Walker, Laura Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 1 December 2016 Service provided by: Walker, Laura Service provider number: SP2007964365 Care service number: CS2007145468
The service Introduction Laura Walker provides a childminding service from her home in Dundee. The service has been registered since 14 November 2007. Laura Walker's childminding service is registered to provide care to a maximum of eight children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of six will be under 12, no more than three are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of childminder's own children. A temporary variation to one aspect of the conditions was granted to allow the childminder to provide a childminding service to a maximum of four children not yet attending primary school from 14 July 2016 until 30 June 2017. The service is located within the Ardler area of Dundee, close to local parks, woodland areas, schools, nursery and other local amenities. The aims of the service include, "I aim to provide a safe and welcoming environment for children where they will have fun, learning and developing through play." What we did during our inspection We visited on an unannounced basis to undertake this inspection which was on 1 December 2016 between 1:15pm and 3pm. Feedback was given at the time of inspection. During the inspection visit we spoke to the childminder and the three children present. We observed the care given by the childminder and areas of the childminder's home that were used by children. We looked at a number of documents including the service policies, children's care plans and quality assurance systems. We check services are meeting the principles of Getting It Right For Every Child (also known as GIRFEC), 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 There were three children present at the time of inspection including one of the childminder's own children. The children were aged three and two years old. One child told us, "I like coming here, it's fun." We looked at photos of activities in the children's files with the children. They talked and laughed telling us about their experiences which included trips to local play areas and parks. The children and the childminder interacted with each other with confidence and sensitivity. The childminder responded well to the children and the children were happy and secure. for Walker, Laura page 2 of 9
We received three completed questionnaires from parents about the service their children received. All comments were positive and no areas for development were identified within the questionnaires. Comments have been included within the body of the report. Self assessment We received a completed self-assessment by the time of inspection. The self assessment told us about the way the childminder cared for children and some of the activities she provided. We advised that the self-assessment should be further utilised to evidence how she arrived at the evaluations she did. This should include feedback from children and their families about their experiences of the service and reflection on how well best practice guidance and knowledge from training has been implemented. Plans for improvement should also be included. What the service did well Children were very happy, relaxed and confident. They chose toys from a large range of resources which were interesting and relevant to them and which would support their development and sense of achievement. Plans have been implemented based on close partnership working with parents and in response to the children's individual interests and ideas. This resulted in the care service being designed in response to the needs of the children. Areas used by the children were welcoming, homely and safe. Children moved independently and with confidence between the living room area and the kitchen to play, have snack and use the toilet. Children's health was promoted through active outdoor play and exercise, encouraging good self-care skills and through the promotion of healthy eating. Older children had participated in activities and projects based on developing their knowledge of eating well. The childminder had continued to attend training and to implement learning from training to help improve the service. Conversation and questions asked by the childminder indicated a strong desire to get it right for the children using the service. As a result of those conversations we advised the use of guidance, such as 'Setting the Table' and 'My World Outdoors.' What the service could do better The childminder should continue to review service policies and procedures to reflect her knowledge of best practice and to reflect changes to institutions such as the Care Inspectorate. This will help avoid any confusion when parents consider information provided within the policies. Similarly, the childminder should remove older permissions and documentation that no longer reflects her practice and that have been superseded by new forms and procedures, for example, removing permissions for generic consent to administer non-prescribed medication. 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 for Walker, Laura page 3 of 9
Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection Care and support for children attending the service was evaluated as very good. We concluded this after observations throughout the time of the inspection, feedback from parents about their experience of the service and after looking at plans for children. Children were happy, playing and having fun when we visited unannounced at the service. They were in 'dressing-up' clothes and were playing Mr Potato Head toys from boxes of toys they had selected for themselves. Children's language, interaction and confidence was evident throughout, they shared toys and engaged in imaginative play together. The childminder was observed throughout, she responded to children's routine needs and ensured enough space and resources for creativity, construction and play. The childminder responded with warmth, kindness and care, nurturing strong relationships with the children so that they felt secure and cared for. To understand the children's care and support needs the childminder had gathered information about every child. When first starting with the service the childminder spent time with parents and their children to find out more about them, for example, about their routines, interests and likes and about their health needs. This information had been used to help the children to settle and to develop consistency between home and the service. Once settled, the information had been updated on a regular basis. Parents told us, "we have daily chats about things", "Laura frequently gives us forms to fill out to give her up-to-date information about our child. She always makes time to talk each day at drop off/pick-up times." A review of the children's care plans showed us how information had been recorded and used to support children's development. Observations of children's abilities and interests had been recorded and were used to ensure activities facilitated enough interest and challenge for children to progress. Children took part in regular play opportunities outwith the childminder's home as well. They went to the library for story times, to local parks, soft play and on walks in the woods. Activities in those environments gave children further opportunity to expand their skills and abilities. Children's health was promoted through daily outdoor play and exercise as well as healthy eating. The childminder showed us resources she had used to support discussion with older children about healthy foods and drinks. She advised that she planned to roll this out further with the younger children and we discussed the use of best practice guidance to support this. There were no children using the service who required on-going medication or who had health issues. The childminder had updated the service forms for the safe administration of medication and they had been used when children had required medication. We advised that older forms requesting generic consent should no longer be used as the new forms superseded them. The childminder had undertaken child protection training and answered our questions on child protection with confidence. There had been no child protection concerns but there were procedures in place should a child protection concern arise. One parent described their child's experiences, "Our child always comes home with plenty of stories to tell about their day. Recently they met fire fighters, they go to craft club, play group and on outdoor walks." Requirements Number of requirements: 0 for Walker, Laura page 4 of 9
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The environment used by children for play, rest, meals and routine needs were managed very well. We concluded this after observation of the areas used by children in the childminder's home, the garden and after reviewing documents that described how the childminder keeps areas clean and safe. We observed children's use of space and resources throughout the inspection. They moved with confidence and a sense of purpose between the living room and the kitchen. Toys and resources were very easily accessed by the children and used for imaginative role play, construction and creative play. Books were available for the children to access and look at with the childminder. One of the children showed us some books and told us that they were read stories as and when they wanted them. Children's work was displayed in some areas which added to a sense of belonging and to an informal, homely, child centred environment. We observed areas used by the children as safe, secure and clean. Children's health was supported through a smoke free environment. There were stair gates on areas assessed as higher risk by the childminder to help prevent falls or access to areas that were not used as part of the service. A risk assessment was used and updated on a regular basis to identify areas of risk. The garden was fully enclosed and toys and equipment looked in good condition and well maintained. There had been no serious accidents. Any more minor accidents had been recorded in an accident book and shared with parents. The childminder had attended First Aid training and this was current. We discussed actions taken by the childminder to minimise the spread of infection. The childminder told us that toys and equipment were cleaned as and when needed but always given a deep clean once a term. The toilet area and changing mat for nappy changes were well maintained and we saw that the childminder used appropriate protective clothing to try and minimise potential contact with clean clothes. Children were included in local activities and events through visits to the local library, toddler group and parks. Children's sense of risk and their awareness of risk was improved through walks and outdoor play. Parents told us, "Laura's home is full of lots for the kids to play with. Dressing-up, kitchen, puzzles and games, outdoor toys. Our child always has lots to do." Requirements Number of requirements: 0 for Walker, Laura page 5 of 9
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 quality of the management and leadership of the service was evaluated as very good. We concluded this after discussing quality assurance with the childminder, looking at monitoring records and feedback from families using the service and by asking about the training the childminder had attended. Parents were asked on a regular basis about their experience of the service, this was captured through social media and comments about children's activities and plans. Parents told us that the childminder involved them and their child in making improvements and changes through, "verbal discussion and newsletters", and "questionnaires given out about the service and any suggested improvements are taken on board. Daily feedback about the day also gives room for suggestions". The childminder had attended training relevant to the health and wellbeing of children using the service. This included, 'level two child protection' training, 'First Aid training', 'basic food hygiene' and 'improving children's learning through play'. The training the childminder attended supported her to feel confident when responding to concerns and when planning learning opportunities for children. Policies and procedures had been well maintained but we asked the childminder to ensure details such as the change from Care Commission to Care Inspectorate were made when reviewing information. This will help avoid any confusion when parents read policies. The childminder had a complaints policy in place which parents could refer to if needed. Parents told us that the childminder was "very approachable" and "very helpful" and that they would hope to resolve any issues by discussing them with her. The chldminder should continue to source best practice guidance and advice to support the on-going development of the service. The service self assessment should be further used to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement as evaluated by the childminder after requesting and receiving feedback from parents and after comparing policies and practice with guidance and legislation. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 for Walker, Laura page 6 of 9
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. 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 Walker, Laura page 7 of 9
Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 12 Feb 2013 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed 13 Jan 2010 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment Not assessed Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed 17 Dec 2008 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 4 - Good for Walker, Laura 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 Walker, Laura page 9 of 9