Mummy Day Care Childminding Service Dundee Inspection completed on 10 June 2016
Service provided by: Gardner, Denise Service provider number: SP2010977193 Care service number: CS2010237774 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 15
1 Introduction The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com The Care Inspectorate is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all children receiving a care service. We want to ensure they have the best start in life, are ready to succeed and live longer, healthier lives. We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it right for every child (also known as GIRFEC). Set up by Scottish Government, GIRFEC is a national approach to working in a consistent way with all children and young people. It is underpinned by the principles of prevention and early intervention. The approach helps services focus on what makes a positive difference for children and young people - and what they can do to improve. Getting it right for every child is being woven into all policy, practice, strategy and legislation that affect children, young people and their families. There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of Getting it right for every child. They are: safe; healthy; achieving; nurtured; active; respected; responsible; and included. They are often referred to as the SHANARRI indicators. We use these indicators at inspection, to assess how services are making a positive difference for children. This service was previously registered with the Care Commission and transferred its registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011. The childminding service is known as 'Mummy Day Care Childminding Service.' Denise Gardner 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 will be provided at the address detailed in the notice granting registration. Overnight service will not be provided. The parts of the premises not to be used are all upstairs rooms. Childminder inspection report page 3 of 15
The childminding service is provided from the family home, a semi-detached house with an enclosed rear garden. The childminder makes use of the sitting room and a kitchen/dining room. There is a downstairs toilet. The service's aims are to: - Provide a happy, safe, warm and stimulating environment for all children and babies to play, learn and develop freely. - Work in a positive relationship with parents and carers. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection by a Care Inspectorate inspector which took place on Friday 10 June 2016 between 12.10pm and 2.50 pm. At the end of the inspection we gave feedback to the childminder. As part of the inspection, we took account of the completed annual return and self-assessment forms that we asked the childminder to complete and submit to us. During the inspection process, we gathered evidence from various sources, including the following: - discussion with the childminder and minded child - observation of the childminder and her interactions with the minded child - inspection of the premises and some equipment page 4 of 15
We looked at policies, procedures and other documents including: - personal plans and relevant information for the minded children - photographs of the minded children involved in activities and experiences - observation records - childminder's daily diary - child protection policy - medication policy and administration record - infection control policy - risk assessments - accident and incident records Views of people using the service There was one minded child aged four years old present during the inspection visit. He was relaxed and confident around the childminder and the childminding environment. He happily chatted with the childminder and the inspector during the inspection, sharing his thoughts on the service. He told us "I wear sandals in the park." 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. Every year all care services must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate. The Care Inspectorate received a completed self-assessment document from the provider. We were satisfied with the way the provider completed this and with the relevant information included under each heading that we grade the services under. What the service did well The childminder had built close relationships with the children and families who used her service. We observed the childminder to be caring and nurturing towards the child present, creating a warm, homely environment. Children had lots of opportunities to develop their own play outdoors and to actively explore nature in planting and growing activities. page 5 of 15
What the service could do better The childminder should now carry out a formal six monthly review of children's personal plans with parents and record the date of this review. The childminder should continue to access a variety of training opportunities to further enhance her knowledge and skills in meeting children's needs and developing her service. 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 We found the service to be providing very good care and support. The childminder told us of the different opportunities both formally and informally that children and parents had to assess the service. This included conversations to share day-to-day information, text messages and questionnaires. This ensured that parents were kept informed and included in their child's care and routines and regularly encouraged to provide feedback on service provision. It was clear from our observations, that the childminder and the minded child present during the inspection had developed a confident and trusting relationship. The childminder was nurturing, attentive and responsive to the child's needs and interests encouraging and praising him appropriately throughout our visit. page 6 of 15
We observed positive interactions between the childminder and the child that encouraged and supported him to share his views and make decisions about what he wanted to play with. The child was happy to chat with us during the inspection and share his thoughts and views about the service. He played happily with a range of age appropriate activities and toys throughout the inspection visit choosing what and where he played with them within the room. The childminder discussed the personal plans that she had for each child. Information recorded resulted in the childminder having an overview of specific information about the children's individual needs which helped her support the children in her care. Written observations helped the childminder assess the children's development and progress at the service. The childminder had a display in the kitchen based on the principles of Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC). We discussed the benefits of reflecting the principles in the children's pans and how this would support the childminder in recording specific goals or areas of development that both she and the parents had identified. We reminded the childminder that personal plans should be reviewed with parents at least every six months as is detailed in legislation. (Please see Recommendation 1) The childminder demonstrated a clear understanding of child protection. She gave an example of what would concern her and the action she would take to report any concerns. The childminder told us that she had not undertaken any child protection in the last four years and we advised accessing a refresher course to update her knowledge. We asked the childminder to update her child protection policy by including the contact details for the local child protection team. There was an appropriate system in place for the storage and administration of medication within the childminding service. We asked the childminder to update the medication policy by adding in what action would be taken if a child refused or spat out medication. We also asked her to update the administration of medication record by recording the last time medication was given to the child before they came into the service. page 7 of 15
Healthy lifestyles were encouraged within the service. The parents provided packed lunches for the children and the childminder provided snacks, taking into consideration the likes/dislikes of the children and nutritional guidance. The childminder told us that the child was very keen on 'juicing.' The child was very enthusiastic about the topic and shared with us the different fruit/vegetable 'juicing' combinations he had tried and what he would like to try next. Grade The quality of care and support is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The childminder should ensure that children's plans are reviewed with children and parents, at least every 6 months, to continue to meet children's needs, in accordance with legislation. The plans should be dated on review or update. National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the Age of 16, Standard 3: Health and wellbeing. page 8 of 15
4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We found the childminder's home to be a welcoming, friendly and smoke free environment for the minded children. The childminder discussed her daily and weekly cleaning chores which took place before the children attended the service and helped her keep the environment clean, tidy and safe. The childminder provided a variety of age appropriate toys and resources which were of interest to the children. The minded child confidently chose what he wanted to play with from a selection of resources he had helped bring into the room when he returned from nursery. We saw that the childminder responded sensitively to the child and knew the child's personality, needs and preferences. There was a fully enclosed back garden where the children enjoyed playing on the outdoor toys. They also had been involved in planting strawberries and had a small greenhouse to help the berries grow. The minded child told us about all the other plants that they were hoping to grow during the summer holiday. The childminder demonstrated an understanding of risk assessing. She recognised the benefits of continuing to review risk assessments for areas used within the home, garden and outings at regular intervals to reflect children's on-going development and level of understanding. This practice demonstrated how she continued to keep children safe and included. We asked the childminder to include the new family puppy in the risk assessments. On the day of the inspection the childminder received a visit from an environmental health officer in relation to her food provider application. The officer arranged to conduct her inspection visit at a later date so the childminder could concentrate on our inspection. page 9 of 15
The childminder was aware of the importance of appropriate infection control methods being in place. She confirmed that she wore disposable aprons and gloves when nappy changing or dealing with bodily fluids. We were told toys were regularly washed and checked for damage. The childminder explained the procedures she had in place to promote good hygiene and safe working practices regarding the family pet within the childminding service. Accidents and incidents were recorded by the childminder and signed by the parents to confirm they had been informed by the childminder of what had happened and any treatment the child had received. Grade The quality of environment is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 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 to be managing her service well. The childminder was a member of the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) and received information from them via emails, newsletters, forums and magazines to keep her knowledge of best practice and legislation updated. She also received the Care Inspectorate, Care News which provided up to date information. We discussed the Care Inspectorate 'Hub' which can be accessed for best practice guidance and legislation. page 10 of 15
The childminder discussed her difficulties in accessing training as she worked fulltime and had family commitments in the evenings. We talked about the various methods of training delivery and the benefits to the childminder's practice, knowledge and outcomes for children by accessing quality training. We encouraged the childminder to access first aid training and child protection as she planned. (Please see Recommendation 1) Parents and children were routinely involved in helping to evaluate the service both formally and informally. Service questionnaires we looked at were very positive and parents spoke highly of the childminder and service provision. Policies and procedures were regularly reviewed to ensure that they continued to follow best practice guidance and remained relevant to the service. The childminder had a clear complaints policy in place. This was shared with parents when they started using her service and informed them they could contact the Care Inspectorate if they had a concern or complaint about the childminder or her service. page 11 of 15
Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 4 - Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 1 1. The childminder should continue to access a variety of training opportunities to help enhance her knowledge, develop her skills and support the children in her care. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, Standard 14: Well-managed service. 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 1. The childminder should continue to seek the views of parents and children who use her service on all aspects of their care and learning. She should use this information to provide evidence of evaluation across the whole of her service. National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the Age of 16, Standard 13: Improving the service. This recommendation was made on The childminder seeks informal and formal feedback from parents and children through daily chats and service questionnaires and evaluation sheets. National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the Age of 16, Standard 13: Improving the service. 2. The childminder should continue developing her written information to demonstrate the link between which activities are undertaken by children and how they link to the child's personal development. National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the Age of 16, Standard 13: Improving the service. This recommendation was made on 04 September 2012 page 13 of 15
the childminder has continued to develop the children's plans. She undertakes observations of the children which are recorded and identifies how she can further support development and progress. 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 None noted. 11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 4 Sep 2012 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good Not Assessed 27 May 2011 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - 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