McMillan, Sharon Child Minding Type of inspection: Announced (short notice) Inspection completed on: 22 August 2017 Service provided by: Service provider number: SP2004917475 Care service number: CS2004073214
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 Mrs McMillan was previously registered with the Care Commission and her registration was transferred to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011. Mrs McMillan is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of six children 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. Mrs McMillan provides a childminding service from her home in Polmont. The premises are well located for local amenities including parks, schools and nurseries. Mrs McMillan currently provides a childminding service for eight children ages ranging from 10 months to eight years. Children attend on a variety of part time and out of school placements. There were two children ages two and six years present during our inspection visit. The main aims of the service include: To provide childcare in a family setting for children aged from 6 months to 16 years To create a warm, caring and relaxed environment with stimulating activities To establish positive relationships with parents and children A full statement of aims and objectives are available from the service on request. 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. page 2 of 11
What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following a short notice inspection. The inspection took place on Tuesday 22 August 2017 between 09:30 and 12:00. The inspection was carried out by a Care Inspectorate Early Learning and Childcare Inspector. As part of the inspection, we took account of the completed annual return that we asked the childminder to complete and submit to us. We sent three care standards questionnaires to the childminder to distribute to parents. We received one completed questionnaire before writing this report. During this inspection process, we spoke to the childminder and the children in her care. We considered the experiences and activities available to children. We looked at some policies, procedures and records that gave some indication of how the childminder managed her service and planned to meet the individual needs of children in her care. We considered how the childminder promoted positive outcomes for children linked to the Shanarri wellbeing indicators (safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included). Views of people using the service There were two children ages two and six present during our inspection. Both children were relaxed, confident and happy in the setting. They played well with a variety of toys and equipment including dolls, dolls house and drawing materials. The older child told us some of the things they liked to do at the service, commenting: "I like to go to the shops and cafes and the library and all around the world!" "I like playing mums and dads." "I've been doing my spelling and practising it." We received one completed care standards questionnaire from a family using the service. Parents strongly agreed that they were overall happy with the quality of care and support their children received. They indicated a high level of satisfaction across all aspects of the service including the quality of relationships, communication and the range of experiences and activities for children. Comments included: "Sharon offers many stimulating and varied activities to my child when in her care. Some of the many pastimes she involves my child in are library visits, arts and crafts, reading and visits to play parks. She also has other children in her care which, because of the respectful environment she has fostered in her house, play and interact with my child in ways which greatly benefit her socially." We include further views and comments within this report where relevant. page 3 of 11
Self assessment The childminder did not submit an up to date self-assessment before this inspection. We advised the childminder to continue to update her self-assessment and to respond to future requests for this information as this is an important part of evaluating her own service and planning for improvement. What the service did well The childminder provided a flexible childminding service for families in the community. She had created a warm, caring and nurturing environment for children in her care. She provided a wide range of activities to support their all-round learning and development. Children were confident, happy and relaxed in the setting. They were learning skills to be safe and healthy and enjoyed lots of outdoor and community activities. What the service could do better The childminder should aim to keep her skills and knowledge up to date with current childcare practice, for example, through training or other learning opportunities. The childminder should consider ways that she can use current good practice documents to help her evaluate her service, make improvements and show how this benefits children and families. The childminder should further develop how she records and reviews children's personal plans. 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 We found that the quality of care and support was good. In questionnaires, parents confirmed that the childminder asked for their views and involved them in planning and reviewing children's care needs. This enabled them to work together to the benefit of children, ensuring that their needs were being met. Comments included: "Sharon has involved me in shaping activities she provides to my child by finding out more about her hobbies and personal interests. This has allowed her to tailor the care she provides to my child as an individual." The childminder knew the children in her care well. She explained how she planned to meet their individual needs and the outcomes achieved. For example, she was supporting children with literacy and numeracy skills, helping to build their confidence in different situations and encouraging them through developmental stages such as toilet training. This contributed positively to children being nurtured, respected and achieving new skills. page 4 of 11
The childminder recorded some evidence of children's progress and experiences in their personal plans however this was not always up to date. We discussed how she could improve how she recorded personal plans and reviews; for example, building information about needs and routines in an 'all about me' format for settling in, agreeing any areas for support with parents and then reviewing and recording progress and outcomes at least every six months. She could link photographs of children's experiences to the wellbeing indicators and describe the benefits and outcomes. The childminder planned a good range of activities and experiences within daily and weekly routines to support children to be safe, healthy and active. For example, children were developing skills to keep safe through learning about road and personal safety. They told us how they would get out of the house in an emergency and practised this with the childminder. They explained that they "hold hands" and "look and listen" before crossing the road. Children also enjoyed physical activities, for instance, making use of the school grounds and parks to develop their physical skills and benefiting from the fresh air and exercise. Children participated in community activities such as music and rhyme time at the library. This supported them to be included, to develop social skills with their peers and further encouraged speech and language development. Throughout our visit, children were relaxed and confident in their relationship with the childminder. The childminder was responsive to their needs and provided a warm and nurturing environment. She encouraged children to share where appropriate and to be kind to each other. As a result, children were learning to develop positive relationships with others which contributed to them being respected and responsible. The childminder was aware of her responsibilities in relation to child protection and had procedures in place to follow if required. She had appropriate systems in place for management of medication and for recording any accidents or incidents. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 4 - good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We found that the quality of the environment was good. In questionnaires, parents gave positive feedback about the quality of the environment, activities and resources available to their child. They strongly agreed that the environment was safe, comfortable and stimulating. They thought that the childminder made good use of the community to further extend the range and quality of children's experiences. Comments included: page 5 of 11
"At no time, when in Sharon's care, do I feel my child is exposed to anything less than a clean, safe, mentally stimulating and emotionally nurturing environment. She has personally invested a great deal of financial resources to provide high quality toys and equipment to aid the development and happiness of the children in her care." We found that children were cared for in safe, comfortable and homely surroundings. The childminder made good use of the space in her home to meet children's needs and to provide a range of activities suited to their interests and stages. We saw for example, children enjoying role play with the baby dolls, where one was mixing up the bricks "making baby food." Children also engaged well in colouring in and drawing at the dining table. This area was also used for snacks and mealtimes which afforded children opportunities to develop their social and independent skills. Children had access to a fully enclosed garden area with a good range of outdoor play equipment and experiences. Here, they were able to develop physical skills and co-ordination as well as use the play house for role and imaginative play. The childminder advised that the hut was being moved and a new summerhouse was being built in the garden. As a result, children were not able to use the garden at present however visits to parks and other community facilities still afforded plenty of opportunities for outdoor active play. For example, children told us that they liked "running and jumping" to keep healthy and active. They said that they enjoyed "climbing on the big net that spins at the park." The childminder carried out risk assessments for her home and garden. She put measures in place to reduce risks where possible, for example she had carbon monoxide and smoke detectors in place as well as a fire blanket. We advised that the childminder should now carry out risk assessments for trips and outings and detail the measures in place to keep children safe. The childminder had policies and procedures in place to help control the risk of infection, for instance, care of sick children and hygiene practice. Children told us that they had to wash their hands and knew when and why this was important. They were therefore learning skills to keep themselves safe and healthy. The childminder advised that she was building storage which would provide space for children to store their belongings. We sign posted the childminder to a range of current good practice documents that could help her to continue to develop her environment and resources for children. References: Building the Ambition - available at www.hub.careinspectorate.com Loose Parts Play - available at www.inspiringscotland.org.uk My World Outdoors - available at www.hub.careinspectorate.com www.theimaginationtree.com Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 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 We found that the quality of management and leadership was good. In questionnaires, parents gave positive feedback about the way in which the childminder managed her childminding service, including the quality of communication and relationships that had been established. They were aware of relevant policies and procedures, including complaints and advised that they felt able to approach the childminder to discuss and resolve any issues if required. Comments included: "Communication is of paramount importance to Sharon and we regularly talk in an open manner which allows me to be fully aware of how my child has spent her time whilst in Sharon's care. She has, from the first day as my childminder, made sure that our relationship is one of honest communication and professionalism." The childminder routinely checked with children and parents that they were happy with the service and involved them in planning their care. For example, with younger children she used daily diaries to share and gather information about needs and routines where appropriate. Parents had also given very positive written feedback about how the service was benefiting their children, for example, by providing a stable and caring environment and a range of activities that supported their development. We discussed how the childminder could further develop her systems for evaluating her service against standards and good practice guidance; for example, using the wellbeing indicators and Building the Ambition to help her to consider what is working well and how she could improve where appropriate. The childminder had a good range of policies and procedures in place to help her manage her service in a professional way. We agreed however that these should be reviewed regularly and updated where necessary, for instance, reflecting the regulator as the Care Inspectorate. The childminder had appropriate insurance in place to cover her childminding business. The childminder held a current First Aid certificate and had completed child protection training in the past. She had some relevant reading materials however could continue to look at these and think about how these can inform on-going development of her service. We also sign posted the childminder to the hub website where she can find a range of current good practice documents. We encouraged her to become more familiar and up to date with current childcare frameworks. She should keep a record of her continuous professional development (training and other learning, such as e-learning and reading) and show how she uses this in practice to benefit children. The childminder should download and display an up to date certificate of registration. References: A Guide to Getting it Right for Every Child - available at www.hub.careinspectorate.com page 7 of 11
How good is our early learning and childcare - (self-evaluation document) Available at www.education.gov.scot National Health and Social Care Standards - available at www.scot.gov.uk Childminding Pathways Document - will be available in due course Requirements Number of requirements: 0 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 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 Mrs McMillan should further develop personal planning records for each child to show that she is effectively meeting their health, welfare and safety needs. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 3 - Health and wellbeing, Standard 14 - Well-managed service This recommendation was made on 19 September 2013. page 8 of 11
Action taken on previous recommendation Mrs McMillan had developed files that showed some of children's experiences and some plans and progress reports. However we discussed how these should be kept up to date and how to link these to the wellbeing indicators. Refer to Quality of Care and Support. Recommendation 2 Mrs McMillan should use the most recent guidance: Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare settings (Daycare and Childminding settings) March 2011 to set up an appropriate cleaning schedule for the service. National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 2 - A safe environment This recommendation was made on 19 September 2013. Action taken on previous recommendation Mrs McMillan had some records of cleaning and maintenance in place, including routine toy cleaning. 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 19 Sep 2013 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership Not assessed 28 May 2013 Re-grade Care and support Not assessed Environment Not assessed Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed page 9 of 11
Date Type Gradings 15 Mar 2012 Re-grade Care and support Not assessed Environment Not assessed Staffing 1 - Unsatisfactory Management and leadership Not assessed 5 Mar 2010 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Environment Not assessed Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed 18 Feb 2009 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership Not assessed 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