Angela's Childminding Service Glasgow Inspection completed on 01 October 2015
Service provided by: McNairn, Angela Service provider number: SP2014986254 Care service number: CS2014330340 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 The childminder provides a childminding service from her family home which is a tenement flat within the Maryhill area of Glasgow. There are a range of children's services in the area including schools and parks. The current registration allows the childminder to care for a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 16 years, of whom no more than two are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under 12 months. This is inclusive of the childminder's own family. The accommodation used by minded children is all on one level and comprises the lounge, kitchen, childminder's daughter's bedroom and the toilet. Minded children do not access the garden as it is shared by neighbours; however the childminder ensures that children have access most days to a playpark in close proximity to her home. This provides opportunities for fresh air and energetic physical play. On the day of the inspection, five minded children aged between two and eight years were present in addition to the childminder's own daughter aged six years. The main aim of the childminder is 'to provide a welcoming and secure setting within my home for children aged 0-16 years. I aim to develop the children's physical, cognitive, emotional and social development through a wide range of challenging and fun activities. I aim to promote the children's self esteem through positive and sensitive interaction.' What we did during our inspection We wrote this report after an unannounced inspection that took place on the afternoon of Thursday 1 October 2015. The inspection was carried out by an Inspector from the Care Inspectorate. We issued three questionnaires to parents of children who used the service and two of these were completed and returned before the inspection. The questionnaire responses demonstrated that the families accessing the service were highly satisfied with the quality of care and support provided by the childminder. In this inspection, we sampled a range of evidence, including the relevant sections of policies, procedures, records and other documents: page 3 of 14
- Information relating to minded children's placement arrangements, their care and support and their progress - Child protection - Infection prevention and control - Risk assessments - Accident and incident logs - Storage and administration of medicines - Promoting Positive Behaviour - Payment - Evidence of current Public Liability Insurance - Evidence of learning the childminder has undertaken - Monitoring systems - Observations and discussions with the childminder and the five children in her care. Views of people using the service We sent out three care standard questionnaires and asked the childminder to give them to families who used her service. Prior to inspection we received two of these back. Both respondents strongly agreed that overall they were happy with the quality of care that their child received from the service. Both respondents had also taken time to add constructive comments: "I am delighted with the quality of care Angela has demonstrated while looking after my children. She has shown great sensitivity to theirs and my needs and she often goes out of her way to ensure they are happy and comfortable. For example my youngest daughter has recently struggled to settle into primary school and Angela has been a great support - offering advice and help. She is very natural with the children and they hold a great deal of affection for her." "Very happy with the care provided. My child feels very relaxed and comfortable at her childminder's house." Parents' views have been incorporated in other sections of this report. We observed that the childminder had created an environment where the children felt secure and confident enough to speak openly with the Inspector. We asked three of the minded children to complete questionnaires about the quality of the service. They were all very happy and reflected this in responses. page 4 of 14
For example one had written that the snacks were "Yum!" and that they liked Angela because - "She helps me when I fall." None of the children felt anything needed to change about the service. 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 been operating for less than one year therefore had not submitted a self-assessment about the service she offered. What the service did well The childminder offered children and their families care and support in a welcoming, homely environment. Parents were highly satisfied with the quality of service provided by the childminder. What the service could do better We have asked the childminder to update her paperwork for the administration of children's medication in line with best practice. She should also continue with plans to attend training that will support good outcomes for children. We have recommended that this includes child protection training. 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 5 - Very Good 4 - Good not assessed 4 - Good page 5 of 14
3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder was new to childminding but displayed a caring and supportive manner that promoted children's self-esteem, confidence and emotional wellbeing. We saw positive interaction with children asking for resources and being given assistance when needed, we also observed informal sharing of information with parents as they collected their children from the service. Both children and their parents had been encouraged to share information about children's individual routines, likes/dislikes and interests in 'all about me' style forms when the child first joined the service. The childminder also recorded registration information that we would expect to see in children's personal plans, such as their medical history including additional support needs, their GP and emergency contact details. We talked about how the childminder could improve children's personal plans by using the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators from Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) to demonstrate how she was meeting the all-round needs of children. This would help the childminder support the next steps in children's development and record their achievements. The wellbeing indicators that are essential for children and young people to flourish are: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. The childminder had begun to read up about GIRFEC and should consider participating in training to further develop her knowledge and understanding. We have made a recommendation about training under Section 6 of this report. More information about GIRFEC can be found on the HUB section of our website - http://hub.careinspectorate.com/ The childminder had created house rules that had been explained to children in child friendly language. During our visit we observed that the childminder knew the children well and freely praised their achievements modelling the respectful relationships she would like children to have with each other. Both respondents to our questionnaires strongly agreed that the childminder encouraged their child to form positive relationships with other children and that she had worked with their child to ensure that they understood the behaviour expected of them. page 6 of 14
We could see that the childminder had prepared user friendly questionnaires, which used emoticons to seek children's views of what she could do better at the service. She should continue with plans to distribute these to children. Two of the minded children told us that they were able to make choices about activities and we observed that this was the case. Where it was not possible the childminder would explain why, for example that the children could not have more snack as she was about to prepare them a meal. The above approach made it more likely that the service was relevant to children's individual interests and helped ensure that everyone felt respected and included. The childminder provided snacks and occasional meals for children that promoted healthy eating. Through discussion, we were satisfied that the childminder had a sound knowledge of nutrition and was vigilant about any allergies that children might have. She had attended food hygiene training and registered as a food business so that she now knows how to prepare food safely and prevent the spread of potentially harmful bacteria. These measures ensured that children were safe, healthy and nurtured. Grade The quality of care and support is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The childminder's home was welcoming and comfortable and the children had their own pegs for their personal belongings. This helped children feel nurtured and included when attending the service. page 7 of 14
The childminder told us about the visual risk assessments and cleaning of the premises and toys that she carried out prior to minded children arriving; thereby ensuring a safe and clean environment. We could see that measures were in place to keep children safe while in the childminder's care. For example safety gates were in situ to prevent younger children entering the kitchen unsupervised. We accompanied the childminder and the minded children on their daily trip to the park and we could see that the children were very familiar with routine, appreciating the opportunity to play with their peers. The childminder explained how she had risk assessed this area and set boundaries for minded children. This helped ensure children were safe and also helped them to take responsibility for their own safety and be risk aware. The childminder had brought the children's snack as a picnic which extended children's activities in the fresh air and reinforced their social skills, such as turn taking and sharing. We talked to the childminder about minimising the risk of cross infection, for example by ensuring children used their own flasks and washing hands before leaving school as running water and soap is preferable to the use of wipes or hand gels. We referred the childminder to Health Protection Scotland publication -'Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings' (2011) and the Care Inspectorate supplementary guidance - 'Hand hygiene: information to support improvement (April 2014). Both documents can be accessed in the HUB section of our website. We observed that the childminder was vigilant about handwashing at other times, reminding children to wash their hands when they came in from outside, before handling food and after using the toilet. Older children could independently access the toilet facilities in the childminder's home where there was a sink with plenty of liquid soap for them to wash their hands and separate clean towels for minded children. This helped prevent the spread of infection and kept children healthy. We asked the childminder about the systems that were in place for ensuring that she administered medication safely when it was required by children. For example records should include when a dose was last given by the parent. page 8 of 14
None of the minded children were currently prescribed medication but we recommended that the childminder review her medication policy and recording systems taking account of best practice guidance 'Management of Medication in Daycare and Childminding Services'. This guidance gives useful tips on recording the administration of children's medication and for its storage. Grade The quality of environment is graded 4 - Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The childminder should review her medication policy and procedures to reflect the Care Inspectorate's publication - 'Management of Medication in Daycare of Children and Childminding Services'. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 3: Health and wellbeing. page 9 of 14
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 childminder had managed the service to a good level. We concluded this through speaking with the childminder, examining a sample of her records and through feedback from parents and children. The childminder was a member of the Scottish Child Minding Association (SCMA) and had used their induction training and resources to develop her knowledge and understanding of best practice to support children's health, safety and wellbeing. SCMA is a national umbrella organisation whose main aim is to promote childminding as a quality childcare service. The childminder was beginning to meet up with other new childminders locally and believed that this would be a good source of peer support, for example becoming each other's formal contact for families in the event of an emergency involving the childminder. The childminder confirmed that she had shared her policies and procedures with parents when they first considered using her service. Contracts for children's attendance patterns were also used to explain what the terms and conditions of the service were. The childminder recorded her learning and shared this with parents to provide reassurance that she was committed to professional development that could contribute to her delivering good outcomes for children. The childminder had applied for an Independent Learning Account (ILA) to fund future training: for example she had secured a place on a Paediatric First Aid course for the following month. This was to help ensure that children received appropriate support and care when they needed it. page 10 of 14
We have recommended that the childminder participate in child protection training to help her safeguard the children in her care. We talked about how SCMA's online training course might fit more easily into the childminder's pattern of work. The childminder had been providing her service for less than one year and was now keen to develop her monitoring systems. She should continue with these plans. For example we suggested that the childminder should begin to review some of her original policies and procedures to ensure that they were fit for purpose and reflected national and local guidance. Parents and children could be invited to participate in this process as it would be task orientated and time limited, thus making it a more meaningful opportunity for them to be involved in improving the service. In the returned questionnaires, both parents strongly agreed that the childminder had involved them and their children in developing the service, for example asking for ideas and feedback. 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 continue access training relevant to her role and responsibilities and that keeps her up-to-date with policy guidelines and best practice. This should include Child Protection, GIRFEC and Infection Prevention and Control. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 2: A Safe Environment, Standard 3: Health and Wellbeing and Standard 13: Improving the Service. page 11 of 14
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. 9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection. 10 Other issues No issues identified. page 12 of 14
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