Mangan, Fiona Alison Greenock Inspection completed on 28 October 2015
Service provided by: Mangan, Fiona Alison Service provider number: SP2003910189 Care service number: CS2003020090 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 page 2 of 16
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. Mrs Mangan is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of 8 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 2 is under 12 months. (This is to accommodate a set of twins and will be reviewed in 2012 when the twins turn 12 months). Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. The childminder aimed to work in partnership with parents to provide a safe, friendly atmosphere where children can learn and have fun. What we did during our inspection We carried out an unannounced inspection of the service provided by the childminder on Wednesday 28 October 2015. A Care Inspectorate Inspector carried out the inspection. The childminder sent us an annual return. The childminder also sent us a self assessment 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 three completed questionnaires before we carried out the inspection visit. page 3 of 16
We observed how the childminder cared for and interacted with the minded children. 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 - Photographs - Risk assessments - Children's information - The environment and equipment. Views of people using the service There were three children present during the inspection who were of school age. The children were having great fun creating models with Lego and playing with Polly Pockets. The childminder was very attentive to the children's needs and interests and responded positively to their different requests. The children played very well together cooperating and taking turns, we could see that close friendships had formed between the children as well as with the childminder's children. Three 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 the parent indicating that they 'strongly agreed' that overall, they were happy with the quality of care their child received in the service. page 4 of 16
We were able to observe the very good relationships the childminder had with the parents when they collected their child. Where needed, time was spent discussing children's particular needs. One parent commented that the childminder was "Brilliant, brilliant...absolutely fantastic." 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. page 5 of 16
We received a detailed 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 planned. What the service did well We found the childminder provided a very good service for both children and parents. A flexible and caring service was provided to the families. The feedback that we received from the families who use this childminding provision confirmed that they value 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 carry out a formal six-monthly review of the children's personal plans with parents and record the date of this review, formalise systems to record the risk assessments for the premises and outings the children were taken on. 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 16
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 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. The childminder confirmed that she used daily sheets to share important information with parents. This supported the daily discussions with parents to share information about their child. In our questionnaires the parents 'strongly agreed' that they had a positive relationships with the childminder. The childminder discussed the personal plans that she had for each child. This included factual information about children's particular needs, such as information about immunisations, allergies and any health issues. Where needed, the childminder had additional information in relation to children's health needs, this had been developed in partnership with parents. The childminder had also accessed additional training and resources to support the child's medical needs. This resulted in the childminder having an overview of specific information about individual children which enabled her to meet the children's particular health needs. The childminder also had information about children's individual needs including interests, likes and dislikes and personal preferences. The childminder confirmed that she would formally review this with parents on a six-monthly basis, and record the date of the review. This is in line with current legislation. This resulted in parents being included and respected in the service. The childminder was able to give many examples when she had worked sensitively in partnership with parents and children to support different transitions in their life. Through discussion the childminder demonstrated a very respectful and nurturing manner towards the pivotal and unique role that parents had. In our questionnaires the parents 'strongly agreed' that the childminder helped their child with changes in their family life. page 7 of 16
The children were 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 communications, for example the childminder reacted quickly to the children's request for additional toys to be brought out. The childminder worked hard to ensure all of the minded children were included in the activities. The childminder was sensitive in her support of the children and promoted positive behaviour. We were able to observe the kind, caring and nurturing relationship that the childminder had with the children who were present. This demonstrated that the minded children were being cared for in a safe, stimulating and inclusive environment. The childminder and children told us they regularly went on outings to many different places, such as the local park, beach and marina. The children were keen to discuss where they had been and what they had been doing in the photographs the childminder had displayed. These experiences gave children opportunities to be active and included. In our questionnaire the parents 'strongly agreed' that there was regular access to fresh air and energetic physical play for their children and that the childminder made good use of resources in the community. This helped to encourage children to develop a healthy lifestyle. One parent commented: "I am very happy with Fiona and my son loves going as they visit parks, bake, and play lego even though he is only there for a short time." The childminder discussed the healthy snacks that she provided. 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. page 8 of 16
The childminder discussed how she would make sure that children were safe when accessing areas in the home and community. The childminder told us that she had attended training on road safety awareness and had regular discussions with the children about safely crossing the road. The childminder confirmed she regularly accessed training 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 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 discussed how she would safely administer medication and make sure that parents completed appropriate consent forms before this was given. As previously mentioned the childminder had additional, detailed information to support children's medical needs. The childminder confirmed that she had the Care Inspectorate best practice guidance on The Management of Medication in Daycare and Childminding Services to support her practice. Grade The quality of care and support is graded 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 a smoke free environment for children. The parents who completed our questionnaire 'strongly agreed' with this comment. page 9 of 16
Parents commented: "Fiona is always welcoming and her house is always clean and full of things to do." "Fiona provides a warm safe environment for my (child) who attends before and after school." 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 large living room, conservatory and a table in the kitchen for larger table top activities such as, arts and crafts, baking and meal times. In our questionnaire the 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 children and provided them with a choice of activities. The minded children happily chatted to the childminder and to us. The children played an active part in the inspection process, telling us about their day, this told us they were secure and confident in the environment. Children commented that they enjoyed "building with lego" and "playing with Polly Pockets". 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 confirmed she had the good practice document Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings (Day Care and Childminding Settings). page 10 of 16
The childminder discussed the regular safety checks that were carried out for the premises and any outings to maximise children's safety inside and outside the home. We discussed with the childminder the importance of clearly identifying the risks and detailing how these risks would minimise. We emailed the childminder a sample of how this risk assessment could be recorded. This written paperwork will formalise the childminder's existing practice. In our questionnaire the parents 'strongly agreed' that their childminder made good use of resources in the community. As previously mentioned the childminder and children shared the many places of interest that the children visit, particularly through the school holidays. The childminder confirmed that she used appropriate accident, incident forms and asked parents to sign these to confirm that this information had been shared with them. This resulted in the parents being kept informed of any issues. The childminder had accessed Public Liability Insurance through the Scottish Childminding Association. 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. page 11 of 16
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 web site for the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA), the Care Inspectorate magazine Care News and accessing good practice online. The childminder was also a member of a local childminder Facebook page where good practice, ideas and suggestions were shared. The childminder also attended local network meetings that were held by SCMA to share information. The childminder discussed the many and varied training courses that she had attended, this included food hygiene, first aid and 'building the ambition'. The childminder discussed how she enjoyed attending appropriate training and keeping up to date with best practice. The childminder confirmed that she had developed a wide range of policies and procedures to support her practice. Each of the parents were given these, and any updates if the polices were reviewed. This demonstrated that the childminder valued and respected the parents input. The childminder had a wide variety of ways of gaining parental and children's views, a number of examples of how this was taken forward have already been detailed in this report. 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 had also developed a range of questionnaires for parents and children. This meant that the childminder respected and included the parents views in her service. In our questionnaire 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 add in the national enquiry line number and change the timescale to no more than 20 days for responding to complaints in this policy. page 12 of 16
The parents 'strongly agreed' that overall they were happy with the quality of care their child receives in the service. Parents commented: "Very pleased with the service provided." "(My child) gets to attend after school clubs that I am unable to take my daughter to, which I really appreciate." 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 There are no outstanding requirements. page 13 of 16
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 11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 28 Aug 2013 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 4 - Good Not Assessed 24 Aug 2010 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed Not Assessed page 14 of 16
9 Feb 2009 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed page 15 of 16
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 16 of 16