lesley jankowski and helen thomson dundee

Childminder inspection report

Lesley Jankowski and HelenThomsonDundee

Inspection report for Lesley Jankowski and Helen ThomsonInspection completed on 07 January 2016

Service provided by: Lesley Jankowski and Helen Thomson

Service provider number: SP2007964947

Care service number: CS2007149855

Inspection Type: Unannounced

Care services in Scotland, including childminders, cannot operate unlessthey are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect, award gradesand set out improvements that must be made. We also investigatecomplaints about care services and take action when things aren't goodenough.

Please get in touch with us if you would like more information or haveany concerns about a care service.

Contact UsCare InspectorateCompass House11 Riverside DriveDundeeDD1 4NY

[email protected]

0345 600 9527

www.careinspectorate.com

@careinspect


Inspection report for Lesley Jankowski and Helen Thomsonpage 2 of 15

1 IntroductionLesley Jankowski and Helen Thomson are a mother and daughter childmindingpartnership who operate their service from Lesley's home in central BroughtyFerry. The conditions of their registration allow them to look after up to sixchildren under the age of 12, no more than three of whom will be not yetattending school. These numbers include children of their immediate family.

The service operates from Lesley's home, a pleasant detached house inBroughty Ferry. The premises include a dedicated play room and a pleasantenclosed back garden for outdoor play.

In their statement of aims and objectives, the childminders say that they aim toprovide a professional, reliable service to care for and educate the children intheir trust.

Four children currently use the service, mostly on a part-time basis. At the timeof this inspection, there were two primary school aged children present, whoconfidently contributed to our discussions about the service.

What we did during our inspectionWe compiled this report following an unannounced inspection, which took placeon 7 January 2016. As requested by us, the childminders sent us an annualreturn and a self-assessment document prior to this inspection taking place.

During this inspection:

- We observed the quality of interactions between the children present and thechildminders.- We looked at the areas of the home that were used by minded children.- We looked at the range of resources and equipment used by the children andconsidered the range of experiences available to them.- We discussed how the service was delivered with the childminders and theytold us how they organised the care needs of the children in their care.- We looked at the children's records and a range of other records keptincluding risk assessments, consent forms, the recording of accidents and theadministration of medication.



- We considered feedback from families through viewing the service'sconsultation with families using the service and feedback from the one CareInspectorate's satisfaction questionnaire that was returned.

Views of people using the serviceTwo primary school aged children were present on the day of theinspection. Both were seen to be very content, well stimulated and relaxed withboth childminders. They enjoyed the mix of free choice to determine their ownplay and the attentive care and support from the childminders. They engagedmost warmly with the children, laughing, having fun and engaging in a range ofconversations that supported children to express themselves and to feel valued.Both children took a very active part in the inspection and contributed theirpositive views openly throughout the inspection. Both children told us that theyenjoyed attending the service and we saw that they had formed very trustingand comfortable relationships with the childminders.

We looked at the results from the service's most recent parents' questionnairesand saw that the feedback had been very positive. One Care Inspectoratesatisfaction questionnaire was returned and the parent reported mostfavourably on the service, 'strongly agreeing' that they were overall happy withthe quality of care. Further comments are included in the main body of thisreport.

Self assessmentEvery year all care services complete a 'self assessment' telling us how theirservice is performing. We check to make sure this is accurate.

A fully completed self-assessment document was submitted by thechildminders. This was completed to a very good standard and gave relevantinformation for each of the Quality Themes and Statements. The childmindersidentified the strengths of the service, reflected on their practice and notedareas for further improvement. They should continue to develop their approachto self assessment, placing greater focus on outcomes for children.



What the service did wellThis childminding service continues to provide very high standards of care. Wefound both childminders to be enthusiastic, kind and caring. They were clearlyvery fond of the children in their care and most respectful to parental views andwishes. They were providing children with a safe, caring and homelyenvironment that provided them with a range of experiences and opportunities.The childminders had formed very good relationships with children and knewthem extremely well. They were attentive and demonstrated excellentunderstanding of individual need. We observed there to be excellent outcomesfor the children present.

What the service could do betterThe service needed to do very little to improve this high quality service. Theyshould continue to develop all areas of their practice, building on the highstandards found at this inspection.



2 The grades we awardedWe grade the quality of care and support, the quality of the environment andthe quality of management and leadership. If the childminder employs anassistant, we also grade the quality of staffing. In each case, we award a gradeon a scale from 1 to 6, where 1 is unsatisfactory and 6 is excellent.

Quality of care and support 6 - ExcellentQuality of environment 6 - Excellent

Quality of staffing not assessedQuality of management and leadership 6 - Excellent

3 Quality of care and supportFindings from the inspectionWe found the service had an excellent performance in this area. We concludedthis after we observed interaction with the minded children, spoke with thechildminders and reviewed relevant documentation. We also spoke to theprimary school aged children present during the inspection and consideredfeedback from one parent who returned a Care Inspectorate satisfactionquestionnaire.

We found that this was a relaxed, caring and homely service that met families'needs very well. The childminders had wound down their service and were notplanning to take on any additional children. They continued to be fullycommitted to the four primary school aged children who used the service beforeand after school, mostly on a part-time and flexible arrangement. Two childrenattended after school on the day of this inspection visit and were seen to bemost content and confident in the setting. They clearly had excellentopportunities to make choices and determine their own play and learning. Wesaw that they had free choice of activities and resources and they confidentlytold the inspector about the range of activities that they enjoyed, including theircurrent 'favourite'.



We saw that children's contributions were valued and respected and childrenwere praised and encouraged. Both childminders had a positive and warmrapport with the children. They engaged in a relaxed manner, talking about theirday at school and encouraging them to speak to the inspector about the serviceand the activities that they enjoyed. The childminders laughed and had fun withthe children, who were clearly most settled and secure in the childminders' care.The children had formed a good friendship and were enjoying some imaginativeplay with some small world resources. The children also told us that they likedto draw and engage in some craft activities. We saw that they had excellentaccess to books and that literary and language were very well promoted. Wesaw that the children had excellent opportunities to achieve, develop skills andto relax after a busy day at school. They had formed strong and trustingrelationships with both childminders and one child told us that she 'lovedcoming here 'and 'always had fun'.

All children had individual files containing registration sheets that noted allrelevant essential information, including health and emergency contact details.This ensured that the childminders were well-informed about individual healthand well-being needs and could contact parents and relevant health workerspromptly if required. A range of information was also gathered through 'Allabout me' forms for children, which noted more detail regarding home routinesand the children's needs and preferences. We saw that the childminders knewthe children very well and gathered appropriate information to providecontinuity of care, compatible with home schedules and the wishes of parents.We saw that the children's files included evaluation questionnaires completedby the children to gather their views of the service, their preferences andsuggestions. We also found that the childminders had extended their recordingsince the last inspection and files now included some observations of thechildren and brief summaries of their progress and achievements. Thechildminders explained how recording would be further developed if caring foryounger pre-school children.



The childminders had established very good relationships with parents and usedvarious ways to communicate and keep parents involved and informed. Thisincluded; daily verbal exchange of information with parents about their childrenand the service when they dropped off and collected their children, and someuse of satisfaction questionnaires. We found both childminders to beapproachable and had excellent communication skills. One parent told us in areturned questionnaire that 'Helen and Lesley know us so well now, enough toreally know our views and wishes for our child's care'.

One Care Inspectorate satisfaction questionnaire was returned and this parentreported most favourably on the service, 'strongly agreeing' that they wereoverall happy with the quality of care. They also made the following commentsabout the service;'Helen and Lesley always do their best to accommodate my child. If I need extracare they will go out of their way to help, including coming back early fromChristmas holidays. During school holidays there are various trips and outings aswell as plenty of varied indoor crafts and activities'.

We concluded that the outcomes for children using the service were excellent inrelation to this statement. The minded children present were seen to be happy,secure and settled. They interacted positively with both childminders and clearlyenjoyed their time in the setting. They received excellent levels of individualattention, care and support from the caring and respectful childminders. Thechildren were supported very well to be independent and responsible.

GradeThe quality of care and support is graded 6 - Excellent

RequirementsNumber of requirements - 0

RecommendationsNumber of recommendations - 0

4 Quality of environment



Findings from the inspectionWe graded the childminders as excellent for this theme. The home provided acomfortable, safe and welcoming environment. We viewed all areas of thehouse used by minded children and found the premises to offer childrensuitable facilities and ample space to play, rest and relax. We found the hometo be hygienic, smoke free, clean and tidy for children using the service.

We saw that the children were comfortable in the home, which was warm, well-maintained and inviting. Observation of the premises confirmed that verygood hygiene and safety standards were being met. Most play took place in theliving rooom, with the adjacent kitchen used for meals and craft activities. Thechildren used the bathroom facilities upstairs. There was a rear garden that wasnot generally used for outdoor play, with the childminders preferring to use theabundance of local resources and facilities for walks, outings and access toactive play. The childminders' home was close to Broughty Ferry beach and localparks. These regular opportunities to be active in the fresh air were conducive tochildren's health and general well-being.

There were a range of well-considered policies, procedures and recordingsystems in place in relation to maintaining a safe and healthy environment forminded children. This included a policy for pets and contact with animals thatclearly noted procedures to manage safe care and contact with the familydogs. The children clearly understood this safe practice and were able tocontribute to our conversations about good practice and hand washing.

Both childminders had attended a range of relevant training over many yearsworking in childcare which ensured that their knowledge and awareness of bestpractice guidance was current. The childminders had valid first-aid certificates,supporting them to manage any accidents and emergencies.

All equipment, toys and materials seen at the time of inspection were clean andin very good condition. The children present was seen enjoying playing with arange of age appropriate play equipment during this inspection. Resources werewell organised and readily accessible to the children enabling them to makechoices and develop their own interests.



We saw that there were suitable written risk assessments in place for thepremises. The childminders told us that they carried out daily visual checksof the home, ensuring that it was clean and safe for the children before theyarrived and at various points in the day.

We reviewed the childminders' records and saw that there had been nosignificant accidents or incidents since the last inspection. We noted that therewere appropriate systems in place for administering medication.

We saw that there was valid public liability insurance for the service.

We found that this was a homely and comfortable environment that providedsafe and welcoming facilities for minded children. Parents indicated through onereturned Care Inspectorate questionnaire that they were very satisfied with thesafety and cleanliness of the environment.

GradeThe quality of environment is graded 6 - Excellent



5 Quality of staffingWe only assess this where the childminder employs an assistant.

6 Quality of management and leadershipFindings from the inspectionWe graded the childminding service as excellent for this statement.



The childminders provided details of the informal quality assurance processeswhich supported the service. These were based on routine daily reflection of theday with the children, and routine discussion about ideas and developing thechildren's interests. We found that the childminders were conscientious andreflective, continuing to review and adapt the service to meet the children'schanging needs.

The childminders also told us about the training that they had participated in tofurther develop and update their knowledge and skills in key areas. Recenttraining had included GIRFEC (Getting it right for every child), Safe and SecureChild Protection training, Child-led planning and First-aid. Personal developmentwas also supported through self-directed learning, using information from theCare Inspectorate, SCMA and other publications to keep updated in relevantchild practice guidance and developments.

The childminders were experienced and confident in the childminding role, theywere caring and had deep understanding of children's needs. We found thatthey had established very good relationships with children and parents and sawthat both children had a positive and most comfortable rapport with bothchildminders. We found that the service was very well organised whichimpacted positively on the children's experiences.

Both childminders were aware of their responsibilities to protect the children intheir care. They had a written child protection policy that highlighted the actionsto be taken in the event of any concerns arising. This information was sharedwith parents. During our discussion the childminders were able to demonstratea strong understanding of the issues and a sensitive understanding of childrenand their holistic needs.

GradeThe quality of management and leadership is graded 6 - Excellent





7 What the service has done to meet anyrecommendations or requirements we madeat our last inspection

Previous requirements

There are no outstanding requirements.

Previous recommendations

1. The childminders' should introduce a system to note individualprogress and development. They should also continue to evidence thelink between observation and assessment with activity planning toensure that learning opportunities are fully maximised.National Care Standards: Early education and childcare up to the age of16;Standard 4: Engaging with children.Standard 5: Quality of experience.Standard 6: Support and development.

This recommendation was made on 16 January 2014

The childminders had further developed their recording systems and explainedhow it would be further developed if caring for pre-school children.

2. The childminders should familiarise themselves with the principles ofGIRFEC (Getting it right for every child) and introduce the framework intoareas of their work.National care standards: Early education and childcare up to the age of16;Standard 3: Health and well-being.Standard 14: Well-managed service.

This recommendation was made on 16 January 2014

Training in GIRFEC had been undertaken and the childminders were morefamiliar with the framework and used it to inform some aspects of theirrecording.



8 ComplaintsThere have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of anyolder upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com.

9 EnforcementsNo enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the lastinspection

10 Other issuesNone noted.

11 Inspection and grading historyDate Type Gradings

16 Jan 2014 Announced (Short

Notice)

Care and support 5 - Very GoodEnvironment 6 - ExcellentStaffing 6 - ExcellentManagement and Leadership Not Assessed

29 Mar 2012 Unannounced Care and support 6 - ExcellentEnvironment Not AssessedStaffing 6 - ExcellentManagement and Leadership Not Assessed

2 Sep 2009 Unannounced Care and support 6 - ExcellentEnvironment 6 - ExcellentStaffing 6 - Excellent



Management and Leadership Not Assessed

11 Jun 2008 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very GoodEnvironment 4 - GoodStaffing 5 - Very GoodManagement and Leadership 5 - Very Good



To find out moreThis inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can downloadthis report and others from our website.

You can also read more about our work online.

Contact UsCare InspectorateCompass House11 Riverside DriveDundeeDD1 4NY

[email protected]

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 manithear iarrtas.



lesley jankowski and helen thomson dundee

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