Bonny Kinder Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 22 November 2017 Service provided by: Ruth Johnston and Amy Johnston a partnership trading as Bonny Kinder Service provider number: SP2015012507 Care service number: CS2015338078
The service Introduction This childminding service is provided by Ruth Johnston and Amy Johnston, a partnership trading as Bonny Kinder. The service registered with the Care Inspectorate on 9 October 2015 to provide a care service to 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. The numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. Minded children cannot be cared for by persons other than those named on the registration certificate. Overnight care will not be provided and Amy Johnston will work together with Ruth Johnston at all times. The service is provided from the childminders' home in the Pollok area of Glasgow. The service is close to local shops, parks and amenities. The areas used to provide the service are the living room, family toilet and kitchen. Children have access to an enclosed garden to the rear of the property. The childminders' aims include: 'Our constant aim is to provide a safe, happy and fun learning environment for all the children in our care and we hope you feel able to approach us at any time about the care of your child.' What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection which took place on Wednesday 22 November 2017 between 12:00-14:30 and 15:30-17:30. The inspection was carried out by one Care Inspectorate early years inspector and feedback was given to the childminders on the day of the inspection. During the inspection process, we chatted with the childminders, five minded children and two parents/carers. We observed interactions and assessed the quality of children's experiences. We looked at relevant documents relating to three quality themes - health and wellbeing, the environment and management and leadership. We considered the service's: - aims and objectives - certificate of registration - a range of policies and procedures including medication, safe sleeping and child protection - personal plans and individual records held on each child - health and safety risk assessments and hygiene and infection controls - public liability insurance certificate - training certificates for courses that the childminders had undertaken. 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. page 2 of 11
Views of people using the service During the inspection, we observed and chatted with five minded children aged two years to 10 years. We observed that the children appeared happy and settled in the childminders' care. Children confidently told us about activities they enjoyed and how they were learning to keep safe. Children's comments included: 'I like playing with the 'EMIDO' (construction toy) as I believe it helps my creativity. If you run around the sofa you might hurt yourself, so we made house rules to keep us safe. I helped to make drawings and I like to plan. I like to talk to my friends and Ruth and Amy always listen to me and help me if I have had a bad day a school.' 'I like playing cards and we can choose any toys out the boxes. Today I'm Ruth's best helper.' 'Look there is a squirrel on the garden fence. That is a fat squirrel. I think it ate all the chestnuts.' We spoke to one parent and one carer at collection time. They both praised the level of care and support their children and family received and welcomed the introduction of WhatsApp to share and receive information about their child's day. We received four care standards questionnaires from parents prior to this inspection. These showed that the parents overall agreed they were happy with the quality of care their child received at this service. Parents' comments included: 'This being my second childminder, I am so happy I found Bonny Kinder. My children settled very well and enjoy attending. They make each child feel important and like part of the family.' 'There is a good balance of indoor and outdoor activities. Good use of local resources such as park and regular visits to playgroups.' 'Amy and Ruth seek opinions on any changes/improvements they make. As an example the outdoor play available in the back garden and the very popular house there.' 'My son has attended Ruth's since he was 18 months. He has developed so much since then in his social skills and learning. I believe that this is due to Ruth supporting the values and boundaries that we promote as a family unit. Ruth has a good understanding of my son's development needs.' 'Ruth and Amy provide a nurturing caring safe place for my son to be when he is in their care. I am more than happy with their service.' Self assessment The childminders identified what they thought the service did well and gave examples of improvements in health and wellbeing, environment and management. The self assessment identified areas that the childminders believe can be improved and showed how the service intends to do this. The childminders told us how the parents and children's views were considered in the self assessment process. page 3 of 11
What the service did well The childminders knew the individual needs of children very well and had developed positive relationships with children and their families. They provided a flexible service to meet the needs of working parents. The childminders had worked hard to meet five recommendations identified in the last inspection. This had a positive impact on outcomes for children and the service as a whole. What the service could do better The service should continue to record actions taken to reduce hazards identified on a day-to-day basis. We directed the childminders to current best practice guidance available on The Hub section of the Care Inspectorate website and other media to support their professional development and practice. 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 childminders worked very well as a team and were observed to be calm and consistent in their approach. We saw positive relationships were formed between children and their families. Parents confirmed our findings, they told us about friendships their children had made and praised the welcoming homely environment. We saw an inclusive approach was adopted and observed all children happily playing together in a variety of child led activities. The childminders demonstrated that they knew the individual needs of children very well. They responded in a caring and sensitive manner when meeting the health, wellbeing and emotional needs of children in their care. We saw children received lots of cuddles, praise and reassurance throughout the inspection. The childminders had continued to develop personal plans for each child, using the SCMA guidance and paperwork. We noted that information was sought, from parents and, when required, other agencies, to help them tailor the planned care and support to meet the needs of individual children. In addition, all about me records and developmental assessments were routinely recorded and updated with parents to support the continuity of care. page 4 of 11
The childminders spoke about GIRFEC and shared their intentions to further track and record each child's progress using the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators. This was to further strengthen links with home and enable parents to be fully involved in their child's development and learning. We found that the childminders had reviewed the storage and administration of medication recording procedures, in line with current best practice guidance. Relevant information was therefore well documented in each child's personal plan and the childminders spoke confidently about how they supported children with specific health and medical needs. Following discussion with the childminders and parents, the childminders agreed to further review the recording of long-term medication that can be stored within the service. We observed that the childminders were very caring and responsive when comforting children who appeared tired. They provided cuddles, comforters, space and sleep mats to enable younger children to sleep or relax throughout the day. The childminders explained that they had organised in-house training from the Scottish Cot Death Trust. This had resulted in improvements to service policy, practice, resources and outcomes for children. Children washed their hands on arrival and routinely washed their hands throughout the day. They had developed good hand hygiene practices and techniques which were embedded within the service. Healthy snack options were provided. Children attending after school clearly enjoyed sitting at the table chatting about their day with the childminders and younger children. A child protection policy was in place and was reviewed with parents. Relevant documentation including accidents/incidents and records of concern were maintained in personal plans in line with local and national guidance. The childminders had completed Safe and Secure child protection training and clearly described their roles and responsibilities to safeguard and protect children from harm. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 4 - good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We saw that the childminders' house was clean, bright and well-maintained. They were very aware of hygiene and infection controls and clearly described actions taken to reduce the risks of cross contamination to maintain a safe and hygienic environment. page 5 of 11
We noted that the childminders had changed the layout of furnishings within the living room. This had created additional floor space for children to extend their play and enabled them to independently access resources of their choice. We noted that this had a positive impact on outcomes for children. We saw children had space to create a large model of a house using construction toys, which stimulated their imagination. The childminders respected and valued children's work and in this instance had agreed to keep their model intact to enable them to extend their play the following day. This supported the nurturing, inclusive and homely environment observed. We noted that older children had homework support and the large table provided a space for them to complete their work without distraction. Younger children had opportunities to attend playgroups and had access to the well-maintained garden throughout the day to support their physical development. The childminders demonstrated a good understanding of maintaining a safe environment for minded children. They recorded generic risk assessments and explained that they carried out visual checks of the premises and any outings to maximise children's safety inside and outside the home. Older children told us they felt safe in the childminders' home and had enjoyed playing outdoors in the large garden and play house. They explained how they were learning to keep safe in a variety of settings, including road safety whilst walking to and from school, when attending playgroups, traveling on public transport and when on outings and day trips. We noted that risk assessment recording systems were yet to be fully embedded to meaningfully track actions taken when actual risks were identified on a day-to-day basis, to ensure a safe environment for children when on outings and using public transport. This was a recommendation identified in the last inspection report which remains current. (See recommendation 1) Daily attendance registers were completed effectively showing the times children arrived and left the service. Relevant information was displayed including the service's certificate of registration and public liability insurance certificate. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The childminders should put in place risk assessment recording and monitoring systems to ensure the safety of children in their care. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 2 - A Safe Environment. Grade: 4 - good page 6 of 11
Quality of staffing This quality theme was not assessed. Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection The childminders explained that communication systems had improved. They felt that in addition to daily chats the WhatsApp group had provided more opportunities for parents to provide feedback about the quality of service. Following discussion, the childminders shared their intentions to involve parents in developing a WhatsApp policy to review internet security. We also noted that questionnaires were routinely issued to seek the views of children and parents. We saw children's questionnaires were routinely completed using visual aids to help younger children express their needs, interests, likes and dislikes. We found that parents and children's suggestions and feedback were effectively taken forward. For example, taking forward a parent's request for their child to attend playgroup to develop social skills. The childminders demonstrated their commitment to their continued professional development. They had identified their training needs and had participated in a range of local and national training events relevant to their role. This included organising Scottish Cot Death Trust training for local childminders. This was the second inspection of this childminding service. We found that the childminders had successfully used the service's action plan to meet five of the six recommendations identified in the last inspection report dated 6 December 2016. The childminders explained that they were accessing The Hub section of the Care Inspectorate website and were aware of the learning and development resources available including: Your Childminding Journey, My Childminding Experience, Space to Grow and My World Outdoors. They explained that they are currently taking time to read and discuss how best to take forward their learning journey to meaningfully inform their practice and outcomes for children and families. We noted that the childminders provided a flexible service to meet the needs of working parents. This included both childminders working independently during school pick ups. We noted that this was contrary to their conditions of registration and agreed that a variation to remove condition 4 should be submitted to us to reflect their current provision. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 4 - good page 7 of 11
What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at or since the last inspection Previous requirements There are no outstanding requirements. What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at or since the last inspection Previous recommendations Recommendation 1 Children's health, wellbeing and safety needs should be effectively recorded in their individual personal plan and regularly reviewed with parents to plan appropriate support and track when changes to their needs are identified. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 3 - Health and Wellbeing. This recommendation is met. Personal plans provided detailed information to support and track children's needs, progress and achievements. Recommendation 2 The childminders should ensure effective medication systems support the health needs of individual children in line with the current best practice guidance, Management of medication in daycare of children and childminding services, available on the Care Inspectorate website. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 3 - Health and Wellbeing This recommendation is met. Administration and storage of medication procedures were implemented effectively in line with current best practice guidance. Recommendation 3 The childminders should develop robust safe sleeping practices and resources to ensure children and young babies who require a sleep throughout the day are protected in line with current best practice guidance available from the Scottish Cot Death Trust. page 8 of 11
National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 3 - Health and Wellbeing. This recommendation is met. The childminders had attended Scottish Cot Death Trust training. Safe sleeping policies and procedures were reviewed in line with best practice guidance and new resources were purchased to ensure the safety of sleeping children. Recommendation 4 The childminders should put in place risk assessment recording and monitoring systems to ensure appropriate measures are in place to reduce hazards identified on a day-to-day basis and ensure the safety of children in their care. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 2 - A Safe Environment. This recommendation is continued. See Quality of environment. Recommendation 5 The childminders should seek current best practice guidance and training relevant to their roles and responsibilities. This should include annual child protection training and Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) training to improve practice and promote positive outcomes for children and families. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 14 - Well-managed Service. This recommendation is met. The childminders had attended Safe and Secure child protection training organised by the Scottish Childminding Association and had purchased their paperwork to record records of concern. They had used their learning to assess and track the health, wellbeing and safety needs of each child using the SHANARRI indicators to support each child. Recommendation 6 The childminders should establish effective quality assurance systems to support improved outcomes for individual children and families and the service as a whole. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 14 - Well-managed Service. This recommendation is met. The childminders had used the action plan following the last inspection as a tool to support improvement. They were in the process of assessing future improvements in line with current best practice guidance available on the Care Inspectorate website and other media. page 9 of 11
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. Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 6 Dec 2016 Unannounced Care and support 3 - Adequate Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership 3 - Adequate page 10 of 11
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 11 of 11