Slessor, Jane Child Minding Type of inspection: Announced (short notice) Inspection completed on: 27 November 2017 Service provided by: Slessor, Jane Service provider number: SP2003900722 Care service number: CS2003002100
The service Introduction Jane Slessor has provided a childminding service 1993 and was subsequently registered in 2011, by Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (known as the Care Inspectorate), under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. At the time of this inspection the service was registered to provide the following: The care service may be provided to a maximum of six children under the age of 16, at any given time, of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one may be under 12 months. These numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder. The service was located in the town of Fraserburgh. The childminder provided the service from her property which is situated in a residential area of the town. Minded children may access all areas of the house and the fully enclosed garden at the rear of the home. On the day of the inspection, one child was present with the childminder. What we did during our inspection 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). There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of GIRFEC. They are: safe; healthy; achieving; nurtured; active; respected; responsible; and included. They are often referred to as the SHANARRI indicators. We use these indicators at inspection, to assess how services are making a positive difference for children. We compiled this report following a short notice inspection, which took place on 27 November 2017. As requested by us, the childminder sent us an annual return. During this inspection we: - looked at information we had been sent about the service before the inspection, this included the service annual return, and last inspection report - talked to the childminder about the service they provided - looked at and took into account the returned parent and carer views about the quality of the service and spoke to parents who had children attending the service to gather their views of the quality of care - observed the quality of the interactions between the child present and the childminder - looked at some of the service policies and procedures and records kept on children. Views of people using the service There was one child present for the duration of the inspection. They were too young to give opinion verbally but we could see they were happy and comfortable in the care of the childminder. They were busy throughout the visit and appeared to enjoy the selection of activities available to them. for Slessor, Jane page 2 of 9
We spoke to one parent on the day of inspection and received a written statement from another. Parents spoke highly of the service and told us that the relationship they had with the childminder made them confident about leaving their children with her. They told us communication was very good and they were kept well informed about their children's time in the service. Self assessment Every year all care services complete a 'self-assessment' telling us how they are performing. We did not receive this prior to this inspection. What the service did well Children were cared for in a welcoming and comfortable home which had a good choice of play equipment and activities for the children to enjoy. Children's development was fostered as the childminder planned for them to ensure that they had a range of activities they would enjoy as well as challenge them, helping them to learn. The children were kept safe as the childminder ensured that their environment was suitable and safety measures were in place. The childminder's commitment to training and updating her learning ensured children's health and wellbeing could be met. What the service could do better To keep children safe records of medication to be provided to them should be improved. Written permission should be sought prior to administering and a record kept of when medication is received or returned. To ensure best practice in all areas of medication administration we asked the childminder to review her procedure in line with current good practice guidance. Information requested by the Care Inspectorate such as self-assessments should be provided within the required timescales. 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 4 - Good for Slessor, Jane page 3 of 9
Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection Children felt safe and welcomed in the home as they enjoyed warm and nurturing relationship with the childminder. They settled easily because the childminder ensured that the settling in procedure was thorough. They gained information about each child's individual needs and routines, and were able to provide these, ensuring some familiarity and continuity for the children. The childminder had a good understanding of the need to work closely with parents at all times. Information about the children was shared verbally each day to inform parents of the children's day and achievements. Parents spoke highly about the level of communication, giving them confidence in the childminder and the service she provided. The childminder had a very good understanding of the development needs of the children in her care. For example, on the day of inspection, the childminder ensured space for the young child to crawl and equipment which allowed them to pull themselves up safely, strengthening their muscles and learning to balance. There was a selection of resources to explore, and the childminder used her knowledge of what the children liked to ensure they kept interested in the activities. Children were learning about being healthy as the childminder followed very good daily routines to ensure that they understood the need for personal hygiene. Children's lunches were provided by the parents, and the childminder supported them to learn to feed themselves. She also looked after their welfare by ensuring children followed good eating and drinking habits, providing drinks and encouraging them to try new foods. Children's welfare was safeguarded by the childminder having a reliable knowledge of child protection issues and being confident about reporting procedures. They had attended child protection training and were aware of possible signs of abuse or neglect, and the procedures to follow should any concerns arise. The service policy was shared with parents, and the childminder had relevant contact details so that they could act appropriately in the event of any concerns about a child. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good for Slessor, Jane page 4 of 9
Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The premises were welcoming and comfortable which respected children's need to have a sense of security and belonging. Children had space to play freely and could be active or resting as they chose. The children had access to a large living room and there was direct access from there to the garden. Children were active throughout their day and had access to a large variety of resources which made their time with the childminder fun. Children were playing with push along toys, climbing in and out of large sit on cars and exploring some of the construction activities available to them. They selected resources from easily accessible boxes which provided them with toys and games which interested them and provided challenge. Children were achieving, feeling included and having fun as they were able to make choices and to play at their own pace. Children could also access a well set out and presented garden. The childminder had considered how she could provide good learning opportunities, as well as a fun area where children could get active. Providing shade to protect children from the sun meant the garden was accessible throughout the year. Children used the garden regularly as well as visiting local places of interest. They enjoyed times at activities such as toddlers, baby beats, soft play and local parks. These kept children active as well as providing good social interaction time. Children's safety was promoted because the childminder had taken appropriate steps to ensure that hazards to children on the premises, both inside and outside, were minimised. The risk of cross contamination was reduced as the childminder reminded parents of exclusion periods, followed best practice in nappy changing, encouraged regular hand washing and provided paper towels to reduce any risk of cross contamination. Regular fire drills also promoted safety as children were becoming aware of action to take should they need to evacuate the home. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of staffing This quality theme was not assessed. for Slessor, Jane page 5 of 9
Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection Children were well cared for by an experienced childcare provider who spoke about her role as childminder extremely positively. She stated she was comfortable as a childminder and enjoyed her time with the children. She worked hard to maintain good relationships with parents, and continued to stay in contact with many of the families once they no longer needed the service. Children were asked regularly what they would like to do and the plans were made taking account of what they wanted, needed, their interests, moods and ideas. At the beginning of the child's placement, parents had access to the services aims and objectives as well as the extensive range of policies and procedures. The childminder kept records on each child which helped support improvement of the service and promoted a child-centred approach. The childminder was open and communicative and was able to describe her childminding service clearly to us and parents. Parents and children were encouraged to share their views of the service. The childminder evaluated her setting through informally assessing what she did well and where she could make improvements, as seen in self-assessments provided to the Care Inspectorate in the past. However this could be improved and strengthened through the completion of self-assessment document each year. Completion helps to formalise improvement plans and can take account of views of parents, as collected through occasional questionnaires and regular discussions. A well thought out self-assessment provides good written information on which to reflect and measure the service against. In turn this could contribute to improved outcomes for children and their parents. Documentation was well-organised, maintained and kept up-to-date and the childminder attends suitable training and learning opportunities such as first aid and child protection. This supported the efficient management of the provision as well as promoting the welfare, care and safety of children. Overall, the childminder met the needs of the children she was caring for well. We asked the childminder to review her medication policies and procedures in line with the new guidance document "Management of Medication in Daycare of Children Services and Childminding Services". Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 4 - good for Slessor, Jane page 6 of 9
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. for Slessor, Jane page 7 of 9
Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 10 Dec 2013 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership Not assessed 15 Dec 2011 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment Not assessed Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed 10 Mar 2010 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed 24 Mar 2009 Announced (short notice) Care and support 3 - Adequate Environment 4 - Good Staffing 3 - Adequate Management and leadership Not assessed for Slessor, Jane 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. for Slessor, Jane page 9 of 9