Welsh, Catherine Irvine Inspection completed on 13 July 2015
Service provided by: Welsh, Catherine Service provider number: SP2006959810 Care service number: CS2006125862 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 The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information in relation to 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. Catherine Welsh provides her service from her home in Drybridge, North Ayrshire. The family home is a detached house with an enclosed back garden space. The childminder is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of 6 children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of 6 will be under 12, of whom no more than 3 are not yet attending Primary School and of whom no more than 1 is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. At the time of inspection, the childminder had 9 children registered to attend at various times over the week. A full statement of aims is available from the service. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced visit on 13 July 2015 from 9am till 11.25 am. We hand delivered 3 care standards questionnaires to the childminder to distribute to parents/carers. All were completed and returned to us before this report was written. As part of the inspection we took account of the annual return that we asked the childminder to complete and submit to us. To assess how well the childminder had been providing care to the children using the service, we gathered evidence from a range of sources. The Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) quality indicators were used to ensure a holistic approach. More information about the GIRFEC approach can be found at www.hub.careinspectorate.com. We spoke with: - childminder - children We looked at: Childminder inspection report page 3 of 13
- service self assessment - registration certificate - insurance certificate including car insurance - sample of children's personal plans - risk assessments - photographs - housekeeping records - accident and incident records - administration, and storage of medication - childminders training records - observations of how the childminder worked with the children present - areas of the childminder's home that were used by the children Views of people using the service During the visit there was one child under two years of age and the childminders two children attending. We observed the minded child to be comfortable and secure in the childminder's care. The childminder made sure she took an equal approach to all children. We received three completed questionnaires from parents using the service. All strongly agreed they were happy with the quality of care their child receives at the service. Additional comments included: " I never have to worry when they are in Catherine's care which is great, and I highly recommend Catherine to anyone!" 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 should now update her self assessment for this inspection year. What the service did well Children are cared for in a friendly and homely environment. Children have access to a range of activities. The childminder respects the views of children and their parents. The childminder has developed positive relationships with children and their families. page 4 of 13
What the service could do better We made three recommendations at this inspection. The childminder should : -extend her risk assessments to include the trampoline and the conservatory -develop her child protection policy and share with parents -access training or self study to keep abreast of best practice 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 4 - Good 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder provided good opportunities for parents and children to assess and develop the quality of her service. All children and their families who registered with the service were given useful information on the childminders procedures, this meant parents knew what to expect of the service. As part of settling in to the service parents and children were invited to visit the childminder's home to meet her and discuss the child's individual needs. These meetings allowed the parents to share information about their child's health, routines, likes/dislikes, interests and dietary requirements. As a result the childminder could provide care that was individual to each child and where appropriate link with home routines. A parent who returned our care standard questionnaire commented: page 5 of 13
" I am very happy with the care X receives from Catherine and the daily routines she carries out which has also helped with routines at home". The childminder told us she has daily chats with parents to discuss their child's day. This meant parents could contribute their ideas/suggestions to the service she provided. Parent permissions were given before children could access the trampoline. We found the childminder had gathered good information on each child and had created personal plans. The childminder had used SHANARRI well being indictors from Getting it right for every child - a national approach to make sure children get the right help at the right time. She reviewed this with parents on a regular basis keeping her records up to date. Discussions with the childminder demonstrated she knew the children in her care well. This told us record keeping was effective and supported her to plan for children's individual needs linking with home routines where appropriate. We found that the childminder had good systems in place to administer, store and record any medication children had been given while attending her service. During the inspection we heard the childminder offer children reminders to play safely. The childminder practices road safety when out in local walks supporting children to be responsible. The childminder worked with parents on developing children's positive behaviour. Clear boundaries are in place for behaviour and we saw how the childminder guided the children to make the right choices in their play. Children were encouraged to be responsible and respectful caring for each other. A parent who returned out care standard questionnaire confirmed this commenting: "We always agree the best steps to move forward". We viewed a range of photographs and saw the childminder makes good use of her local community for example going on local walks or to the garden centre. page 6 of 13
Children benefitted from attending a local toddler group and book-bug sessions at the local library helping them to develop social skills. The childminder attends a local childminding group. She told us how some of the children and their families had joined the childminder as part of a childminding group outing to a Chocolate Factory. This offered children the opportunity to be included in their local community experiencing different environments and activities. Parents provide meals for their children however the childminder promotes healthy eating and are offered fruit. We suggested she should refer to Setting the Table - Nutritional guidelines for early years (2014) Grade The quality of care and support is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 Childminder inspection report 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We observed that the childminder's home was clean, well maintained and organised to allow children to play on the floor sit at a table or relax on the sofa. Children could access the living room, conservatory and downstairs toilet. The childminder told us children did not access the kitchen unsupervised. The back garden was secure. All three parents who returned our questionnaire "strongly agreed" that the childminder's home was safe, hygienic, smoke free, pleasant, stimulating and secure. One parent commented: "The house is always clean and pleasant and safe (stair gate etc). There are a good range of toys for all and I often have to talk my kids into actually leaving!!. page 7 of 13
During the visit we observed the children playing with a range of resources that were organised for them to choose independently. Resources were stage appropriate and clean. We observed good infection prevention and control practice during the inspection. The childminder was clear in her procedure should she need to change nappies for example wearing protective clothing and making sure nappies were disposed of appropriately. Children who were ill were asked not to attend the service and the childminder referred to Health Protection Scotland's guidance for childhood illnesses. This helped to limit the spread of infection. Hand washing was encouraged using liquid soap and paper towels. We asked the childminder to use an appropriate bin for disposing of paper towels and the childminder agreed to organise this. Any accidents/incidents involving the children were appropriately recorded and shared with parents ensuring they were fully aware of what had happened and what, if any, treatment was required. The childminder held a current first aid certificate. The childminder is aware of her responsibilities to make sure the environment is safe. The childminder takes daily checks before children access the service. The childminder has written risk assessments for her premises and specific activities in place identifying any hazards and action she needs to take to keep children safe. The childminder should extend these to include the trampoline and the conservatory. See recommendation 1 Grade The quality of environment is graded Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The childminder should extend her written risk assessment to include the children's use of the trampoline and the use of the conservatory. page 8 of 13
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 childminder had kept up to date with best practice guidance and legislation since her last inspection. She does this in a range of ways. For example she is a member of Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) receiving regular updates and newsletters that she used to update her practice. The childminder is also a member of a local childminding group and keeps contact with childminders in her area. This provided her with opportunity to share information and good practice to improve her service. We suggested the childminder could access "The Hub" section on the Care Inspectorate website. We explained that she could find a range of best practice documents and publications which would allow her to further keep her knowledge up to date. This would support her in developing and improving her service. The childminder had accessed first aid training since the last inspection. She was keen to attend further training including child protection training. We discussed what she would do to safeguard children. The childminder was confident in her role and responsibilities. She should now develop a policy and procedure that she can add to her information booklet she gives to parents. See recommendation 1. The childminder has links with the local authority and advised she has applied to become part of their Daycare Service. This would mean she would receive a range of training. The childminder should access training to ensure she is informed and up to date further developing her knowledge and skills to provide the best outcomes for children in her care. See recommendation 2. page 9 of 13
We saw that the childminder gathered parent and children's views by asking them to complete a questionnaire on how they felt the service was doing. All returns were positive with no suggestions for improvement. Of the three parents who returned our care standard questionnaire two "strongly agreed" and one "agreed" the childminder involved them and their child when making improvements or changes to the service. Additional comments included: "Asks about what toys etc my children prefer and any aims they have." "Any changes or improvements are discussed on a regular basis." "Catherine has shown us documentation and records that she keeps re healthy and safety and X development plan. The childminder told us she makes any changes needed to her service to ensure children have the best possible experience whilst in her care. We suggested she could record any self evaluations she makes using her service diary. This will help her to maintain and further develop her service. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 4 - Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 2 1. The childminder should develop a child protection procedure adding this to her information records and share with all parents using the service. National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 3 Health and well being Standard 14 A well managed service 2. The childminder should access training or self study to ensure she has knowledge of current best practice to secure positive outcomes for children in her care. National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 3 Health and well being Standard 14 A well managed service page 10 of 13
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 The childminder has applied for a variation to her registration conditions. page 11 of 13
11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings Childminder inspection report 18 Jul 2011 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed Not Assessed 1 Jul 2009 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Not Assessed 17 Apr 2008 Announced (short notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 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 Childminder inspection report 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