Braeside Childminding Service Glasgow Inspection completed on 29 May 2015
Service provided by: Telford, Kay Service provider number: SP2013985559 Care service number: CS2013322746 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 Childminder inspection report Braeside Childminding Service is provided by Kay Telford and operates from her family home in Milngavie, Glasgow. The current registration allows the childminder to care for a maximum of 6 children at any one time 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 is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of the childminder's family. Minded children have access to downstairs rooms while attending the service: these comprise of the playroom, dining room, kitchen and bathroom. Children also have regular access to a large enclosed rear garden which provides opportunities for fresh air and physical play. On the day of the inspection, three minded children aged between seven and nine years were present in addition to the childminder's children, who were aged 2 and 4 years. The childminder provided a service for three other children. We looked at registers of attendance and were satisfied that the childminder adhered to the conditions of her registration. Through viewing the aims and objectives for the service it was noted that the childminder's main aim was to "provide a childminding service that is safe, warm and challenging for children." What we did during our inspection We wrote this report after an unannounced inspection that took place on the morning of Thursday 28 May 2015 and by arrangement we returned the following afternoon to complete the inspection. 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 all 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. page 3 of 14
In this inspection, we sampled a range of evidence including the relevant sections of policies, procedures, records and other documents including: - 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 three children in her care. Views of people using the service We sent out three care standards questionnaires and asked the childminder to give them to families who used her service. Prior to inspection, we received three completed questionnaires. Two of the respondents strongly agreed and one agreed that overall they were happy with the quality of care that their child received from the service. All respondents had taken time to add comments, such as: "My child loves going to Kay's and seems so much more settled there than at after school care club. Kay is friendly, approachable and works very hard to ensure a happy, fun, harmonious atmosphere." These views were confirmed by a parent we spoke to during the inspection. 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. page 4 of 14
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 their written comments, such as: "We have to make (decisions) for what games we want to play." "Kay is very nice, kind and generous and I am happy after school." "[The childminder] does great activities like baking, arts, crafts and outdoor games." 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 completed a detailed self assessment with information about the service she offers. This was the childminder's first inspection and self assessment, however she had made a very good attempt to evaluate her practice using the the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators. This had helped her to highlight how the children in her care were safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. What the service did well The childminder provides a homely service where she plans and delivers activities that take account of children's individual interests. This includes making good use of community resources such libraries, groups and nature walks. The childminder is committed to her continued professional development so that she can ensure good outcomes for the children in her care. What the service could do better The childminder should continue to take forward her identified areas of improvement to increase the positive outcomes for the children. We have made a recommendation that the childminder updates her policy and paperwork for the administration of children's medication in line with best practice. page 5 of 14
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 5 - Very Good not assessed 4 - Good 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder had a Working in Partnership with Parents policy and this value base was evident in the way she worked with families. It was clear throughout the inspection that there was mutual respect between the childminder and the children. 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 dropped off and collected their children from the service. The childminder told us how she initially got to know families through the child's settling in period. Families were welcome to visit her home as often as needed to make the child feel safe and secure in the parents' absence. Both children and their parents were encouraged to share information about children's individual routines, likes/dislikes and interests in 'all about me' style folders. 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. page 6 of 14
The childminder had a policy for promoting positive behaviour and the house rules had been explained to children in child-friendly language. During our visit, we observed that the childminder knew the children well and spoke to them in a nurturing manner. She encouraged the children and freely praised their achievements, modelling the respectful relationships she would like children to have with each other. This approach was welcomed by parents, for example one had written in their response to our questionnaire: "My 15 month old has never been looked after by anyone outside the family so I was very appreciative to go back to work when she was 10 months old. Kay made this transition easy for all of us. XXXX [child] is very happy to go to her house where she has a busy, full day and is always full of smiles when I pick her up at the end of the day. My 5 year old goes to Kay for before and after school care. He too is very happy to go and Kay always has some kind of activity for him to do. All in all both of my children and myself have a good relationship with Kay and I feel lucky to have found a reliable, safe, happy service for my children to go to." We could see that the childminder had used user friendly questionnaires, which had space for drawings, to seek children's views of what she could do better at the service. The minded children told us that they were able to make choices about activities, both by selecting from toys and activities that were available on the day and through more formal consultation with the childminder as a group. For example: "If Kay didn't know what to do she would use the whiteboard or chalkboard in the dining room and write 'what do you want to do?' and you could put up requests." These approaches 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 breakfast and snacks for children which 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. page 7 of 14
The childminder had paid attention to the national nutritional guidelines Setting the Table and also to changes in guidance from the Food Standard Agency regarding allergens, incorporating relevant information in children's plans. 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 Childminder inspection report 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The childminder had a range of policies in place to ensure that the environment was safe, secure, pleasant and stimulating for children. The childminder undertook daily risk assessments of her home and garden to ensure that she kept her home safe and made appropriate adjustments for children's age and stage of development. For example, children and their families could only enter the service premises by the back door as the front stairs had no rail and were hazardous for young children. We observed children easily accessing what they wanted to play with and the childminder also encouraged them to put things back when they had finished. In this way, children were learning to take responsibility for their environment. The childminder's garden was secure and provided opportunities for different activities. The childminder encouraged children to walk home from school so that they were physically active in the fresh air which contributed to their healthy lifestyle. page 8 of 14
The childminder had a car for transporting children to school rather than walking, which helped address one of the children's requests in her questionnaire "to get to school a tiny bit earlier!" We could see that the car was equipped with seats that were suitable for children's age and stage of development and that the childminder had appropriate car insurance in place. These measures kept children safe. We received the following comment from a parent: "My child loves going to Kay's house and has a good relationship with her and her own children and the other children Kay looks after. She enjoys the different activities such as going to the library, park, arts and crafts, baking and just playing with the other children. I am very pleased to have her in a safe and secure childcare environment that she looks forward to going to." The childminder was familiar with the Health Protection Scotland publication Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings and followed this guidance for ensuring children's environment, toys and equipment were clean and to minimise the risk of cross infection. For example, older children could independently access the toilet facilities where there was a sink with plenty of liquid soap for them to wash their hands and separate clean towels for minded children. The parent we spoke to told us they were very satisfied with the paperwork the childminder had asked her to complete before administering medication to her child. Keeping appropriate records helps ensure children have received the correct dose of medication and keeps children safe and 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. We recommended that the childminder review her medication policy and recording systems taking account of the Care Inspectorate best practice guidance Management of medication in daycare of children and childminding services. This guidance gives useful tips on recording the administration of children's medication and for its storage. (See Recommendation 1) page 9 of 14
Grade The quality of environment is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 Childminder inspection report 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. 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 Childminding Association (SCMA) and had used its 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. page 10 of 14
The childminder had submitted a very full self assessment to us where she had provided evaluative comments that linked to improving outcomes for children. The childminder recorded her learning and shared training certificates with parents to provide reassurance that she was competent in the skills needed to look after children and keep them safe. The certificates we looked at to evidence this included: - child protection - first aid for baby and child - infection prevention & control - food hygiene - child-led planning. It was clear from our discussions that the childminder thought in advance of what additional resources or training she might need to access. For example, she was in the process of applying for her second Individual Learning Account (ILA) to fund future training. This was to help develop her service and ensure that children received appropriate support and care when they needed. We looked at the daily diary that the childminder kept to help her monitor her practice. The timeframe we sampled explained her risk assessments, plans for activities, changes to children's attendance patterns or routines and other incidents of note. Some of this information was transferred into children's individual files when the minded children had gone home. This meant that the childminder could give children her full attention when they were attending the service whilst also keeping records that she was required by us to keep. The childminder had been providing her service for less than a year but was now keen to develop her monitoring systems. She should continue with these plans. The childminder already sought children's views and was considering how to involve parents and carers more in assessing the quality of her work. We looked at the childminder's folder of policies and procedures, which had been compiled before she began delivering her service. We suggested that the childminder could begin to review some of the policies to ensure that they were fit for purpose and reflected national and local guidance. page 11 of 14
Parents 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. 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 12 of 14
9 Enforcements Childminder inspection report 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 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 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 14 of 14