Lennox, Mary Teresa Saltcoats Inspection completed on 25 January 2016
Service provided by: Mary Teresa Lennox Service provider number: SP2003902425 Care service number: CS2003004334 Inspection Type: Announced (Short Notice) 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 12
1 Introduction The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com This service was previously registered with the Care Commission and transferred its registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011. Ms Lennox provides a childminding service from her home in the town of Saltcoats. The family home, an end terraced house, is situated within a housing estate and is close to local amenities, including; shops and schools. The service is registered to care for 6 children under the age of 16 years of whom no more than 3, are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than 1 will be under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. Ms Lennox is currently caring for a total of 4 children, aged 3 to 6 years. One young minded child was attending the service during the inspection visit. She was content and at ease in both the childminder's care and the home environment. A summary of service aims include: To meet the requirements of all service users. To offer a variety of experiences in line with the pre-5 curriculum. To promote health development. To be respectful to the needs of all children and to be aware of their on-going developmental needs. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an announced short notice inspection that took place between the times of 1pm and 2:45pm on Monday 25 January 2016. We sent three care standards questionnaires to the childminder to distribute to parents/carers. Two were completed and returned to us before the inspection page 3 of 12
took place. During the inspection process, we gathered evidence from various sources, including the following: We spoke with: - the childminder - the minded child attending We looked at: - aims and objectives - text messaging - a thank you card from a child - information letters for parents - children's folders - photographs on disc - weekly activity planner - policy booklet - business contracts - training certificates - childminding public liability insurance - gas maintenance information - risk assessment for outings - the indoor and outdoor areas used by the children Views of people using the service One young pre-school child was attending the service during the inspection visit. She was a happy child who enjoyed playing games with us, particularly instructing us to close our eyes so that she could surprise us with her many dollies. Later she watched the compact disc photographs of her and her friends at various venues. She enthusiastically told us where they had been and the names of the friends she was playing with. She was quite at home and comfortable throughout our visit. page 4 of 12
The childminder showed us a card she had received from a school age child thanking the childminder for looking after her. We received two returned care standards questionnaires. Both respondents indicated satisfaction with all aspects of the service provided. Respondent comments included: "Teresa is an excellent childminder & is very trustworthy & treats my kids as her own". "Teresa is an active childminder who takes her responsibilities seriously". Further parental comments are included within this report. 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. We did not receive a self-assessment document for this inspection year. We used the information contained in the self-assessment document submitted in January 2015, to focus on areas for this inspection. What the service did well The childminder supports individual children well and is attentive to their needs. She is responsive to ideas and suggestion from the children and uses this information in planning children's experiences. She provides children with a good range of outings and outdoor experiences. Parents are happy with the care service their children receive. What the service could do better During the inspection we provided some guidance on; record keeping, personal planning review dates and gathering latest guidance documents. page 5 of 12
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 not assessed 4 - Good 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder had been caring for most of her minded children for several years and over this time had gotten to know the children and their families well. She discussed with us how she shared information with parents. This included, daily verbal discussions, text messaging and information letters to alert parents in advance to holidays or changes. We read through some text messaging. These indicated that friendly relationships had been well established and that text communication was being used effectively to exchange information and involve all parties in childcare decisions. We observed the interactions between the childminder and the child attending. It was clear that the minded child was happy and well settled in the childminder's care. She confidently chatted to and involved both adults in her play and when she became tired she climbed up onto the childminders knee. This indicated that the child felt safe and secure in the childminder's care. The childminder recognised that the child needed a nap and tucked her in with her comfort blanket. This told us that the childminder knew the minded child well. The childminder had gathered "all about me" information on children's developmental stages and routines. However this information would benefit from being reviewed on a more regular basis. We also discussed the contact details that the childminder should record. page 6 of 12
Since last inspection the childminder had constructed personal plans for the children in her care. Plans had been individually targeted to support each child's growth and development. Parents and children had been included in this process. Although at an early stage, we feel that the childminder has made good progress in developing personal planning and is well placed to continue to further improve. We did however discuss the need to establish a more regular timescale for review. Respondents who returned our questionnaires strongly agreed that they and their children had formed positive relationships with the childminder. A respondent comment included; "I would trust no-one else with my children, I have come to trust Teresa (childminder) 100% & my children love her." Although some paperwork would benefit from a more regular review, the experiences provided for children were very good. Grade The quality of care and support is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We found the family home to be a warm, homely, comfortable and child friendly environment for young children. The main indoor play area, the lounge, provided adequate space for minded children. They could relax or sleep on the comfortable sofas or engage in floor play with the selection of toys that had been provided. Safety measures were in place to prevent young children from accessing lower kitchen units where cleaning materials were stored. The childminder told us page 7 of 12
that she completed a daily visual safety check to ensure that minded children were safe in her home. We reminded the childminder of the fire guidelines regarding keys in final exits and the siting of the fire blanket. The family bathroom is on the upper floor of the premises. The childminder told us that she supervised the stairway when children needed to use the bathroom The enclosed rear garden provided opportunities for outdoor play. It was well maintained and contained a large selection of outdoor toys. A rear garden gate had become detached and needed to be re-affixed. However a front garden gate could be secured to keep children safe. The childminder told us that she liked to spend time outdoors in the local community. She told us that she attended two toddler groups and a soft play facility on a weekly basis. She showed us compact disc photographs of outings the children had gone on, for example; to the beach park, swing-park and the harbour to watch the boats. Both respondents who returned our questionnaire commented on the opportunities for outdoor play, including; "My children love being with Teresa (childminder) as she is always taking them to playgroups, soft play & the swings" and "The children are offered a wide range of activities and are outside in the fresh air at any opportunity". Confirmation of childminding insurance, along with annual gas appliance servicing information was provided. Grade The quality of environment is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 page 8 of 12
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 speaks with parents on a daily basis to ensure that they are happy with the service provision and that childcare information is shared. (Please see information in quality of care and support) She had produced a short introductory aims and objectives information sheet to help parents with their childcare choices. She used business contracts so that all parties were clear as to the service agreement. Annual review dates were noted on some contracts. She had secured parental permission for children's outings, garden play, sun protection, photographs, transport, and for emergency medical treatment. This tells us that the childminder prepares well and plans ahead. We discussed the latest best practice guidance and advised the childminder that she would find useful information on our web-site to assist her to update and improve her business records and paperwork. Ms Lennox had completed a weekly planning sheet detailing the activities the children had engaged in. We could see reference to children's choice influencing the weekly programme. This tells us that the childminder listens to what the children have to say and is responsive to their ideas. The childminder had attended some training sessions over the past two years including; child protection, children's play and Promoting Alternative Thinking (PATHs). She told us that she would be updating her first aid training within the next few months. She also told us that she enjoyed reading the Care Inspectorate magazine. The respondents who returned our questionnaires strongly agreed that the childminder had involved them and their children in developing the service and page 9 of 12
that they were happy with the quality of care their children receive in the service. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 4 - Good 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 10 of 12
9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection. 10 Other issues There are no other issues at this time. 11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 23 Mar 2012 Unannounced Care and support Environment Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership Not Assessed 22 Jun 2010 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed Not Assessed 4 Jun 2008 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership page 11 of 12
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 12 of 12