Little Rabbit Child Minding Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 14 August 2017 Service provided by: Malgorzata Kowalik trading as Little Rabbit Service provider number: SP2010981039 Care service number: CS2010279617
The service Introduction This service is provided from the lower level of the childminder's town house, which is situated within the Braehead village, located within the town of Renfrew. The location of the service supports anyone wishing to travel by bus as the estate sits between two main roads. The childminder has been registered with the Care Inspectorate since 8 February 2012. Current registration enables the childminder to care for a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 16 years; no more than three of these children will not yet be attending primary school, and no more than one of these three will be under 12 months of age. The numbers are inclusive of the childminder's own family members. Additional conditions on the childminder's registration certificate include: - Only the person named on the certificate may care for the children - Overnight care will not be provided. The service's aims included: - offering a safe, secure and friendly environment - providing opportunities for children to enjoy fresh air, exercise and visits to local amenities - opportunities for parents to be included in self-evaluation processes. What we did during our inspection We compiled this report following an unannounced inspection that took place between 9:20am and 11:20am on Monday 14 August 2017. The inspection was undertaken by a Care Inspectorate Early Years Inspector. During the inspection visit we spoke with the childminder and the minded children that were present. We observed the environment and the care given by the childminder. We also looked at a number of relevant documents associated with the children that she was caring for and the service being provided. 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 parents 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. Views of people using the service The childminder confirmed that there were three families using the service. However, at the time of the inspection visit the childminder was only caring for two children from the one family. One of the children was too young to communicate their feelings verbally, however, this child was observed, in the main, to be content. The second child, a sibling to the first, was older and therefore able to speak to us; this child told us that they had enjoyed coming to the childminding service over the last few weeks. We sent three care standards questionnaires to the childminder to distribute to the parents in advance of our inspection visit however, only one of these was returned. page 2 of 9
The responses confirmed the following: - the family was happy with the level of communication in relation to their child - fresh food was provided, in line with the child's dietary and cultural needs - local amenities were used to support the child accessing a range of experiences - the family were happy with the environment and the range of resources accessible. Self assessment The Care Inspectorate received a completed self-assessment from the childminder. The childminder identified what she thought she did well. The document also told us how the parents had been given opportunities to take part in self-assessment processes. The childminder should continue to build on this. What the service did well It was clear that although the childminder hadn't been caring for the children who were present at the inspection for long, they had settled well. The children appeared happy overall, and very relaxed which led us to conclude that, in the main, they felt safe and secure. What the service could do better The childminder should continue to evaluate all aspects of service delivery and consider how improvements identified will be taken forward. In addition, and as relevant, children and parents should continue to be included in this process. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of environment Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership not assessed Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection Observations confirmed that the childminder, overall, had established a positive relationship with the minded children, although more so with the older child than the younger one, as he often turned to his sibling throughout the inspection for support. The childminder was confident that their relationship would flourish once the older children were back at school. We noted that the childminder had detailed personal information regarding the eldest sibling, but not the youngest, although we acknowledge that she did appear to have a good knowledge of some of the information that we would be looking for. page 3 of 9
We discussed the need to keep, maintain and update certain information in line with current legislation. This childminder felt that this had been an oversight. (See requirement 1 below). The childminder used a range of methods to communicate with parents such as; speaking to them as they arrived to drop their children off or collect them, by phone, email and through the use of photographs. We noted that there was consent in place from parents who didn't mind their children's photographs being on social media, and the childminder told us how she made use of facebook to show daily activities, in addition to forwarding photos. However, the childminder was not registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO is the UK's independent public body, set up to promote access to official information and protect personal information. It also enforces and oversees the Data Protection Act. The childminder should contact them and register the service should she continue to take and use photographic images as she currently does. (See recommendation 1 below). We noted from our observations, that particularly the eldest minded child, could influence what they wanted to play with. The childminder had a cupboard, full of age appropriate resources, in the lounge area, located downstairs where the children were being cared for. This meant that resources could be accessed easily. The childminder knew the importance of promoting healthy living and healthy lifestyles with the children. She spoke about talking to them about safety issues and the importance of encouraging them to access fresh air regularly. We could see from both the self-assessment submitted to us, and from viewing the childminder's facebook page, that the children had participated in a range of activities to support this such as: - strawberry picking - gardening days - baking - welly waddles, arranged through the local childminding group - visits to playgroups where children had the opportunity to meet with bodies such as the police. We noted that it had been a while since the childminder had undertaken child protection training. We suggest that the childminder revisit this again at the earliest opportunity so that she is very clear about the procedures that she would follow in the event of concerns arising. In addition, we noted that the childminder's first aid certificate had expired; she agreed to source and attend another course. Attending training relating to both of these topics will enhance children's safety further. Requirements Number of requirements: 1 1. The childminder must maintain records in line with the publication, "Records childminding services must keep and guidance on notification reporting". This is in order to comply with The Regulation of Care (Requirements as to Care Services) (Scotland), Regulations 2002 (SSI 2002/114), Regulation 19(1)(a-d) In addition, the childminder must prepare a written plan detailing how each service user's health, welfare and/or safety needs are to be met. These plans, must be reviewed at least once within every 6 months, or more often where appropriate. page 4 of 9
This is in order to comply with The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI20011/210) - regulation 5 Timescale for implementation: within 28 days from the date on which the service user first received the service Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The childminder should contact and register the childminding service with the ICO. NCS Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 years, Standard 14: Well-managed Service Grade: 4 - good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The childminder confirmed that she undertook daily visual checks to ensure that she was providing a safe and hygienic environment. The questionnaire completed and returned to us by the parent confirmed that they agreed that the childminder's home was safe, secure, hygienic and smoke-free, with a pleasant and stimulating environment and this concurred with our findings at the inspection visit. The only suggestion that we made was to site the fire blanket on the wall, as this way it would be more effective if the need arose to pull it out of the original container; the childminder agreed to do this. The parent also told us throughout the questionnaire that the childminder provided a suitable range of equipment, toys and materials for their child and that activities were varied. Examples included; spending time outdoors in the better weather in parks, playgrounds and the garden and participating more in craft activities in poorer weather. This demonstrated that children had access to a wide range of experiences to extend their learning both indoors and out. Providing regular outdoor experiences enables the children to explore and be creative without being constrained; they can play and work at their own pace without pressure. We have sent electronic copies of the best practice documents, "My World Outdoors" and "Loose Parts Play" to further support creativity outdoors, while taking the wellbeing indicators associated with the Scottish Government programme, "Getting it right for every child" into consideration. The childminder told us how being a member of the local childminding group was advantageous for the children, as in addition to extending their learning opportunities further, they also got to meet other local children. The childminder herself told us how she used previous qualifications and experience to promote creativity within this group. While the childminder had registered the service as a food business with the local authority, she had yet to advise them of her recent move; she agreed to do this. In addition, the childminder agreed to confirm in writing that there was no expectation regarding written records as, to date, she had not been maintaining any. page 5 of 9
Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 4 - good Quality of staffing This quality theme was not assessed. Quality of management and leadership Findings from the inspection The childminder told us that she felt that being part of the local childminding group was advantageous as this was a good support network. She confirmed that she had a close working relationship with one of the other childminders who lived in close proximity to her and that this is who she would use in the event of an emergency situation. We reminded the childminder that this would only be in the event of a real emergency and that prior to any situations arising, this should be discussed and agreed in writing with parents. In addition, we suggested that parents also be introduced to this person; the childminder agreed. We noted that the childminder had undertaken a range of training courses since receiving her last inspection and concluded that she used her learning to enhance children's experiences. Training opportunities included: - Numbers all around - Potential of a Puddle - Natural Creativity - Child Safety in the Home and Garden. A range of publications had been sourced both from the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA). In addition, some national guidance and best practice documents, such as; Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings (Daycare and Childminding Settings) and Building the Ambition had also been sourced to inform practice. The childminder had begun to involve children and parents in self-evaluation processes through use of questionnaires. She should continue with this practice, extending it where relevant, to cover all aspects of service delivery. We noted that the childminder held public liability insurance through SCMA. It was agreed that a copy of the childminder's car insurance certificate would be sent to the Care Inspectorate as this was not available for viewing. To date we have not received this. page 6 of 9
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 The childminder should continue to develop the range of ways that she involves children and their parents in assessing and improving the quality of the service. This recommendation was made on 20 January 2014. Action taken on previous recommendation The childminder had introduced the use of a questionnaire and told us how she spoke with parents regularly to ensure that they were happy with the service delivery. We were satisfied that overall, this recommendation had been met. However, consideration should be given to continuing this process, to include both children and parents in assessing and improving all aspects of service delivery. Recommendation 2 The childminder should carry out and record comprehensive risk assessments for the premises and outings. This recommendation was made on 20 February 2014. page 7 of 9
Action taken on previous recommendation The childminder had moved home and had undertaken a risk to assess the potential risks within her new home. We were satisfied that overall this recommendation had been made. We have however, asked the childminder to site the fire-blanket on the kitchen wall so that it can be accessed more effective should the need arise. 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 20 Jan 2014 Unannounced Care and support Environment Staffing Management and leadership Not assessed page 8 of 9
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 9 of 9