K & A Childminding Child Minding Type of inspection: Announced (short notice) Inspection completed on: 19 April 2017 Service provided by: Neil, Pamela Service provider number: SP2013985585 Care service number: CS2013322979
The service 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 registered with the Care Inspectorate on 1 May 2014. This is a childminding service and Pamela Neil operates the service from the family home in the town of Beith, North Ayrshire. The childminder is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 16, 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. On the day of the inspection one child was present. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following a short notice announced inspection that took place on Wednesday 19 April 2017 between the hours of 1.45pm and 3.15pm. We gave feedback to the childminder on the same day. During this inspection, we spoke to the childminder and the child present, and we took account of the comments of two parents. We observed the care given by the childminder, and looked at a number of documents, including health and safety records, personal plans and policies. We also inspected the areas of the home and garden that were used for childminding purposes. We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child (also known as GIRFEC). Scotland's national approach to improving outcomes and wellbeing for children, by offering the right help at the right time from the right people. It supports them and their parent(s), to work with the services that can help them. There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of getting it right for every child: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. Views of people using the service The child present during the inspection was settled and confident in the childminding environment. They could choose from a wide range of age appropriate toys and games. We saw that the childminder had maintained suitable play equipment for a variety of age groups. Children attend on a flexible basis and from the childminder's documentation we found that parents were, overall, very satisfied with the quality of the service. Self assessment The Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self-assessment from the childminder. The provider told us how the parents and children had taken part in the self-assessment process, and how their feedback directed the development of the plans for improving the service. page 2 of 10
The provider identified what they thought the service did well. We discussed with the childminder about identifying some key areas that she believes can be improved and including in her self-assessment how the service intends to do this. During discussion with the childminder, she indicated that she would continue to encourage feedback from parents and children through appropriate questionnaires and verbal discussions to positively influence the quality of the service. What the service did well The childminder had maintained positive, supportive relationships with the children and the families who currently use the service. The childminder had provided children with good learning experiences. They had a good range of play equipment to choose from and could make suggestions about activities, and influence the quality of the service. Parents had a variety of opportunities to express their views and the childminder used these to develop informative, individualised care plans about how she provided care and support to the children. Personal plans had been further developed in line with the wellbeing indicators. Since the last inspection on 27 April 2016, the small rear garden had been fully enclosed with wooden fencing to support children's safety. The area was mainly laid in stones and the childminder had provided safety matting for use over the stones to allow children to use outdoor play equipment. The decking area was not currently in use due to minor maintenance work being required. What the service could do better The garden to the side and front of the property continued to be unsuitable for children to play on and the childminder told us this was not currently in use as any further work required approval from the local authority before it could be carried out. The childminder told us that she continued to ensure children have wider outdoor play experiences by visiting local amenities, including parks. We discussed with the childminder that some general maintenance of the front and side garden would improve the appearance for families using the service. page 3 of 10
From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of environment Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 4 - Good 4 - Good not assessed 4 - Good Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection The childminder had continued to provide good opportunities for families to be involved in the development of the service and in making decisions about the child's care and support. She had used this information to develop a personal care plan for each child, which she reviewed regularly, and within the required six months timescale. We found that children were included as active participants. Parents currently using the service were, overall, happy with the care and support provided by the childminder. One parent commented "I think Pamela is a fantastic childminder". Parents confirmed that the childminder involved them and their child by speaking directly to them, messaging them and asked the children about their likes and dislikes. The childminder knew the children well and she had gathered required, and some additional, 'All about Me' information for the child's personal folder. In the personal plan, she took account of parents preferences about diet and personal care routines to maintain continuity for the children. To support children's progress, the plans reflected the national best practice wellbeing indicators. We found that the childminder had national good practice guidance in relation to food and nutrition, including allergen information. At the previous inspection on 27 April 2016 we had recommended that the childminder should improve how she supported children's hand washing practice. At this inspection, we found that the childminder had made improvements and provided a poster in the toilet as well as disposable paper towels and a hands free soap dispenser. We found that the childminder had a good understanding of child protection issues and was clear about her role and responsibilities. She used practical measures to keep children safe and healthy in her day-to-day work. For example, she excluded children with infectious illness for prescribed periods. Parents had completed consent forms for activities and outings and the childminder took account of information from parents about children's preferences, daily routines and rest times. This meant that the children had safe spaces to rest and play. We felt that the children's, health, welfare and physical activity were effectively supported by the childminder and the children were happy, confident and secure with her. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 page 4 of 10
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 4 - good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We found that the areas of the childminder's home environment, that were used for childminding, were warm and welcoming for children attending the service. There was a good range of toys and resources available. We found these to be in good condition, safely stored and accessible and appropriate for the children's individual age and stage of development. To keep her home safe, we found that the childminder had a range of safety measures in place and maintained risk assessments for her home, garden and outings. She had a daily safety checklist and policies in place for cleaning and infection control. The service had been inspected by the food safety officer and no actions had been identified. Although the house was safe and secure, we discussed with the childminder about making best use of space to ensure there was enough space for the children to play, including putting away outdoor play equipment and other household items during childminding hours. She had a friendly, well-behaved pet dog, two cats and a rabbit. The rabbit cage was located outside on the decking area. This area was not currently being used as some maintenance work was required. The childminder used the local parks to ensure children had regular access to outdoor play and physical activities. Photographs showing the children playing in the park enjoying games and working with natural materials confirmed this. They were able to explore their local environment and have access to fresh air and exercise. To support children's safety, the childminder had suitable risk assessments for outings and had signed consent forms from parents. Her policy and procedure for taking children on outings, took account of safety requirements. At the previous inspection on 27 April 2016 we had made a requirement that the rear and side garden should not be used until improvements had been carried out and made safe for children to access. At this inspection, we found that the rear garden had been improved. It had been fenced and laid in chips that were covered in safety matting when the children went outside to play. The childminder informed us that the side and front garden was not used by the children and the side garden was used solely for the family dog. The childminder indicated she wished to apply for a variation to her registration certificate to add a condition that the side and front garden would not be used by the children. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 page 5 of 10
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 4 - good Quality of staffing This quality theme was not assessed. Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection We awarded a grade of 4 - good for the areas we looked at in this quality theme. We found that the childminder had updated her knowledge of childminding topics by reading materials produced by the Care Inspectorate; contact with local authority support officers and access to materials produced by the Scottish Childminding Association. She had the current best practice guidance produced for children's care services including 'Setting the Table' and 'Building the Ambition'. These documents provide the most current approaches to supporting children's development and promoting good nutrition. We suggested that she should continue to use these to further develop her policies and procedures. To help keep children safe, the childminder had completed first aid training, child protection, the wellbeing indicators and personal plans. She had also attended training on risk benefit to help children build resilience and manage hazards. The childminder had updated and submitted her self-assessment to the Care Inspectorate prior to the inspection and we discussed with her about including areas of her service that she wanted to improve and how she would do this. We found that the childminder had provided families with her complaints procedure that indicated her desire to resolve problematic issues at an early stage. Overall, we felt that the childminder provided appropriate opportunities for children and families to give feedback and make suggestions for improving the service. She also demonstrated her willingness to work on the areas requiring improvement detailed throughout this report, to develop and improve the service for children and their families. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 page 6 of 10
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 4 - good What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at or since the last inspection Previous requirements Requirement 1 In meeting this requirement, families using the service can be confident that children will experience good quality support and care in safe environment. Within three months from the publication of this report the service must: a) improve the rear and side areas of the garden to ensure they are safe for children to play; and b) ensure the childminder is physically present to supervise children when they are using the front garden. Regulation 4(1)(a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/210) A provider must make proper provision for the health, welfare and safety of service users. This requirement was made on 11 May 2016. Action taken on previous requirement The rear garden has been improved and we have reported on this under quality theme 2 - Quality of environment. The large concrete platform at the front/side of the property has been removed by the local authority. However, this area of the garden has been left with a large sloping, uneven surface and is not yet fit for children to play on safely. The childminder has decided to apply for a variation to add a condition preventing use of this area of the garden. The childminder stated that she does not allow the children to access the front garden unless she is physically present. Risk assessments are in place to support her practice and children's safety. Met - outwith timescales page 7 of 10
What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at or since the last inspection Previous recommendations Recommendation 1 To support children's health and wellbeing the childminder should actively promote good hand washing practice and healthy eating. National Care Standards for early education and childcare up to the age of 16 - Standard 3: Health and wellbeing. This recommendation was made on 11 May 2016. Action taken on previous recommendation The childminder had provided a hands free soap dispenser, paper towels, a bin and a poster to promote good hand washing practice. We have reported on this under quality theme 1 - Quality of care and support. Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com. Enforcement No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection. page 8 of 10
Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 27 Apr 2016 Announced (short notice) Care and support 4 - Good Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership 4 - Good 13 May 2015 Announced (short notice) Care and support 4 - Good Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership 3 - Adequate page 9 of 10
To find out more This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website. Care services in Scotland cannot operate unless they are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect, award grades and help services to improve. We also investigate complaints about care services and can 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. You can also read more about our work online at www.careinspectorate.com Contact us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com 0345 600 9527 Find us on Facebook Twitter: @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 cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 10 of 10