constantly reviewed the space in her home. For example, just recently a space had been created under the stairs which is called the 'home station'. This has a toy kitchen and a toy DIY bench. Children enjoyed using this space. Correct procedures were followed by the childminder to minimise the risk of cross infection when changing a child's nappy. Children accessed a selection of toys and equipment suitable for their interests and stages of development. On the day of the inspection we saw children enjoyed a healthy snack around the kitchen table. They engaged happily with one another and talked about their day. We could see they were at home in their surroundings and enjoyed each other's company. page 8 of 13
Children's achievements were recognised and celebrated. Some of the children's work was displayed which showed their work was valued by the childminder. This approach created an ethos of respect between the childminder and the children. We could see that children had a sense of belonging in the service. Children benefited from outings, for example, going to parks, playing inside and outside in the community and local walks. They sometimes had the opportunity to mix with a wider group of their peers and to develop important social skills. It also enabled them to feel included in their community. We found that the childminder carefully considered risks in and out of the home. She took suitable steps to reduce risk where possible. Examples include, when children used the trampoline in the garden and also ensured that cleaning materials were not in children's reach. Overall, we found the quality of the environment for the children using the service was of a very good standard. Grade The quality of environment is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 5 Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. page 9 of 13
6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection We found that the quality of management and leadership was very good. The parent expressed a high level of confidence in the service provided. Since gaining her certificate in registration the childminder has completed other useful courses, such as, paediatric first aid, food and hygiene. This has given her more confidence and knowledge to carry out her role effectively. The childminder is a member of the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA). This provided her with regular up to date information, for example, SCMA newsletter which informed her of childcare courses and any changes to legislation which may impact on her practice. She regularly accessed websites that provided her with material and contacts to help her do her job well, such as, the Care Inspectorate website called 'The Hub' where she found good practice guidance which assisted her to keep up to date in child care. We confirmed that the childminder was aware of the new national guidance document; 'Building the Ambition'. This document has helped her to reflect on the service provided and to develop this when required. Overall, we found the childminder listened to and adjusted her service when required through parents and children's comments. She will continue to involve parents/carers and children in developing the service to ensure it meets the family's needs. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 page 10 of 13
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 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 www.careinspectorate.com. 9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection 10 Other issues None. page 11 of 13
11 Inspection and grading history This service does not have any prior inspection history or grades. page 12 of 13
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 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 13 of 13