3 Cheeky Monkey Childminding Kelty Inspection completed on 27 August 2015
Service provided by: McLeod, Stacey Service provider number: SP2014986014 Care service number: CS2014327024 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 13
1 Introduction Stacey McLeod provides 3 Cheeky Monkey Childminding service from her family home in Kelty. The care is mainly provided in the large summer house in the enclosed rear garden with access to the family home to use the toilets. The service is currently registered with the following conditions: 1. The care service may be provided to a maximum of 6 children at any one time under the age of 16 years, of whom no more than 3 are of an age not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than 1 is less than 1 year of age. Numbers are inclusive of the children of the childminder. 2. Overnight care may be provided to a maximum of 2 children at any one time. 3. Minded children cannot be cared for by persons other than those named on the certificate. 4. Minded children will have supervised access to the rear garden. Three pre-school children and one school age child were being cared for by the childminder during the first inspection visit. One minded child was also visiting the service with their parent during the first visit. We gave feedback to the childminder during the second inspection visit. What we did during our inspection This is the service's first inspection since registration. We wrote this report after an unannounced inspection visit and an announced visit which took place on the 24th and 27th August 2015. We asked the service to issue Care Standard Questionnaires to parents, in order to allow us to take account of their views, three forms were handed out and none were returned before the inspection report was written. We observed the childminder working with the children. We spoke with the children attending during the inspection visit. We looked at: - registers - service diaries page 3 of 13
- displays - registration certificate - questionnaires - accident and incident records - the environment and equipment - children's personal learning plans and care plans - the childminder's training - service policies, procedures and recording systems We gave feedback to the childminder during the inspection visits. Views of people using the service The pre-school children attending the service were enjoying their time in the garden, playing with sit-and-ride toys, trampolines, play houses, painting and being active. The children appeared to be relaxed and comfortable in the childminder's care and with her family. The children were confident making requests for resources and these were easily accommodated by the childminder. The parents we spoke with in the service was happy with the care provided. We asked the childminder to hand out some questionnaires to families and three were given out, none were returned before the report was written. 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. The childminder had submitted a self assessment before the inspection and had given examples of the service strengths. The childminder could further develop any future self assessment by identifying service developments and giving consideration to GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) and the SHANARRI indicators (Safe, Healthy, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Respected, Responsible and Included). What the service did well The childminder provided a variety of play opportunities which were ageappropriate and would support children's development. The childminder had built positive relationships with the children and their families to help her to meet their needs in the service. page 4 of 13
What the service could do better The childminder should develop how risk assessments are completed to ensure that they help to ensure safety in the service environment. The childminder must ensure that children's details are always available in the service to ensure children's safety in the service. The childminder could develop her paperwork to show how she provides care in the service and how she complies with best practice and regulatory requirements. 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 3 - Adequate 3 - Adequate not assessed 3 - Adequate 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder assessed her service as adequate in her self assessment for this quality theme. We agreed with this assessment. We concluded this following; discussion with the childminder and children, reviewing of the feedback in our questionnaires and the documentation in the service and observing the outcomes for children in the service. We asked to review the care plan information for the children. The childminder did not have all the required information for the children available in the service during the first inspection visit. By the second visit the childminder had all the required information to meet the children's needs. We spoke about keeping this information updated to ensure children's safety. See recommendation 1. page 5 of 13
The childminder said she discussed children's care needs with families daily and kept notes about children's development following the EYFS (English curriculum). We discussed looking at the Pre-Birth to Three document, The Curriculum for Excellence, GIRFEC and Building the Ambition documents to develop her understanding of the Scottish perspective on Early Years Learning and Development. The childminder could develop ways to share information about children's achievements and development in the service with families in line with this. The childminder gave daily diary sheets to one who there is less daily contact with to ensure that they are informed about their child's time in the service. We saw that the childminder helped the children to stay safe while playing in the garden reminding them about safety rules for example zipping the enclosure up on the trampoline. We discussed how the childminder kept children safe in the service. The childminder had high visibility vests and 'walkodiles' to help children stay safe on the walks to school and nursery and on outings. The childminder told us that she had accessed Child Protection training through the Scouts. We spoke about accessing Child Protection training to ensure that the childminder is confident about what to do if she has any concerns and updating the services policy and paperwork to bring it in line with current best practice guidance. See recommendation 2. We saw that the childminder knew the children in her care and was meeting their needs through the daily activities in the service. The children were enjoying the active physical play opportunities and were developing their negotiation skills during the activities. We saw that the childminder used positive behaviour management techniques which the children responded well to. We saw that there was a variety of resources available in the service to meet the children's need and promote their development. We saw that the children enjoyed playing in the service and with each other. The childminder had developed a medication permission slip for families. We spoke about reading the latest medication guidance on the Care Inspectorates 'Hub' and developing a policy and updating the forms for permission and administration of medication to bring them in line with best practice guidance and ensure children's safety. See recommendation 3. page 6 of 13
Grade The quality of care and support is graded 3 - Adequate Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 3 1. It is recommended that the childminder ensure that she has all the information recorded to ensure children's safety and meet their needs before they start in the service. It is also recommended that the childminder introduce a system to ensure that the children's care plan information is updated with families whenever there is a significant change and at least every six months to keep the service operating in line with the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and ensure children's safety. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - Standard 3 - Health and Wellbeing and Standard 14 - Well-Managed Service. 2. It is recommended that the childminder access further training and information about Child Protection and update the policies and paperwork in the service to help ensure children's safety. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - Standard 3 - Health and Wellbeing and Standard 14 - Well-Managed Service. 3. It is recommended that the service develop the medication policy and paperwork to bring it in line with current best practice guidance and ensure children's safety. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - Standard 3 - Health and Wellbeing and Standard 14 - Well-Managed Service. page 7 of 13
4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The service assessed themselves as adequate for this Quality Theme. We agreed with this evaluation and found the service to be providing an adequate quality of environment for the children. We concluded this after we observed the childminder working in her home with the children and examined relevant documents in the service. Most of the activities were provided in the playroom in the garden, with access to the house for the toilet facilities. The children brought their own packed lunches and the childminder was refrigerating the contents to ensure children's safety. The lunch area was still cluttered with debris from lunch when we arrived. See recommendation 1. The children had access to a large enclosed garden with lots of play equipment to choose from, and they were enjoying exploring the space. The children also went inside to play with resources and could be seen from the garden area. The playroom was a bit cluttered with toys and equipment which should not be accessed by the children. We spoke about de-cluttering the space and removing any items which were unsafe. See recommendation 1. We asked how the childminder risk-assessed the space before children arrived. The childminder told us this was done in her head. We spoke about detailing what checks would be completed before the children arrived and recording any actions taken to ensure children's safety. The childminder would benefit from some training in risk assessment to ensure the children's safety. See recommendation 2. We asked how the childminder prevented the spread of infection in the service. The childminder told us what her current practice was. We spoke about accessing up-to-date information about infection prevention and control, and updating the practices and polices in the service to ensure children's safety. This should include, for example: information about how nappy-changing is managed and what is in place for the family pets. See recommendation 3. The childminder kept a record of the children attending the service. We spoke about recording the actual arrival and departure times for all of the children. page 8 of 13
This would show that she is working to her conditions of registration and ensure the children's safety in the event of an emergency. The childminder did not have any children being cared for overnight at present. We asked how this would be managed. The childminder showed us that the child would have their own room and a private en-suite bathroom for their own use. The childminder would provide the child with their own bedding to prevent the spread of infection. The child would need to eat with the family, so we discussed registering as a food business. Grade The quality of environment is graded 3 - Adequate Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 3 1. It is recommended that the childminder review how the space is organised to ensure children's safety for example de cluttering the play space and removing and items which are unsafe. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - Standard 2 - A Safe Environment 2. It is recommended that the childminder access training in how to risk assess for her service to help ensure children's safety. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - Standard 2 - A Safe Environment 3. It is recommended that the childminder access training in infection prevention and control to develop how she does this in the service to ensure children's safety. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - Standard 2 - A Safe Environment page 9 of 13
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 service assessed themselves as adequate for Quality Theme Management and Leadership. We agreed with this evaluation. We concluded this after assessing the service's self-assessment, observing the childminder's practice, discussing key issues, taking note of the children and their families' views and reviewing documents in the service. We asked how the childminder planned to keep up to date with changes in legislation and best practice guidance. The childminder said she chats to other childminders and looks at the regular updates from SCMA and the Care Inspectorate. We advised the childminder to check the Hub regularly to get the most up-to-date guidance. The childminder told us that she advertised her business through her social media page. We advised her to remove any public pictures of children and review her use of the internet and social media once she has read the SSSC guidance about this. The childminder had accessed a variety of training courses in the past, including her NVQ3 and courses in First Aid, Child Protection and Autism awareness. The childminder said she had found it difficult to access training in Scotland, due to the times of training courses available. We spoke about accessing some online courses and planning ahead to allow her to notify parents in good time about any training courses which she would benefit from to help improve the service. We reviewed the policies in the service and identified the items which should be reviewed; these are detailed under statement 1 and 2. page 10 of 13
We spoke about updating the policies regularly to keep them in line with legislative requirements and current best practice guidance. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 3 - Adequate 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 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. page 11 of 13
9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection 10 Other issues None 11 Inspection and grading history This service does not have any prior inspection history or grades. page 12 of 13
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 13 of 13