Nelis, Arlene Greenock Inspection completed on 29 October 2015
Service provided by: Nelis, Arlene Service provider number: SP2007967208 Care service number: CS2007163385 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 15
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 was previously registered with the Care Commission and transferred its registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011. Ms Nelis is registered to care for 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 of whom no more than 1 is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. The service operates from the childminder's home in Greenock. The aims and objectives of the service include the following statement: "To have a safe environment, feel happy and secure, have fun and learn at the same time." A full copy of this statement can be obtained from the childminder. What we did during our inspection We carried out a short notice announced inspection of the service provided by the childminder on Thursday 29 October 2015. A Care Inspectorate Inspector carried out the inspection. The childminder sent us an annual return. The childminder also sent us a selfassessment form linked to the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) quality indicators, (Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included). We issued four care standards questionnaires to parents/carers of children who used the service (parents/carers will be referred to as parents in this report). We received two completed questionnaires before we carried out the inspection visit. page 3 of 15
We observed how the childminder cared for and interacted with the minded child. We discussed with the childminder how the following was managed in the service: - Meeting children's individual needs - The children's personal records and plans - Parental and children's participation in the service - Complaints procedure - Medication - Risk assessments - Child protection - Behaviour management - Training - Infection control arrangements. We looked at: - Evidence from the childminder's self-assessment - Medication policy - Complaints policy - Photographs - The environment and equipment. Views of people using the service There was one child present during the inspection. The childminder was very attentive to the child's needs, interests and responded to their verbal and non verbal communications. We observed that the child was having great fun exploring the different toys and activities that were available Two parents had completed and returned our questionnaires prior to the inspection. The parents had written positive comments about specific parts of the service, these comments are detailed through this report. The response to the questions we asked were very positive with one parent indicating that they 'strongly agreed' that overall, they were happy with the quality of care their child received at the service. page 4 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. We received a self-assessment document from the childminder. The childminder had completed this with information under the Quality Themes that we grade her service under. The childminder identified what she thought she did well and any improvements she has planned. What the service did well The childminder provided a flexible, caring, nurturing and supportive service to the families. Feedback from the parents confirmed that they valued the service. The childminder confirmed her commitment to continue to develop the quality of her service. What the service could do better The childminder should now update her complaints in line with current legislation. 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 page 5 of 15
3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder was very good at providing effective care and support for minded children. The childminder demonstrated that she knew the children and their families very well and ensured that the children, where possible, and parents were involved in making choices about each child's individual care. The childminder had developed very good relationships with parents and communicated well with them, to meet children's individual needs. In our questionnaires the parents 'strongly agreed' that they had a positive relationships with the childminder. The childminder discussed how she provided continuity of care for each of the minded children. The childminder confirmed that she gained a wide range of information from parents of the minded children, this included the children's particular needs information about immunisations, allergies and any health issues. This resulted in the childminder having an overview of all the factual information about individual children which enabled her to meet the children's particular needs. There was very good information on children's routines, likes and dislikes. The childminder confirmed that she reviewed this information with parents every six months. This resulted in parents being fully included in the progress their child had made and to agree if there were any areas that should be further developed. The childminder was able to give many examples when she had worked in partnership with parents to support their child through different transitions in their life. Through discussion, the childminder demonstrated a very respectful and sensitive manner towards the pivotal and unique role that parents had. The child was very familiar with the toys, activities and resources that were available. The childminder was respectful in her interactions and responded positively to the children's verbal and non-verbal communications. The childminder was sensitive in her support of the child and promoted positive behaviour. We were able to observe the kind, caring and nurturing relationship that the childminder had with the child who was present. This demonstrated that the minded child was being cared for in a safe, stimulating and inclusive environment. page 6 of 15
The childminder discussed the healthy snacks and cold food that she provided for the children, with fruit being freely available throughout the day. The childminder discussed that the children were encouraged to give suggestions of the snacks that they wanted, this respected and included children's opinions in the service. The childminder displayed a very good understanding of the importance of providing children with healthy nutritious food. The childminder discussed how she would make sure that children were safe, for example when on outings and travelling in her car. The childminder confirmed that she replaced the car seats annually to ensure their safety. The childminder had appropriate business insurance in place to use her car. The childminder advised she had recently accessed training through the local authority to support her knowledge in child protection. Through discussion the childminder was very knowledgeable about her role and responsibilities in relation to child protection. In our questionnaire's the parents 'strongly agreed' that they were confident that the childminder would protect their child from harm. The training accessed and policies to support best practice resulted in the children being cared for in a safe environment. The childminder confirmed that she made good use of local resources in the community, for example the local parks, toddlers groups and soft play centres. The childminder also regularly took the children further afield to other places of interest, such as a wide variety of different museums, garden centres and soft play centres. The childminder confirmed that the older children voted for the different outings they were going on, with each child having their choice taken forward on a Friday, this respected and included the children in the service. We could see through photographs the children had great fun taking part in these activities. The childminder confirmed that she took the children to their own home at the end of each day. This allowed all the children to take part in a wide range of activities and supported parents. All of these experiences gave children opportunities to be active, included and to socialise. In our questionnaires the parents 'strongly agreed' that there is regular access to fresh air and energetic physical play for their child. One parent commented: "My son always returns home happy and tells me what he has done that day. The childminder will make use of local parks, libraries and museums etc. He always has fun with the other children." page 7 of 15
The childminder discussed how she would safely administer medication and make sure that parents completed appropriate consent forms before this was given. The childminder confirmed that it had been a number of years since she had given a child medication. The childminder had appropriate forms and a policy in place to support the administration of medication. The childminder had the Care Inspectorate good practice guidance on the management of medication in daycare of children and childminding services to support her practice. 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 We found the childminder's home to be a warm, welcoming, hygienic and smoke free environment for children. The parents 'strongly agreed' with this comment in our questionnaires. One parent commented: "The childminder provides a safe and happy environment for my child. We are very lucky to have a childminder like Arlene." The childminder was very aware of the safety of the children and made sure that the rooms used were safe for the children to explore and play. Children had access to the open plan living/dining/kitchen. For larger table top activities, baking and meals the children used the dining table. page 8 of 15
The children also had access to a fully enclosed back garden with a range of activities and resources. The childminder confirmed that in the winter she had risk assessed this area and felt that due to the slope in the garden this area was unsafe in the wetter weather. In our questionnaire parents 'strongly agreed' that there was enough space for their child to play and get involved in a range of activities. Throughout the inspection we observed that the childminder was responsive and encouraging to the individual needs of the child and provided a range of activities to choose from. The minded child happily chatted to the childminder and to us, they played an active part in the inspection process, telling us about their day, this told us they were secure and confident in the environment. We observed the childminder promoting positive behaviour choices through praise and encouragement. The childminder was very aware of the importance of appropriate infection control methods being in place. The childminder confirmed that toys and equipment were regularly cleaned and or soaked in appropriate cleaning solutions. The childminder confirmed that she would use appropriate personal protection clothing when changing the children's nappies. The childminder had the good practice document Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings (Day Care and Childminding Settings) to support her practice. In the childminder's previous jobs she had attended appropriate training to support infection control methods. The childminder had developed risk assessments for the premises and any outings to maximise children's safety inside and outside the home. In our questionnaires the parents 'strongly agreed' that their childminder made good use of resources in the community. As previously mentioned the childminder shared the many places of interest that the children visit, particularly through the school holidays. The childminder used appropriate accident and incident forms. The childminder confirmed that the children had not had any recent accidents. The childminder confirmed that she would ask parents to sign each of the sheets to confirm that they had been told about any accident or incident. This would result in the parents being kept informed of any issues. page 9 of 15
The childminder had accessed Public Liability Insurance through the Scottish Childminding Association. 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. 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection The childminder kept up to date with good practice in a number of different ways. Some examples of this included through the quarterly magazines and website for the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) and the Care Inspectorate magazine Care News. The childminder was also a member of a local childminder Facebook page where good practice, ideas and suggestions were shared. We discussed the information and links to best practice that were available through the Care Inspectorate Hub, the childminder expressed an interest in accessing this website. The childminder demonstrated a commitment to updating her knowledge through attending training. The childminder had successfully completed the National Certificate (NC) in Support and Special Learning Needs and the Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Social Care. page 10 of 15
The childminder had also successfully achieved a Professional Development Award (PDA) as a classroom support assistant. The childminder had sourced an online learning website where she had recently completed a six-week course on working with vulnerable children. The childminder confirmed that she had also committed to completing three additional training courses through this website. This showed the childminders commitment to extending her knowledge and from this developing her service. The childminder confirmed that she had discussions with parents about the service, each day that they bring their child, in order to respect and include their views in her service. The childminder confirmed that she finds this is the best way to seek parental views. The childminder had a partnership with parents/ guardians/carers policy in place to support this development. In our questionnaires the parents 'strongly agreed' that the childminder had involved them and their child in developing the service. The childminder gave parents access to the complaints procedure. This created an opportunity for parents to raise any concerns they may have about the service. No complaints had ever been received about the service. The childminder agreed to reduce the timescale for responding to 20 days in line with current legislation and to add in the address and national enquiry line for the Care Inspectorate. The parents 'strongly agreed' that overall they were happy with the quality of care their child receives in the service. Parents commented: "Both of my children love going to Arlene, they have grown up with her being their childminder and couldn't ask for a better care." "My son has been with the childminder from he has been 10 months, he thoroughly enjoys going each day as they carry out different activities and he gets a chance of social interactions with other children. The service that we receive from the childminder is excellent and I can see a difference that it has made to my son within different social settings and also interacting with other children, being able to converse with other children. Learning how to share and learning manners and respecting others from a young age. I would recommend this service to any parent/carer." page 11 of 15
Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 5 - Very Good 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 There are no outstanding requirements. Previous recommendations 1. The childminder should now develop a policy on the administration and storage of medication. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 Years: Standard 3 - Health and Wellbeing. This recommendation was made on 29 October 2014 We could evidence that the childminder had developed a policy on the administration and storage of medication. This recommendation was met. page 12 of 15
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 Please see Care Inspectorate website (www.careinspectorate.com) for details of enforcement action taken against the service 10 Other issues No other issues were discussed at the time of inspection. page 13 of 15
11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 29 Oct 2014 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very Good Environment 5 - Very Good Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership 5 - Very Good 17 Apr 2013 Re-grade Care and support Not Assessed Environment Not Assessed Staffing 4 - Good Management and Leadership Not Assessed 22 Feb 2012 Re-grade Care and support Not Assessed Environment Not Assessed Staffing 1 - Unsatisfactory Management and Leadership Not Assessed 21 Oct 2010 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good Not Assessed 16 Dec 2009 Announced Care and support 3 - Adequate Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing 4 - Good Management and Leadership Not Assessed 5 Feb 2009 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 3 - Adequate 3 - Adequate 3 - Adequate 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 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