Lyndsey's Treasure Tots Aberdeen Inspection completed on 28 April 2016
Service provided by: Kerrigan, Lyndsey Service provider number: SP2015986997 Care service number: CS2015337940 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 14
1 Introduction Lyndsey Kerrigan was registered on 27 October 2015 to provide a care service to a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom no more than three are aged one year to not yet attending primary school, of whom no more than one is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of the childminder's family. The childminder provides her service from her home in a residential area in the north of Aberdeen. The childminder has a detailed statement of aims which included the following: - "To provide a happy, safe, caring and sharing environment where children can grow, learn and acquire new skills that will encourage them to become confident, motivated, independent thinkers and learners whilst having fun in my care". 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). Set up by Scottish Government, GIRFEC is a national approach to working in a consistent way with all children and young people. It is underpinned by the principles of prevention and early intervention. The approach helps services focus on what makes a positive difference for children and young people - and what they can do to improve. Getting it right for every child is being woven into all policy, practice, strategy and legislation that affect children, young people and their families. There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of Getting it right for every child. 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 wrote this report following an unannounced inspection. This inspection was page 3 of 14
carried out by one Inspector. The inspection took place on Wednesday 27 April 2016 between 10am and 1pm. Feedback was provided to the childminder on Thursday 28 April 2016. We sent Care Standards Questionnaires (CSQs) to the childminder to give to parents and carers of children who use the service. We did not receive any completed questionnaires and the childminder advised that she had not received any to distribute. During the inspection we gathered evidence from the following sources: We spoke with: - the childminder - the children present during the inspection - two parents. We looked at: - the childminder's practice - the environment for the children - children's records - training records - policies and procedures - feedback systems - public liability insurance certificate - registration certificate - gas safety certificate - car insurance certificate. Views of people using the service We met three children during the inspection. All presented as being comfortable and relaxed in the childminders home. The interaction between the childminder and the children was positive. We spoke to two parents during this inspection, who fed back positively in relation to the service. Parents told us that they found the childminder "absolutely excellent", "so page 4 of 14
professional" and "absolutely lovely". The parents felt that the childminder did a lot of activities with their children such as outings, art and craft and playing in the garden. They felt that feedback was of a very good quality. One parent told us that their child wanted to attend the service on days that it was not planned that they attend and that they were "really absolutely delighted" with the care their child received. 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 completed and submitted a self assessment to the Care Inspectorate prior to the inspection taking place as requested. It outlined key strengths of the service. What the service did well The childminder was warm in her interactions with the children and encouraged and supported them to participate in a range of activities which helped develop their skills and provided opportunities for fresh air and energetic play. She had developed a good range of policies, procedures and records to help support her with her business. What the service could do better The childminder must ensure that she always adheres to best practice in relation to infection control. The childminder should consider further how she can support children in relation to meeting their nutritional needs. 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 4 - Good 4 - Good page 5 of 14
Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership not assessed 4 - Good 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection We found the level of care and support provided by the childminder for the children in her care was good. We concluded this having talked to the childminder about her approach, looking at records, observing the childminder's practice and the experiences of the children being cared for and also feedback from two parents. We spoke to the childminder about the children she was caring for. Although the children were quite new to the service we were able to see that the childminder had a good knowledge of their individual needs. We looked at the care plans the childminder had developed for each child. These included information about the child's start date, emergency contact details, GP details, medical information and permissions for outings, use of sun protection cream and first aid. The childminder had gained information about each child and their needs. This included their skills and support they needed in relation to eating, drinking and sleeping. Also captured was information about children's favourite toys, songs, and whether they attended any other services. All this helped to develop a good understanding of the children and therefore helped the childminder to be responsive to individual needs. We were able to see clear evidence of how the childminder was supporting children with their development. The childminder described a settling in procedure where she met with children and their parent/carer on at least two occasions prior to them starting at the service to help them become familiar with the service and to gain some information about their needs. On the day of the inspection we found that children were offered a healthy snack which included fresh fruit. Children present during the inspection were offered water and diluted juice to drink. Such drinks have a high acid content and compromise children's dental health. We advised the childminder that milk page 6 of 14
or water should be given to all the children at snack times as this supports children's dental health. We advised that children could be provided with fruit juice diluted with water at meal times (see Recommendation 1). We found that an appropriate child protection statement was in place. The childminder had also completed child protection training in October 2015. We found that the childminder had a medication statement in place which provided information about the procedure that was to be followed should the childminder need to administer any medication. She also had permission slips in place. The childminder advised that to date she had not had to administer any medication. The childminder did not have an effective system in place for being able to record every time medication was administered. She also needed to ensure that she received confirmation from parents and carers that the first dose of any medication had been administered at home. The childminder needs to make changes to ensure that her practice in relation to medication keeps children safe. The childminder advised that she would address these issues without delay (see Recommendation 2). The childminder may find the document "Management of medication in daycare of children and childminding services" useful to develop her record keeping further. This can be found at http://hub.careinspectorate.com/media/189567/ childrens-service-medication-guidance.pdf The childminder told us that she ensured that children learned about personal safety through day-to-day activities and opportunities. As they were out for a walk most days, this provided plenty opportunities to raise children's awareness of road safety and the childminder described how she did this. The childminder told us that she used praise and encouragement to promote positive behaviour. We saw her doing this throughout the inspection. She displayed some very nice interaction with the children she was caring for. This helped children to develop in confidence and supported learning in a positive way. We found that the childminder had a good range of resources which helped them to develop a range of skills. We saw the childminder supporting children to use various resources throughout our inspection. The childminder also told us that she regularly took the children out for walks in the local community and to page 7 of 14
local parks and spent time in the front and rear gardens. This helped to ensure that children got access to fresh air and physical exercise which helped to keep them healthy. The childminder also attended a toddler group once a week which gave the children opportunities to interact with other children and have different play experiences. This helped to build up their confidence in relation to attending groups and managing social situations. Grade The quality of care and support is graded 4 - Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 2 1. In order to meet the health needs of children, the childminder should ensure drinks, snacks and meals provided take account of the best practice guidance "Setting the Table". National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 3: Health and Wellbeing. 2. In order to ensure that medication is administered appropriately, the childminder must ensure that she develops a system for recording each time medication is administered to a child and further develop her procedure so that she ensures parents and carers give the first dose of any new medication to their children, prior to it being administered within the service. National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 3: Health and Wellbeing. page 8 of 14
4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We found the quality of the environment provided by the childminder for the children in her care was good. We came to this conclusion after we observed the environment, talked to the childminder and observed her practice. We visited the childminder unannounced and found that overall the home was of a good standard of cleanliness. It provided a warm and homely environment. There was plenty resources for the children to choose from, much of these presented in a way which made it easy for children to make their own selection. We were able to see evidence of the childminder taking action to reduce risks, such as use of a safety gate on the stairs and a guard on the fireplace. The childminder had a risk assessment statement in place which confirmed she would assess risks in the home and garden areas on a daily basis. The childminder used her lounge for childminding. There was a range of resources accessible in the lounge for children to choose from. The childminder had a small dining table and chairs within the lounge for children to eat and drink, play games and do art and craft. We saw that the childminder had a comprehensive infection control procedure in place which reflected best practice. We saw that children were encouraged and supported to wash their hands prior to eating their lunch and after using the toilet. We found however that although the childminder used an apron when nappy changing she did not use gloves. The childminder told us that she did usually wear gloves (see Recommendation 1). We also noted that after changing a child's nappy the childminder did not wipe down the changing mat (see Recommendation 1). The childminder needs to improve her practice in order to keep children safe and healthy. The childminder had an appropriate system in place for recording accidents. We saw that minor accidents had been recorded and appropriate action taken. The childminder had also completed a first aid course and was able to talk about her learning from this, including how to respond to emergency situations. We also found she had a well stocked first aid box in place. page 9 of 14
We were able to see that the childminder ensured that her gas central heating system was properly maintained and checked to ensure that it was safe. Grade The quality of environment is graded 4 - Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The childminder must implement appropriate infection prevention and control procedures in order to safeguard and protect children. In order to achieve this the childminder must ensure: - disposable gloves are always worn when changing nappies and dealing with body fluids - the changing mat is always effectively cleaned after each use National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the Age of 16. Standard 2: A Safe Environment. 5 Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection We found the quality of management and leadership in the service was good. We concluded this after looking at how the childminder managed her service, her policies and procedures, record keeping and training attended. The childminder was a member of the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) page 10 of 14
and was able to keep updated with best practice through this membership. In addition she told us that she kept in touch with other childminders locally and found this useful for swapping ideas and getting advice. We saw that the childminder had appropriate public liability insurance in place and her registration certificate was on display. The childminder had attended a range of training to help develop her practice in 2015 and 2016. This included paediatric first aid, working with ADHD and the autism spectrum, introduction to GIRFEC, child protection and food and hygiene. The childminder was able to evidence what she had gained from her attendance at these courses, which she felt helped increase her confidence and improve her practice. The childminder had not attended any training in relation to infection control and we recommended that she access a course in relation to this (see Recommendation 1). There was a complaints procedure in place which provided clear information about how to make a complaint. The childminder had developed some good systems for communicating effectively with parents and carers. She provided parents with a written record at the end of each day they attended the service. Information recorded included what they had to eat and drink, any naps they had, nappy changes (where applicable), and good quality information about the activities they engaged in. Parents we spoke to really appreciated receiving this written account of their child's day. Another communication tool the childminder had introduced was a monthly newsletter, which gave some information about what the children had been doing along with photographs. Within the newsletter there was a reminder to parents and carers that feedback on the service was welcome. We observed the childminder to encourage the children to make choices throughout the inspection visit. The childminder told us that for obtaining feedback on the service she relied on a more informal method of speaking with parents and carers on an everyday basis as they were dropping off and picking their children up. She was able to page 11 of 14
provide us with some examples of feedback obtained and how she used this feedback to improve the service. When we returned to the service to provide feedback, the childminder had developed a questionnaire for parents and carers to gain more formal feedback on the service. She planed to hand this out to parents and carers shortly. We also discussed other ways of obtaining feedback which the childminder showed interest in progressing. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 4 - Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The childminder should undertake training in infection control in order to improve her knowledge and practice. National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 14: Well-Managed Service. 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 page 12 of 14
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 N/A 11 Inspection and grading history This service does not have any prior inspection history or grades. page 13 of 14
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 14 of 14