Bodys, Gillian Cumnock Inspection completed on 31 March 2016
Service provided by: Bodys, Gillian Service provider number: SP2011982854 Care service number: CS2011300995 Inspection Type: Announced (Short Notice) 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 This service was registered with the Care Inspectorate on 6 December 2011. 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 is a childminding service and Gillian Bodys operates the service from the family home in the village of Auchinleck, East 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. Other conditions are: Janet Cairney is employed as an assistant; Overnight care will not be provided; and Only those named on certificate can care for children. page 3 of 15
The service principally aims to provide: "A warm caring friendly setting for children to grow and develop safely and feel valued and respected." What we did during our inspection We wrote this report after an unannounced inspection that took place between 9:45am and 11:45am on Thursday 31 March 2016. One child aged under two years and one child of three years were present during the inspection. As part of the inspection, we took account of the completed annual return and self-assessment that we asked the provider to complete and submit to us. We looked at: - the relevant sections of policies, procedures, records and other documents - parents comments in the Care Standards questionnaires - evidence from the service's most recent self-assessment - photographs of children engaged in a range of activities and outings - registration and insurance certificates - records for individual children - the parents' information documents. We also: - examined the childminder's home, toys and play equipment - observed the childminder working with the children - talked to the childminder and the children - communicated with parents via text. Views of people using the service We talked with the childminder and observed the her caring for the two young children who were present during our inspection visit. We sent out three Care Standards questionnaires to the service to give to families and three fully completed questionnaires were returned to us. page 4 of 15
We communicated with two parents by text and we have included parents' comments within this report. We saw that the young children present were happy and settled in the childminder's home. The childminder effectively met the children's needs and had developed a friendly, caring relationship with them. The children had access to a good range of play equipment appropriate for their ages and stages of development and they engaged the childminder in their play. 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. The childminder had completed the self-assessment with some relevant information for each of the quality themes that we grade. We asked the childminder to focus on outcomes for children using the wellbeing indicators from the national programme 'Getting it Right for Every Child' (GIRFEC) Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included. The childminder identified what she thought she did well and where they had made changes within the service. She told us how the children and families who used the service had taken part in the self-assessment process. What the service did well The childminder demonstrated she was committed to providing good quality child-centred care to help children to grow and develop. She had developed positive relationships with the children and their families. We found that the children enjoyed a variety of activities and play experiences in a nurturing environment. Parents could influence the quality of the service in a variety of ways and the childminder worked effectively in partnership with parents to support children's health and wellbeing. page 5 of 15
What the service could do better We did not make any requirements or recommendations at this inspection. We made some suggestions about how the service could continue to improve. These included; recording more individualised information in the personal plans, recording training and self-study for the childminder's assistant, recording daily attendance on a single format and reviewing risk assessments. 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 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good 3 Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection We graded the service 5 - very good in the areas we sampled under this quality statement. We decided this after we looked at the children's personal plans policies and other relevant documentation. We observed the childminder with the children and reviewed parents' comments and views. We found that the childminder consulted with parents/carers and children regularly and acted upon their views. She had planned activities and experiences around the children's interests. These included outings to local parks, woodland walks and visiting early years settings. She worked flexibly with parents/carers in supporting families and meeting children's needs. Examples included, meeting children's diet needs, independence skills, personal care and sleeping. page 6 of 15
We found that children received consistent care routines, positive stimulation and regular opportunities for different play experiences including outdoor play and quiet activities indoors. We also found that children received appropriate protection, care and guidance from the childminder and her assistant. During our visit we saw that the childminder ensured the children's individual needs were sensitively attended to including personal care, settling in, eating and drinking. We saw that the children present had formed a close relationship with the childminder and her family and they were settled and confident in the childminding environment. The childminder offered appropriate praise, encouragement, warmth and affection. The children showed enjoyment when the childminder's husband visited the playroom to say hello. Parents highly valued the childminder's service. They felt involved and confirmed consistent routines were planned for the children. In our questionnaires they told us: "We always discuss the best ways to care for my child, we meet and review the information about my child regularly". "I always pass on any new information and Gillian uses it within [the children's] personal files". "I am kept up to date via newsletters, text messages, and verbal chats". Parents had completed consent forms for activities and outings and the childminder had an effective policy and procedure for dealing with child protection concerns. She maintained records to support children's health and wellbeing. The childminder demonstrated good knowledge of infection control measures including when to use disposable gloves and aprons. We discussed the importance of consistency in encouraging young children to participate in hand washing after toileting and before eating. We found that the childminder had developed individual personal plans for each child that were planned for review six monthly. We discussed how she could further develop her service by detailing the individual support she provided for children while linking the personal plans to the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators to involve parents in the national approach. page 7 of 15
Grade The quality of care and support is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 4 Quality of environment Findings from the inspection We graded the service 5 - very good for the areas we sampled under this quality theme. We decided this after we looked at the areas of the home and garden used for childminding purposes, talked to the childminder and observed how she used the space to meet children's needs, reviewed parents' comments and looked at health and safety documentation. The childminder told us that she always made sure that her home was safe, clean and tidy for the start of each day and carried out visual safety checks, which she recorded. We found that the environment was clean, safe and well maintained. The childminder had a range of risk assessments including a detailed risk assessment for the building work being carried out on her house. We suggested that the childminder review her risk assessments for outings and other activities in line with the one she had carried out for the building work as it had more detail regarding hazards and actions taken to keep children safe. We also informed the childminder of the Care Inspectorate statement on risk assessment and risk benefit that is available on the Care Inspectorate information 'Hub'. The house was well organised during the building work to provide children with safe spaces to play. The garden was not currently being used until work was completed; however, the childminder took the children to local outdoor play spaces regularly. We found that the childminder used local resources well to page 8 of 15
provide the children with opportunities to be curious and to explore their environment. The childminding environment included a playroom for the children and the childminder had created a warm, caring, safe environment for them. This included, comfortable seating and a good range of accessible play resources that promoted their confidence and independence. On the day of our visit we saw the children enjoying playing with stacking toys, blocks, dolls, play food and a wooden dolls house. They involved the childminder in their play and happily chatted to us and showed us their favourite toys. Parents confirmed that their children could play safely indoors and outdoors and visit local amenities and groups. In our questionnaires they told us: "The children love the activities, trips to the park is a favourite, the book bug at the library and soft play are a big hit". "They love the picnics and outings to Dumfries House and also the company of Gillian within her home." "I feel that Gillian's home is more than suitable and safe for my children to be looked after". "The home is always clean and all toys are safe to play with". Grade The quality of environment is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 page 9 of 15
5 Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. Findings from the inspection We graded the service 5 - very good for the areas we sampled under this quality theme. We decided this after we talked to the childminder, looked at records of training and other documentation and reviewed parent's comments. The childminder's mother is named on the certificate of registration as an assistant and all required background checks had been completed for her including Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme membership (PVG). This demonstrated that the childminder understood her role in protecting children from harm and promoting their wellbeing. The childminding assistant was not present during our inspection; however, the childminder told us that her assistant had regular contact with the children, though not every day. Her input was mainly assisting with outings and collecting children from nursery and school. The childminder talked knowledgeably about how her assistant effectively contributed to providing children with the appropriate support and activities for their age and stage of development. She told us that she kept her assistant upto-date regularly with any changes to her policies and procedures, any training she had attended and any changes to individual children's needs. This effectively contributed to providing children with consistent care and support. We discussed keeping a record of any information, guidance or training that the childminder had attended and had provided for her assistant. This would provide assurance for parents that the childminder monitored her staff's practice in line with current guidance and best practice. The childminder and parents' comments confirmed that the childminding assistant had developed a friendly, caring relationship with the children. Parents comments included: "Gillian's mum is sometimes present when my children are there and they both love her company and we were all introduced to her previously". page 10 of 15
"Gillian's mum sometimes assists, the children are very comfortable around her". We are confident the childminder's assistant plays an important role in the service and that the children's wellbeing is well supported through consistent care routines. Grade The quality of staffing is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection We graded the service 5 - very good for the areas we sampled under this quality theme. We also considered the examples of her practice reported under each of the quality headings in this report. The childminder consulted regularly with service users about service quality and performance, and acted upon their views, including children's health, care arrangements, outings and interests. The methods for involving parents included discussions between the childminder and parents/carers, reviewing personal plans, questionnaires and discussions with children. This meant that children's ideas were respected and they were involved in choosing activities. Parents were happy with how the childminder met their child's needs. In the service questionnaires, one parent had commented "I go to my work knowing that [child] is loved and cared for in a home from home environment". Another parent had commented "The level of communication is high I'm updated on a daily basis". To support her practice the childminder had accessed training for the national page 11 of 15
children's nutritional guidance 'Setting the Table'. She had also completed training on personal plans, safe sleeping, child protection, speech and language. She talked knowledgeably about ways the training had improved how she met children's needs; for example, using the national GIRFEC model for children's personal plans to support children's wellbeing. The childminder told us that she was due to update her first aid certificate and planned to include her assistant in this. The childminder told us that she was committed to further training opportunities and becoming familiar with national best practice guidance, for example, 'Building the Ambition'. The childminder received updates from local authority support officers and is a member of the Scottish Childminding Association. We discussed how she could access the Care Inspectorate information 'Hub' to help keep her up-to-date with current best practice guidance and national approaches to care services for children. The childminder had maintained an individual daily attendance register for each child. To improve her practice and provide assurance for families, we discussed keeping a daily service register that recorded how she was maintaining her conditions of registration. Overall, we found that the childminder provided very good quality care and learning experiences for children. She was committed to further improving her service through self evaluation and providing opportunities for parents and children to influence the quality of the service. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 5 - Very Good 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 1. The provider must ensure that conditions of registration are maintained at all times. This is in order to comply with: The Scottish Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011: 78 (3) (b) Failure to comply. Timescale for implementation: On receipt of this letter. This requirement was made on 18 March 2015 We have reported on this requirement under quality theme 4 - Quality of management and leadership. Met - Within Timescales 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. page 13 of 15
9 Enforcements No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection 10 Other issues No other issues identified. 11 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 14 Feb 2013 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 4 - Good Not Assessed 4 - Good Not Assessed 5 Dec 2012 Re-grade Care and support Not Assessed Environment Not Assessed Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership Not Assessed 27 Apr 2012 Announced (Short Notice) Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership 4 - Good 5 - Very 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 This report is available in other languages and formats on request. Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is c?nain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 15 of 15