Helen's Childminding Service Aberdeen Inspection completed on 29 July 2015
Service provided by: Ford, Helen Service provider number: SP2014985863 Care service number: CS2014325440 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 14
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 service registered with the Care Inspectorate on 8 July 2014. Recommendations and Requirements Childminder inspection report If we are concerned about some aspect of a service, or think it could do more to improve, we may make a recommendation or requirement. Mrs Helen Ford, referred to as the childminder throughout this report, provides her childminding service from her home in the Cove Bay area of Aberdeen, which is close to local amenities and public transport routes. The areas of her home used for childminding purposes are the lounge/bar area, conservatory, upstairs WC and supervised access to the kitchen. Children had access to a garden at the rear of the property. To provide a care service to a maximum of 6 children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom no more than 3 are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than 1 is under 12 months. Numbers are inclusive of children of the childminder's family. The Care Inspectorate is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all children receiving a care service. We want to ensure that 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' (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 young people and their families. page 3 of 14
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. What we did during our inspection We wrote this report following a short notice inspection that took place on 29 July 2015 at 13:00. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector. Feedback was given to the childminder on the same day. During this inspection process we gathered evidence from various sources, including the following: - discussion with the childminder - observations of five children who were present during the visit. We considered the service's: - aims and objectives - certificate of registration - the service's public liability insurance - range of policies and procedures - personal plans and individual records - risk assessments - certificates for courses that the childminder had undertaken. We issued six Care Standards Questionnaires and received two completed questionnaires from parents. We took the findings from the above into account for the purpose of reporting. page 4 of 14
Views of people using the service The children talked confidently to us and clearly felt at home in the service. We saw that they had developed very good relationships with the childminder, and her own children who were also present. The children were able to choose what they did at the service. We received two completed Care Standards questionnaires from parents. These indicated that the parents were happy with the service provided. Both parents strongly agreed that they were overall happy with the care their child received in the service. Comments from parents included: "I feel Helen gives my child the help, encouragement, and support he needs. She has gone on a course to help with his development and progress. Helen has been very supportive to us as parent's." 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 Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self assessment from the childminder. We were satisfied with the way she completed this and with the relevant information included for each heading we grade services under. page 5 of 14
What the service did well The childminder had created very good opportunities for parent's/carers and children to be involved in the service. She had introduced an electronic system which encouraged parents/carers to contribute to the service provided to their children. This included providing information on their child's routine, likes/ dislikes, family background, and medical information etc. This information gathered, plus additional information for example - activities the children had participated in, their achievements, their goals, etc was available to parents daily, and was updated by the childminder in most cases daily. What the service could do better The childminder should continue to build on her existing very good practice. 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 5 - Very Good page 6 of 14
3 Quality of care and support Childminder inspection report Findings from the inspection The childminder provided a very good level of care and support to children and their families. We assessed this through looking at how the childminder provided positive outcomes for children using the SHANARRI indicators. These outcomes were developed by the Scottish Government, and further information on SHANARRI can be found at: www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/ People/Young-People/gettingitright. The childminder told us about the ways she gathered information about minded children and that the information was regularly reviewed and updated in line with legislation. She informed new parents about her service and shared her policies and procedures with them. Children's care routines were discussed along with relevant information to meet the children's needs which was recorded such as dietary requirements and allergies. A settling in process was in place and the childminder worked with parents to ensure that their child was happy and settled in her care. The childminder described the ways she used the information given by parents about their child to ensure there was a link between home and her service. The childminder had purchased and established an electronic system which allowed parents daily access to all information and records of their child's time at the service. This included the child's personal care routine for any day they had attended, as well as all activities and outings they had participated in. Parents could make suggestions and comments through this electronic system. The regular use of the system by both the parents and childminder, ensured all concerned had the most up to date information, allowing the childminder to meet the child's needs while in her care. page 7 of 14
During our visit we observed the childminder to be a caring, knowledgeable person who was committed to providing children with a wide range of experiences to help their all-round development. She regularly involved parents and children in the ongoing development of the service, through a variety of formal and informal processes. Partnership with parents and children was clearly imbedded in her daily practice. Throughout the inspection we observed the childminder to use praise and encouragement when working with the minded children. She provided them with reassurance, cuddles, and also redirected the play when required. We could see that the childminder had developed a strong, caring bond with minded children. The childminder told us that she welcomed feedback from parents and expressed a willingness to act on any suggestions for improvement. She also encouraged the children to express their views and have a say in how they would like to spend their time, or any improvements she could make. She used a 'post-it' note system to encourage older children to make suggestions, or the most recent suggestions children had asked to go on specific outings. Procedures were in place to enable the childminder to administer any medication supplied by parents. Written consent was required prior to any medication being given, and the childminder's policy reflected current best practice guidance. Again the eform system in use enabled parents to inform the childminder of any changes to a child's medical requirements or health issues. The childminder told us that she felt confident in her ability to keep children safe. She was able to tell us the action she would take if she had any concerns about a child and who she would contact. She had undertaken child protection training. This meant she was confident about the action to take in the event of any incidents or concerns. The childminder told us that she routinely talked to the children about their responsibility in keeping themselves safe, for example, road safety, always cross at the zebra crossing. The child present told us: "we stop at the road and watch for cars." page 8 of 14
The childminder also confirmed that she ensured children were aware of keeping themselves healthy by washing their hands at appropriate times, for example, before snacks. She also confirmed she wore 'Personal Protective Equipment' when dealing with bodily fluids. 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 The childminder's home was comfortable with a home-from-home environment for the children attending her service. She carried out a daily visual risk assessment to ensure the areas of her home and garden used for childminding purposes were clean, and free of hazards before minded children arrived. The childminder also carried out recorded, risk assessments before going on outings with the children. This helped to ensure the children were cared for in a safe environment which was well maintained. The childminder had a wide range of age appropriate resources to meet the children's needs. This ensured that the children had a wide and varied range of play opportunities. The rear garden was fully secure and also very well resourced with a range of equipment for children of all ages. The children were very comfortable and appeared to have everything they needed throughout. We found the childminder made good use of the space she had available. The living room was used as the main play area for children. The childminder had a range of age appropriate toys for the children to play with. There was adequate floor space for the children to move around safely. page 9 of 14
Additional toys were available in the conservatory/bar area and children were able to choose from these. The conservatory area was also used to eat in as well as for arts and crafts activities. As a result we found children had access to a range of activities they were interested and engaged in. Toys and resources were clean and well maintained. The childminder used a range of systems to prevent the spread of infection, including cleaning and helping children learn about good practice hygiene and healthy life styles. The childminder had a small dog and cat, a pet policy was in place to ensure that children followed good hygiene practices, and to promote the safety of children and the family pets. Grade The quality of environment is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 Childminder inspection report 5 Quality of staffing We only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant. 6 Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection The childminder was committed to her own personal development. She was enthusiastic, motivated and took a pride in her profession. She ensured she kept her continuing professional development (CPD) up to date. page 10 of 14
Since registering as a childminder she had attended: - Getting it Right for Every Child, (GIRFEC) - an online course - Safe and Secure ROSPA; Child safety and Food Hygiene. Outcomes for children were improved as a result of training attended by the childminder. The environment the children explored indoors and out, was safer as a result of the childminder acting on knowledge gained through her first aid, child protection and food handling training courses. The way in which she approached her daily planning was also influenced by attending 'Getting it Right for Every Child' and this again improved children's experiences. The childminder was more focussed on individual needs and learning. The childminder had a broad understanding of regulatory issues and had submitted information to the Care Inspectorate when asked to do so. We discussed with the childminder the ways she kept herself informed and up to date with best practice and legislation. She told us that she received magazines from agencies such as Care Inspectorate and Scottish Childminding Association which kept her aware of any changes. She also regularly accessed the internet for new developments in the childcare sector. The childminder also involved her parents and children in reviewing her service. She had done this in a variety of ways including: questionnaires, daily diaries where appropriate, children's personal plans, and daily discussions. This ensured that children and parents were actively involved in planning and reviewing the service. Again the childminder used comments and feedback from the children and parents to improve the quality of the service. All parents through the Care Standards questionnaire - 'strongly agreed' that they were happy with the quality of care that their child or children received at the service and 'strongly agreed' that there were opportunities for them and their child to develop the service. page 11 of 14
The childminder confirmed that she held appropriate insurance policies, including motor insurance which may offer protection to both the childminder and families, in the event of any incidents. Grade The quality of management and leadership is graded 5 - Very Good Requirements Number of requirements - 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations - 0 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 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 12 of 14
9 Enforcements Childminder inspection report No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection. 10 Other issues None. 11 Inspection and grading history This service does not have any prior inspection history or grades. page 13 of 14
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 c?nain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 14 of 14