Hobby Horse Childcare Livingston Inspection completed on 21 March 2016
Service provided by: Shona MacKenzie trading as Hobby Horse Childcare Service provider number: SP2010977476 Care service number: CS2009206077 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 Childminder inspection report page 2 of 15
1 Introduction Childminder inspection report This service was registered with Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland, known as the Care Inspectorate, on 1 April 2011. Mrs MacKenzie is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 16 of whom a maximum of six will be under 12 of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. The service is located in a residential area of the town of Livingston. Mrs MacKenzie aims "To provide a reliable, high quality service for parents/ carers so that their children are in a safe, secure and happy environment. Whilst in my care all children will be offered a range of learning opportunities and experiences (both indoor and out) to enable them to develop socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically, gaining confidence, independence and skills for life." page 3 of 15
What we did during our inspection We wrote this report after an inspection visit that took place between 11.30am and 3.30pm on 21 March 2016. The childminder had submitted a selfassessment form. During the visit we spoke with the childminder and observed the care provided to the child present. Evidence was also gathered from various other sources including: - sampling of the records and files related to the Quality Statements inspected - the registration certificate and the insurance certificate - information provided to families who use the service - the parents' handbook - children's records - evaluations from parents and children - returned questionnaires from four parents - policies and procedures documents. At the end of the visit we graded the Quality Statements looked at and gave verbal feedback to the childminder. page 4 of 15
Views of people using the service We received completed questionnaires from four parents. All responses were very positive. One minded child was present during the visit. The child was too young to give her views but was relaxed and settled in the care of Mrs MacKenzie and happy to play with the toys provided. Throughout the visit Mrs MacKenzie was caring and attentive to the child's needs. 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 received a self-assessment from the service on 17 March 2016. We were satisfied with the way that Mrs Mackenzie had completed this. She provided us with full and accurate information that reflected what we saw during the inspection. What the service did well Mrs MacKenzie provides an excellent service where she knows the children in her care very well and uses this knowledge to provide suitable individualised care routines and fun activities, in liaison with the children's parent. She keeps up to date with best practice and links her policies and procedures to the National Care Standards. Mrs MacKenzie provides a clean, safe and comfortable environment. What the service could do better Mrs Mackenzie will continue to provide an excellent service. page 5 of 15
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 6 - Excellent 6 - Excellent not assessed 6 - Excellent 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection In her self-assessment, Mrs MacKenzie told us that she has an Open Door Policy: "I am approachable and open and welcome suggestions, ideas & feedback." We saw evidence of this through the range of opportunities she offers for parents to comment on and influence the care and support offered to their children. These included: - Service information supplied to parents contained statements on parental involvement, policies and procedures used by Mrs MacKenzie and invited comments. - Involvement in the development and review of policies. For example, when developing the Use of Electronic Devices, Mrs MacKenzie received and incorporated feedback from six parents. Parents told us "Emergency details forms etc... reviewed throughout the year" and "Medical and personal information... always checked and updated with any changes." - Detailed daily diaries, were completed for each pre-school child. Parents could write comments and suggestions in the diary. page 6 of 15
- Detailed newsletters informed parents about inspection visits, trips, Mrs MacKenzie's self-evaluation, training she had attended, themes that had been covered, songs that were being learnt and recipes. - A pictorial questionnaire for children had photographs of the child involved in activities. They could tick beside the photographs of the activities that they enjoyed. - Frequent daily informal contact allowed parents the opportunity to comment on the care provided. - Questionnaires, evaluation forms and a communication book, gave "opportunities to raise any changes in routine." - An informative progress report was shared with parents annually. Parents were given an opportunity to discuss this with Mrs MacKenzie. - The school age children have compiled "A Charter" which outlines their views on the service. Mrs MacKenzie told us that she offers the children a range of activities and we saw that she had created detailed individual plans for each child. These plans were developed with input from parents who told us that the childminder "... speaks to us face to face and she also sends out regular reports on how they are getting on and asks for my comments on these." Parents commented on her "Excellent verbal communication..." and noted "Shona speaks to me face to face and will also text about my girls." page 7 of 15
We saw that the child present was very relaxed and comfortable with Mrs MacKenzie who was nurturing and attentive to her needs. There was evidence that Mrs MacKenzie offered children a well-balanced, healthy diet with input from parents. Parents told us "until recently I have provided my child's meals and snacks but now that she is getting older, Shona has given her many different healthy choices. Some of her favourites have been grapes and rice cakes" and "Shona asks me to complete a snack questionnaire to ensure both me and my children are happy with the snacks she provides." We saw that Mrs MacKenzie had many photographs of the children doing activities and she told us that she shares them with the parents on a daily basis. She also keeps photo albums for their reports. Grade The quality of care and support is graded 6 - Excellent Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection Mrs MacKenzie seeks parents' feedback and involvement in assessing and improving the quality of the environment in a variety of ways. Please see 1 for additional information regarding how she does this. page 8 of 15
Mrs MacKenzie told us that she communicates with parents to ensure that she maintains consistency between the child's home and her service, for example during toilet training, managing behaviour and diet preferences. In their feedback, parents confirmed this "She sends out a regular newsletter, she asks for feedback and will also send out any relevant questionnaires." "She has done so much to make sure she knows [child] (and us) very well - this shows in her interactions we have on a weekly basis." We found the childminder's home to be well maintained, clean, tidy and smoke free. Indoors, we saw that there is plenty of space for the children to play independently or together. The living room was bright and clean and had a dining area where children could also play. In the house, Mrs MacKenzie had resources available for children of different stages and ages of development. We also saw a vast range of additional resources stored in her garage. During the last inspection Mrs MacKenzie had planned to ask parents and children for ideas to enhance the garden. We saw that she had done so and created a safe and secure environment for children. We saw evidence through photographs that she had involved the children in designing the garden, buying plants and decorations and growing their chosen plants. There was also a range of bird feeders and a bug hotel where she encouraged the children to learn about caring for wildlife. Parents told us that they are asked for involvement through talking to Mrs MacKenzie and questionnaires she gives them asking for their opinions. page 9 of 15
Mrs MacKenzie told us that she adheres to local and national guidelines such as: - National Care Standards - Safer Food Better Business (FSA) - Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings (Day Care and Childminding Settings (NHS and HPS) - Environmental Health Guidelines and - Cooksafe (FSA). We saw evidence that she was knowledgeable of best practice. We also saw that she undertakes regular risk assessments of her home and any outdoor area she visits with the children for activities. Parents told us that they strongly agree that Mrs MacKenzie makes good use of resources in the community by taking their children on outings to various parks, the duck pond, woods, library, football pitches, tennis court and basketball court on a daily basis, regardless of the weather. Mrs MacKenzie told us that there has been four accidents and no incidents in the last year. Grade The quality of environment is graded 6 - Excellent Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 page 10 of 15
5 Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. Childminder inspection report 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection Mrs MacKenzie was knowledgeable about best practice, the Curriculum for Excellence, the Children's Charter and Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). She told us that she relates her practice to Scottish Government national guidance such as Building the Ambition and we saw evidence of this in the way that she links play and learning. We saw from her reviewed and updated policies and procedures that Mrs MacKenzie was skilled at integrating recommendations from such guidance into her practice. We saw certificates that evidenced that Mrs MacKenzie had achieved an Introduction to Psychology by online learning. Certificate E-Learning, personal reading online, articles, items She told us that she also keeps her knowledge updated by reading articles, E- Learning, news items and networking with other childminders and out of school carers. We saw that the parents' information booklet advised parents of how to complain to Mrs MacKenzie and also to the Care Inspectorate. page 11 of 15
Mrs MacKenzie undertakes a quarterly service and self-evaluation, evidencing that she is a reflective practitioner. In order to achieve this, she obtains feedback from parents and children through discussions, questionnaires, daily diaries, text messages, phone calls, post it notes, "Our BIG Book" and incorporates the findings and feedback into the service and her own development plan. We saw the forms and resultant continuing personal development plan. We saw that Mrs MacKenzie keeps up to date accurate records of attendance, start date and personal plans for each child in her care. She had also submitted a full self-assessment and her annual return. Areas for improvement: In order to continue her own development, Mrs MacKenzie has explored Open University courses and childcare courses offered by a local college. Additionally, in order to keep herself informed of current best practice, she is considering volunteering for two hours a week in a local nursery class. We support these areas for her own development. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 6 - Excellent Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 page 12 of 15
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 There were no other issues identified during the inspection. page 13 of 15
11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings Childminder inspection report 14 Mar 2012 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 6 - Excellent 5 - Very Good Not Assessed Not Assessed 13 Jul 2010 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good Not Assessed page 14 of 15
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 cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 15 of 15