Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 Child Minding and Day Care (Inspection and Information for Local Authorities) (Wales) Regulations 2010 The Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Regulations 2010 Inspection report Child Minding and Day Care Cylch Meithrin Tonyfelin Tonyfelin Baptist Chapel Bedwas Road Caerphilly CF83 3AR Date of publication 19 August 2011 You may reproduce this Report in its entirety. You may not reproduce it in part or in any abridged form and may only quote from it with the consent in writing of Welsh Ministers.
Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales South East Wales Government Buildings Rhydycar Merthyr Tydfil CF48 1UZ 0300 0628757 0300 0628548 Name of setting: Cylch Meithrin Tonyfelin Contact telephone number: 029 20885141 Registered Person/Responsible Individual Person in charge: Neale Evans, Brenda Morris Teresa Rees Mary Evans Number of places: 48 Date of this visit: 06 July 2011 Dates of other relevant contact since last report: Date of previous report publication: 03 June 2009 Inspected by: Annette Duprey Page 2
Introduction Cylch Meithrin Tonyfelin is a well established playgroup which has been running for many years. It is situated in a large church, using two very large rooms, in Caerphilly town. They are registered to care for 48 children aged 2 ½ years to 4 years, in two groups. At the time of the inspection 30 children were registered and 24 were attending on the day of inspection. Four members of staff were present. Summary of inspection findings: What does the provider do well? The Self Assessment of Service documentation was returned stating that: Comprehensive information is available to potential clients. Daily, weekly and termly planning includes all children to gauge their particular needs and opinions. Ensure all policies and procedures are implemented well. Ensure that all staff members are given the opportunity to attend training courses. Staff are formally appraised on an annual basis and the leader holds supervision meetings with her staff on a regular basis. Risk assessments of the premises and the outdoor play area are regularly conducted and updated when necessary. The chair liaises with and supports the leader twice or three times each week. The service is well managed. What has improved since the last inspection? The SAS stated: Ongoing training sessions has clearly improved staff performance. The knowledge of Management Committee and staff members is continually updated. The introduction and implementation of the Control Measures during periods of inclement weather conditions. Use of the CCBC web site during such and the Networking Policy have assisted management and staff in the decision making process in ensuring the safeguarding aspects of both Quality of Care issues. As a result of the bedding in of the Foundation Phase staff obtain regular training from the Caerphilly County Borough Early Years Advisor and other agencies when appropriate. The nursery area and the exterior yard are maintained to a satisfactory and safe condition. What needs to be done to improve the service? a.) priorities identified. b.) other areas for improvement The SAS stated: We ensure that Management Committee and staff members implement each of the policies available to them to best advantage. Page 3
We maintain level of training and safety awareness for each member of staff. We continue to strive for quality improvement and development. Inspection methods The information for this reported was obtained by the following: The information on the Self Assessment of Service documents completed prior to the inspection. Five CSSIW staff questionnaires returned. Observations on the day of the inspection and talking with the manager and her staff. Page 4
Information on service Comprehensive information is provided by the means of a Welcome pack. This was said to be updated regularly. Leaflets and booklets provided by Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin and other agencies to promote bi-lingual Welsh/English education are also available for parents. On the day of inspection the playleader was conducting sessions with parents regarding their transition to school. An application form is completed for each child prior to the child starting in the setting. Play plans would be in place for a child with additional needs and it was stated that staff would work with outside agencies to ensure that they offered appropriate care for the child. When completed for Page 5
Planning for individual needs and preferences Baseline assessments are conducted on children and appropriate targets are set. Staff are involved in planning activities together with the children and photographic evidence is available. An accident and incident book was available for inspection. All files are kept in the playroom in a locked cupboard. The policy on late collection of children and lost children was in place. When completed for Page 6
Empowering service users, encouraging life style choices Children experience a wide range of activities which assist with their emotional, physical, creative, intellectual and language development. Activities are planned on a monthly basis and are theme based. The activities provided on the day of inspection were varied and included all areas of learning. Separate areas were in place including a shop, reading corner, house corner, a castle which the children had made following the castle theme and a messy area. During the session outdoor play was encouraged. Wet weather gear is provided to enable the children to play outside in all weather. As learning opportunities children are taken on visits to the castle, post office and the supermarket. When completed for Page 7
Quality of care A policy on behaviour management was in place and staff had all attended training in this area. They were alert to instances of bullying and the children were encouraged to report such instances. All staff had appropriate First Aid certificates and a First Aid box was available in the kitchen area. The premises were seen to be clean and in good decorative order. Any medication administered was said to be recorded and the medication stored appropriately. Emergency consents were included on the child s file. The Meithrin had achieved the Caerphilly Healthy Eating award and children brought into playgroup a healthy snack. During the summer months a jug of water is available for the children to pour their own drinks. Children sat at tables in four groups with a member of staff sitting with each group. A small fridge is available in the kitchen area and all staff members hold Food Hygiene certificates. When completed for Page 8
Staffing The Meithrin is managed by a voluntary committee. Staff members have the opportunity and are encouraged to attend training courses. Certificates are kept on individual staff files. Five members of staff are employed all with a Level 3 qualification in Childcare. All CRB s were in place. Annual appraisals take place and regular supervision meetings are held. All staff members have been in the group for some time with the playleader having 29 years experience. When completed for Page 9
Conduct and management of the service The Meithrin make the most of the space and the resources they have in order to meet the children s needs effectively. Planning takes into account the age and ability of the children and of the time of the year. Themes are followed and recently the theme of the castle included a visit to Caerphilly Castle and making a paper mache castle. There is a playleader and four Level 3 qualified staff. An active committee are involved in all aspects of the group and are responsible for the updating of policies and procedures and the implementation of new policies. They always ensure that the CSSIW is informed of any changes within the group. An equal opportunities policy was in place. The Meithrin held valid public liability insurance with Aviva which was due for renewal 13 September 2011. When completed for Page 10
Complaints, protection and other significant events The Meithrin had a written complaints procedure which was available to parents. This included reference to local resolution and a timescale in which to investigate a complaint. No complaints had ever been received for the group. A Child Protection policy which was linked into the arrangements of the Local Safeguarding Children s Board was in place and all staff members had attended Child Protection training. When completed for Page 11
The physical environment Access is gained to the premises through two gates, which are secured after the children have entered, and a locked door the building. A gate is across the playroom door for added security. The premises consist of two large playrooms and an outside enclosed play area. A kitchen area is at the end of one of the playrooms. A fire blanket was installed on the wall. Toilets are accessed through the hallway and children are always accompanied. Furniture, equipment and toys suitable for the age and stage of the development of the children were seen to be provided. The building met all the safety requirements and it was stated that the fire service regularly visit. Fire drills are practised and recorded appropriately. Children cannot leave the premises unsupervised. Risk assessments have been carried out in all areas. When completed for Page 12
A note on CSSIW s inspection and report process: This report has been compiled following an inspection of the service undertaken by Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) under the provisions of the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 and the Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Regulations 2010. The primary focus of the report is to comment on the quality of life and quality of care experienced by service users. The report contains information on how we inspect and what we find. It is divided into distinct parts mirroring the broad areas of the National Minimum Standards. CSSIW inspectors are authorised to enter and inspect regulated services at any time. Inspection enables CSSIW to satisfy itself that continued registration is justified. It also ensures compliance with: Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 and associated Regulations whilst taking into account the National Minimum Standards The service s own statement of purpose. At inspection, CSSIW tries to capture the views and experiences of service users by means of questionnaires for the parents/carers and any staff, engagement with children who use the setting as well as information drawn from the provider s own self-assessment. At any other time, visits may also be made to services to investigate complaints and to respond to any changes in the service. Readers must be aware that a CSSIW report is intended to reflect the findings of the inspector at a specific period in time. Readers should not conclude that the circumstances of the service are the same at all times. The registered provider / responsible individual is responsible for ensuring that the service operates in a way which complies with the regulations. CSSIW will comment in the general text of the inspection report on their compliance. For those regulations which CSSIW believes to be key in bringing about change in the particular service, they will be separately and clearly identified in the requirement section. As well as listing these key requirements from the current inspection, requirements made by CSSIW since the last inspection which have been met and those which remain outstanding, are included in this report. The reader should note that requirements made in the last inspection report which are not listed as outstanding have been met. Where key requirements have been identified, the provider is required under Regulation 18 of the Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Regulations 2010 (Compliance Notification) to advise the appropriate regional office in writing of the of any action required by CSSIW. The regulated service is also responsible for having in place a clear, effective and fair complaints procedure which promotes local resolution between the parties in a swift and satisfactory manner, wherever possible. The inspection report will include a summary of the numbers of complaints dealt with locally and their outcome. Page 13
CSSIW may also be involved in the investigation of a complaint and where this is the case makes a summary of the complaint available to the public. CSSIW will also include within the inspection report a summary of any matters it has been involved in together with any action they have taken. Should you have concerns about anything arising from the inspector s findings, you may discuss these with CSSIW or with the provider. Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales is required to make reports on registered facilities available to the public. The reports are public documents and will be available on the website: www.cssiw.org.uk Page 14