Aird, Laura Child Minding Type of inspection: Announced (short notice) Inspection completed on: 17 May 2018 Service provided by: Aird, Laura Service provider number: SP2008968647 Care service number: CS2008169989
The service Introduction The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com Laura Aird registered with the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011. The service is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of six will be under 12, of whom 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 children of the childminder's family. The childminder is currently providing a service from her home in the small coastal village of Gourdon, near Inverbervie. The service is close to the local school, playgroup and harbour. Children have access to the playroom, kitchen and downstairs bathroom. An enclosed garden situated at the rear of the property is also used. The aims of the service are to "provide varied activities indoors and out" and to "work in partnership with parents and carers to meet children's needs." What we did during our inspection We compiled this report following an announced short notice inspection, which took place between 09:30 and 13:15 hours on 16 May 2018. We gave feedback to the childminder on 17 May 2018. A Care Inspectorate inspector carried out the inspection. We spoke with the childminder and one child present during the inspection. We observed the childminder's interaction with the minded child, the indoor and outdoor environment, children's personal plans, training logs, policies and photographs. We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it right for every child (also known as GIRFEC). This is Scotland's national approach to improving outcomes and wellbeing for children by offering the right help at the right time by 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 GIRFEC. They are: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. They are often referred to as the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators. Views of people using the service The minded child present appeared happy and comfortable in the childminder's home. He told us that he liked "playing outside". Three parents returned a care standards questionnaire to us. They strongly agreed that they were happy with the overall quality of the service. Comments included: "A very caring, fun person for children to be with. Firm and consistent in dealing with behaviour." "Strongly recommend." "Very happy with the service provided." for Aird, Laura page 2 of 9
Self assessment The Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self assessment from the childminder. This was completed to a very high standard, and gave detailed examples of what her service provides to children and their families. The self assessment did not provide evidence of how the childminder plans to make improvements. The childminder should include any areas for development that will support the continued expansion of her service. What the service did well The childminder had created a warm, welcoming service for children and their families. The service provided was very inclusive, with regular opportunities for children and their families to involve themselves in the life of the service. Experiences and activities offered were very good, and in line with children's interests. What the service could do better The childminder should use best practice guidance to develop her use of natural, real life and loose parts resources both indoors and out. This will further extend on children's experiences. 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 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder had a warm, caring and friendly nature with the minded child in her care. She interacted with him in a fun, positive way, which supported him to feel safe, happy and comfortable in her home. Very positive relationships existed between parents and the childminder. This was evident in the questionnaires returned to us, as all families strongly agreed that they were happy with the service overall. Children's needs were very well known and supported. Detailed examples of knowledge of children were given, including how care provided was tailored to suit individual needs. This encouraged children's health and wellbeing, as well as promoting positive outcomes. The childminder supported families with children's transitional arrangements, which had helped to reassure and settle them through times of change. Information held on children included health details, likes, dislikes and routine preferences. In order to support children's ongoing learning, particularly younger children and those with individual needs, we suggested that the childminder devise an observation, next steps and evaluation tool that links to the SHANARRI indicators. This will support her in recording important information on children's overall development as well as assessing their next steps. for Aird, Laura page 3 of 9
An ethos of positive reinforcement was evident within the childminder's home. Golden rules displayed actively encouraged children to respect each other and the play space. The childminder had developed an "Amazing Tree" which families could use for giving suggestions on supporting children with their development, therefore promoting their inclusion. The tree also provided good opportunities for children's achievements to be recognised when milestones had been met. A child protection policy was in place and supported the childminder in safe guarding children's wellbeing. Her knowledge of protecting children was also good. Examples of how concerns would be dealt with were discussed. We suggested chronologies to her. The use of these will support her in documenting significant information, while assisting her in assessing any next steps. Chronologies: http://hub.careinspectorate.com/media/468617/ practice-guide-to-chronologies-2017.pdf The childminder had used training to support her in delivering healthy options for snacks, including pitta breads, fruit, vegetables, yoghurt and rice cakes. Children and parents were involved in the snack decision-making process. These ideas were incorporated on menu plans, which encouraged their participation and offered them the right to exercise choice. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The playroom in the childminder's home was clean, tidy and inviting. A large variety of resources offered children very good opportunities to choose including; Lego, books, arts and crafts, musical instruments, jigsaws, small world toys, cars and dolls. The childminder gave examples of more sensory-based experiences such as singing, baking, bubbles, cooking and collage making. This supported children's enquiry skills, whilst also promoting their creativity. Children had regular opportunities to access fresh air and the outdoors. Trips to beaches, parks, the local harbour and forests, as well as attendance at childminding groups supported children to explore their local community. Children also regularly walked from playgroup and to school, which encouraged them to be active. Children used the childminder's garden area. They could engage with scooters, balls, a slide and skittles. Messy play experiences such as spaghetti play, gloop and painting had also been offered. She discussed how children used their memory recall skills to build "camp fires" from sticks because of a den building/camp fire-making experience they had participated in with her and the local childminding group. The childminder talked about outdoor training that she had attended in relation to this activity. This had been re-enacted to provide a different type of learning experience for children outdoors. for Aird, Laura page 4 of 9
The use of more natural and real life resources as well as loose parts would extend on children's experiences both indoors and out. This will build on children's problem solving and sensory development. The childminder had a very good knowledge of risk benefit. We saw examples of children participating in road safety awareness within photographs. Through discussions, it was evident that the childminder used her knowledge to support children's growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe. This encouraged their safety and wellbeing, whilst also promoting their independence skills. Infection control procedures were good. Children were encouraged to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating, which supported their health and wellbeing. Nappy changing procedures followed were in line with current best practice guidance. This minimised the risk of infection to children. To further support children's health, the childminder should ensure that she washes her hands before a nappy change. She should encourage children to wash their hands after also. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 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 Very good opportunities existed for children and their families to be involved in the childminder's service. Questionnaires distributed to families sought feedback or suggestions. The childminder gave examples of how she had taken on board ideas from parents and had implemented suggestions on activities and outings. Children chose the activities they wanted to participate in during school holidays via a planner. This gave them equal opportunities to take part in experiences of interest to them. The childminder also used mind maps with children and their parents to document suggestions. We saw photographic examples of activities that children had participated in relating to a mind map on Christmas. Children's voices were respected and parent views taken into account. A previous recommendation had been made regarding the development of paperwork relating to medication. The childminder had developed paper work for gaining permissions and administering medication. Information on her policy was included within these. We suggested that she develop a separate policy on medication. This for Aird, Laura page 5 of 9
will support her to ensure clarity for parents on medication procedures. We also suggested that she consider the use of the Scottish Childminding Association's medication paperwork templates when administering medication. The childminder was a member of a local childminding group. She felt that attending this was good for gaining information on how she could develop her service, and felt that it encouraged minded children to become familiar with other childminder's in the area. Her attendance at network meetings supported her to keep up to date with new guidance and legislation. The childminder discussed how she was looking to use the new Health and Social Care Standards to evaluate her service. We actively encouraged this, and suggested "Your Childminding Journey" and "My Childminding Experience" to assist her with this also. A training log documented courses attended. Child protection and first aid training were up to date. Food hygiene training held by the childminder was dated. To refresh her knowledge, we suggested that she access this. Examples of how the childminder had used training was also evident in the log, such as "Grow Well Choices" that related to healthy eating. The childminder had brought this back to her service and used it to develop children's knowledge of healthy eating as well as her snack options. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 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. for Aird, Laura page 6 of 9
What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at or since the last inspection Previous recommendations Recommendation 1 The childminder should develop her administration of medication policy and recording templates to ensure that she reflects current best practice. National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 2 - A Safe Environment and Standard 3 - Health and Wellbeing. This recommendation was made on 2 June 2014. Action taken on previous recommendation The childminder had developed administration of medication paperwork with the support of current best practice guidance. The childminder's policy was included within this. This recommendation has been met. 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. Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 2 Jun 2014 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and leadership 5 - Very good 6 - Excellent Not assessed 6 - Excellent for Aird, Laura page 7 of 9
Date Type Gradings 20 Jul 2010 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and leadership 6 - Excellent Not assessed 6 - Excellent Not assessed 5 Nov 2009 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and leadership 5 - Very good 5 - Very good 5 - Very good Not assessed for Aird, 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 Aird, Laura page 9 of 9