Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery Day Care of Children 121 Auchterderran Road Lochgelly KY5 9DH Telephone:

Transcription

1 Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery Day Care of Children 121 Auchterderran Road Lochgelly KY5 9DH Telephone: Inspected by: Donna Borek Karen Lock Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 5 March 2014

2 Contents Page No Summary 3 1 About the service we inspected 5 2 How we inspected this service 7 3 The inspection 15 4 Other information 31 5 Summary of grades 32 6 Inspection and grading history 32 Service provided by: Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery Ltd Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service: Donna Borek Telephone enquiries@careinspectorate.com Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 2 of 34

3 Summary This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change after this inspection following other regulatory activity. For example, if we have to take enforcement action to make the service improve, or if we investigate and agree with a complaint someone makes about the service. We gave the service these grades Quality of Care and Support 2 Weak Quality of Environment 2 Weak Quality of Staffing 2 Weak Quality of Management and Leadership 2 Weak What the service does well * The staff team ensured that the premises are clean and safe for the children. * The building was bright and airy and well laid out. * The building was regularly maintained and in very good condition. * The nursery had a large outdoor area which was bright and engaging for the children. What the service could do better * The provider must ensure that there are suitable and qualified staff in the nursery that are able to understand and meet children's care and wellbeing needs. * Staff needed more training and support to address serious flaws in their practice. Poor quality interactions between staff and children were witnessed throughout the inspection. * The staff must develop their learning in relation to children's learning and holistic needs. Resources were not being used appropriately and children's learning was not being supported. * Staff did not follow the nursery routine in relation to children getting outside for fresh air and play. * The providers must consider ways to enhance their quality assurance processes. They must ensure that robust systems are in place to assess and evaluate the quality of care and support for service users. This would also support the management to monitor staffs training and skills alike. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 3 of 34

4 What the service has done since the last inspection Inspection report continued Since the last inspection the service has appointed a new manager. At the time of inspection the new manager had been in the service for a week. We found her to be appropriately qualified and she understood and appeared to take on board the concerns of the Care Inspectorate. Whilst we still found serious flaws in staff practices we discussed with the manager the importance of getting structures in place for staff quickly and efficiently to help support practice on the floor and begin to develop and improve outcomes for children using the service. Conclusion We found that the service had begun to address the concerns outlined within the previous report. However we did not find that this was having a significant impact on the poor outcomes for children. We observed poor practice in relation to children's experiences. The whole staff team need to work hard to being to develop and improve the outcomes for the children using the service. As a result of this inspection the Care Inspectorate have issued an improvement notice to the service. Who did this inspection Donna Borek Karen Lock Lay assessor: Not applicable. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 4 of 34

5 1 About the service we inspected The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Prior to 1 April 2011, this function was carried out by the Care Commission. Information in relation to all care services is available on our website at This service was registered with the Care Inspectorate on 11 September Requirements and Recommendations If we are concerned about some aspect of a service, or think it could do more to improve its service, we may make a recommendation or requirement. * A recommendation is a statement that sets out actions the care service provider should take to improve or develop the quality of the service but where failure to do so will not directly result in enforcement. * A requirement is a statement, which sets out what is required of a care service to comply with the Public Services Reforms (Scotland) Act 2010 and Regulations or Orders made under the Act, or a condition of registration. Where there are breaches of the Regulations, Orders or conditions, a requirement must be made. Requirements are legally enforceable at the discretion of the Inspectorate. Noah's Ark Private Children's Private Nursery Ltd is registered to provide a day care of children's service i.e. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery. The service can be provided for a maximum of 30 children aged from 6 weeks to those not yet attending primary school full time, including a maximum of 15 children aged under 2 years. The care service may operate between the times 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. A minimum of two staff members must be in attendance at any one time. Adult: child ratios and space standards as stated in Annex A of the National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 must be maintained at all times. The nursery is situated in the town of Lochgelly close to local facilities. The purpose built single storey building comprises of 3 bright playrooms and a large outdoor play area. The nursery's written aims and objectives includes the following statement: 'At Noah's Ark. We aim to create and maintain a welcoming, secure and stimulating environment where young minds and bodies can grow happily at their own pace.' Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 5 of 34

6 Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following grades: Quality of Care and Support - Grade 2 - Weak Quality of Environment - Grade 2 - Weak Quality of Staffing - Grade 2 - Weak Quality of Management and Leadership - Grade 2 - Weak Inspection report continued This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change following other regulatory activity. You can find the most up-to-date grades for this service by visiting our website or by calling us on or visiting one of our offices. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 6 of 34

7 2 How we inspected this service The level of inspection we carried out In this service we carried out a high intensity inspection. We carry out these inspections where we have assessed the service may need a more intense inspection. What we did during the inspection We compiled the report following an announced inspection. The inspection took place on 17th February The inspection was carried out by Care Inspectorate Inspectors Donna Borek and Karen Lock. As requested by us, the service sent us an annual return. The service also sent us a self-assessment form. Further evidence for this inspection, was gathered from various sources, including the relevant sections of policies, procedures, records and other documents: * Evidence from the service's most recent self assessment * Personal plans of the children who use the service * Observing how staff work * Staff continuous professional development files * Observation of the environment * Health and safety records * Child protection policies/procedures * Accident and incident records * Complaints records * Children's learning folders * Discussions with various people, including: the staff, the children who attend the nursery, the parents/carers of children who use the service * Examining equipment and the environment Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 7 of 34

8 Grading the service against quality themes and statements We inspect and grade elements of care that we call 'quality themes'. For example, one of the quality themes we might look at is 'Quality of care and support'. Under each quality theme are 'quality statements' which describe what a service should be doing well for that theme. We grade how the service performs against the quality themes and statements. Details of what we found are in Section 3: The inspection Inspection Focus Areas (IFAs) In any year we may decide on specific aspects of care to focus on during our inspections. These are extra checks we make on top of all the normal ones we make during inspection. We do this to gather information about the quality of these aspects of care on a national basis. Where we have examined an inspection focus area we will clearly identify it under the relevant quality statement. Fire safety issues We do not regulate fire safety. Local fire and rescue services are responsible for checking services. However, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, we will alert the relevant fire and rescue services so they may consider what action to take. You can find out more about care services' responsibilities for fire safety at Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 8 of 34

9 What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at our last inspection The requirement a) The provider must evidence that the manager of the service is equipped with the skills, knowledge and experience necessary for managing the care service. Documented evidence of the proposals for assessment and evaluation of competence must be submitted to the Care Inspectorate. b) Where additional training/support needs are identified, the provider must provide documented evidence of proposals as to how these needs will be met and how the effectiveness of further training/support will be evaluated. This is in order to comply with The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations Scottish Statutory Instrument 2011/210 Regulation 9 (2)(b) - Fitness of employees Regulation 15(a)(b) - Staffing The provider must do this within 4 weeks of this report being published. What the service did to meet the requirement The service has employed a new manager to run the service. We found the new manager to hold the appropriate and relevant qualifications. The impact of this was unmeasurable at the time of inspection as she had only been in post for a week. The requirement is: Met - Outwith Timescales Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 9 of 34

10 The requirement The provider must submit a detailed action plan, with dates describing what hand washing facilities will be provided for staff working within playrooms. Hand washing facilities must reflect national guidance. Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings (Day Care and Childminding Settings) March 2011, Health Protection Scotland - Hand Hygiene This is in order to comply with The Scottish Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 Scottish Statutory Instrument 2011/210 Regulation 4 (1) (a) and (d) Welfares of users Regulation 10(2)(a)(d) Fitness of premises The provider must do this within 4 weeks of this report being published. What the service did to meet the requirement The provider has submitted an action plan stating that these facilities will be provided by We would like them to now submit an action plan detailing what will be done as an interim measure. The requirement is: Not Met Inspection report continued The requirement The provider is required to review and improve hygiene practices within the nursery to ensure these follow best practice guidelines. This is in order to comply with SSI 2011/ 210 regulation 4(1)(a) Welfare of users. National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, Standard 2 (4) Health and Wellbeing. Timescale: With immediate effect. What the service did to meet the requirement The provider has addressed the concerns. The requirement is: Met - Within Timescales Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 10 of 34

11 The requirement The provider must develop a system of recording when children are being monitored when sleeping. This must be in line with the nursery policy and procedure. The provider must ensure that there are adequate systems in place should a child be sleeping, so that they can be heard if they are in distress. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI/210). Timescale - with immediate effect from receipt of this report. What the service did to meet the requirement The provider replaced the batteries in the child monitors and asked staff to keep the check sheets up to date and to follow the policy. This had been maintained by this inspection. The requirement is: Met - Within Timescales Inspection report continued The requirement The providers must ensure that staff implement appropriate infection control procedures in relation to nappy changing and hand washing. In order to achieve this they must: a) Wash their hands before changing nappies. b) Remove gloves prior to applying new nappy or replace gloves if cream is to be applied. c) Ensure that the children are aware of the importance of hand washing and reasons to support this. d) Support children to wash their hands after nappies changes, staff must wash children's hands that are unable to do so by themselves. e) Develop and implement a nappy changing policy, which reflects current best practice. The provider must also ensure that staff implement appropriate infection control procedures, in relation to cross contamination of food. In order to achieve this they must: f) Develop a policy about feeding children, outlining the expectations of staff in relation to infection control and cross contamination. g) Ensure that staff are aware of and are practicing safe infection control in relation to feeding children and babies. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) (d) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI/210). Staff should also refer to the document titled 'Infection Prevention and Control in Day Childcare Settings'. Care Inspectorate Healthcare Guidance Infection Prevention and Control. 'Nappy changing facilities in early years' Timescale - a), b), c), d) and g) with immediate effect and e) and f) within three weeks from receipt of this report. What the service did to meet the requirement The provider had addressed the concerns in relation to infection control and nappy changing and had rewritten the policy. The requirement is: Met - Within Timescales Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 11 of 34

12 The requirement The provider must ensure that parental permission to give medication is reviewed every 28 days. The provider must update the policy to reflect this. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI/210). Timescale - immediately upon receipt of this report. What the service did to meet the requirement This had been addressed The requirement is: Met - Within Timescales Inspection report continued The requirement The provider must ensure that mops used to clear floors are not stored in toilet area, unless stored in suitable sealed containers. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI/210). Timescale: Immediately upon receipt of this report What the service did to meet the requirement This had been addressed. Mops were now being stored within the cleaning cupboard. The requirement is: Met - Within Timescales The requirement The provider must submit a detailed action plan, with dates describing what hand washing facilities will be provided for staff when working in the playrooms. Hand washing facilities must reflect the national guidance. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) (d) and regulation 10(2)(a)(d) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI/210). Timescale - within 28 days of receipt of this report. The provider may find it helpful to refer to: Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare settings (Day Care and Childminding Settings) March 2011 Health Protection Scotland - Hand Hygiene What the service did to meet the requirement As above. The requirement is: Not Met Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 12 of 34

13 The requirement The provider must ensure that the staff team are providing children with support from a child centred perspective. Every child should be respected and included in the nursery. The children would greatly benefit from a more nurturing approach from the staff team. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI/210). Timescale - immediately on receipt of this report. This is also in accordance with: The National Care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16. The principles behind the standards: Dignity Privacy Choice Safety Realising Potential Equality and Diversity And every subsequent standard. The staff team may find familiarizing themselves with the Scottish governments 'getting it right for every child' and the wellbeing indicators of SHANARRI within this document helpful. The providers must ensure that the acting manager receives additional child protection training and is fully aware of her roles and responsibilities as a manager in relation to supporting staff and safeguarding children. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) and 9 (2) (b) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI/210). Timescale: 4 weeks from receipt of this report The provider must ensure that the manager of the service has sufficient knowledge and can demonstrate an understanding of childcare, child development and protection issues. Any manager must also be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council. This is in order to comply with: Regulation 4 (1) (a), 7(2) (c) and 7 (2) (d) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI/210). Timescale - within 1 month of receiving this report. What the service did to meet the requirement this had not been met and was carried forward. The requirement is: Not Met Inspection report continued The annual return Every year all care services must complete an 'annual return' form to make sure the information we hold is up to date. We also use annual returns to decide how we will inspect the service. Annual Return Received: Yes - Electronic Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 13 of 34

14 Comments on Self Assessment Inspection report continued Every year all care services must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate. The service have been asked to update their self assessment document as they go along. This is a good tool to support the service to continue to develop their selfevaluation skills. Taking the views of people using the care service into account Children were observed during this inspection. Their was little evidence to support that their experiences were of any value to their learning. Taking carers' views into account We spoke with one carer who was unaware of the Care Inspectorate and the processes that we follow. We informed them of the inspection process and of where they can access information in relation to the inspection. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 14 of 34

15 3 The inspection We looked at how the service performs against the following quality themes and statements. Here are the details of what we found. Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support Grade awarded for this theme: 2 - Weak Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the care and support provided by the service. Service strengths Overall we observed practice to be weak in this area. The service did not provide many opportunities for parents and children to participate in assessing and developing the service provision. On entering the nursery parents and carers could find very basic information such as information about local groups and activities and services that parent could access if they wished. The new manager had updated information about who the child protection officer and is and who parents should speak to if they have a concern. This ensured that parents were aware of who had been identified in this role. Areas for improvement We found very little evidence of child or parental participation throughout the nursery. All of the practice observed was practitioner lead and children were directed in their play. Children were observed to ask staff for an activity and were told that they were doing something else. Children were not included in the daily planning or any other processes within the nursery. We found no evidence of children's input into their learning journeys or any evidence of discussions that had taken place with children about them. We found no evidence of parental feedback and little evidence throughout children's learning journeys of parents having been asked about their children's needs. This was despite the format suggesting that there should be. Parents were not provided with information about their child or their child's progress within the nursery. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 15 of 34

16 Grade awarded for this statement: 2 - Weak Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 2 Recommendations 1. The staff should consider more ways to involve children in assessing and improving the service. The National Care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16. Standards 7 - A caring environment Standards 9 - Involving the community Standards 13 - Improving the service 2. The staff should consider more ways to involve parents and carers in assessing and improving the service. The National Care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16. Standards 7 - A caring environment Standards 9 - Involving the community Standards 13 - Improving the service Inspection report continued Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 16 of 34

17 Statement 3 We ensure that service users' health and wellbeing needs are met. Service strengths Whilst we found some satisfactory practice in relation to this statement, we had concerns about how the staff ensured that children's health and wellbeing needs were being met, particularly in relation to interaction between staff and children and the assessment and evaluation of children's learning needs. Overall evidence in relation to this statement demonstrated that the service's performance was weak. Children were encouraged to wash their hands before snack/meal time. The staff supported them to do so. Nappies were checked and changed regularly throughout the day. Following the requirement made in the last report, we found that the new manager had re-developed the nappy changing guidance and procedures and that staff had been trained in what was expected of them in relation to this. This is still undergoing development and the new manager is monitoring nappy changes to ensure best practice is being followed. We found that the service gathered very basic information about children and their needs. Medical records were found to be satisfactory medication was stored in a suitable cupboard. The new manager had developed new medication forms which ensured that it was being reviewed on a 28 day basis. This ensured that there were clear systems in place for the monitoring and management of medication. Staff documented accidents and incidents appropriately; parents/carers were advised of the actions that staff had taken. Since the last inspection the service has implemented tooth brushing for children and the new manager informed us that child-smile have been invited in to help support the nursery re-integrate tooth brushing into their routines. Areas for improvement Inspection report continued Overall we observed poor interactions between staff and children were witnessed throughout the inspection. We observed the staff supporting the children during play and learning times and lunchtimes. Whist we found some of the staff members to be kindly and encouraging in their manner with the children we found others struggled to interact with the children in a positive and encouraging way. Whilst we saw that the nursery manager had developed new routines for the nursery these were not yet effective on the nursery floor. This should be developed, shared with staff and implemented. Staff should be clear about what the manager expects of them in relation to this. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 17 of 34

18 We found that children had individual learning journeys. These were not being reviewed regularly and we found the majority were blank or not filled in with any quality of assessment. We have referred to this in the improvement notice we issued to the service. Please also see requirement 3. Staff did not follow the nursery routine in relation to children getting outside for fresh air and play. We have referred to this in the improvement notice we issued to the service. Please also see requirement 2. Observed practice evidenced that many learning opportunities were missed by staff and there was insufficient challenge for children of all ages, particularly for older children using the service. The range of resources available to the children also limited learning and opportunity and did not provide sufficient interest to the children to fully maximise enjoyment and learning. We have referred to this in the improvement notice we issued to the service. Please also see requirement 1. Staff did not take opportunities to extend children's learning and language during the inspection, where older children tried to initiate conversation with staff or request to do an activity. One child asked to read story and a staff member told them that they were going to be singing instead. We observed various examples of children having lost interest in the activity they were doing and staff continuing to do it regardless of the children's reactions. We have referred to this in the improvement notice we issued to the service. Please also see requirement 1. Children were not being encouraged to develop their own independence. During lunch times food was served to children straight from the kitchen. The children would have benefitted from being more involved in their meal time, staff should encourage them to take part setting the table or serving the food for example. Overall we found that children had a lack of involvement in all aspects of the service delivery. This included their input to educational planning and contributing to their own learning. Children were not being supported to learn individual and group responsibility and this was seen to be leading to poor outcomes for them. Children were eating spaghetti bolognaise with added vegetables and angel delight for lunch. We felt that the service should consider minimising processed foods in order to maximise healthy eating. We discussed that fruit and low sugar yoghurt or fromais frais could be a good substitute for children's desserts and home-made sauces could be added to the mains. We made a recommendation in relation to this. (Please see recommendation 1) Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 18 of 34

19 Grade awarded for this statement: 2 - Weak Number of requirements: 3 Number of recommendations: 1 Requirements 1. By 1 May 2014, the provider must ensure that children are: a) Provided with physical comfort and emotional assurance when distressed b) Care for in an encouraging and positive manner that develops individual needs and interests. c) Spoken with in a manner which encourages them to engage in discussion, extends their language opportunities and demonstrates respect for them. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI/210). 2. By the 1 May 2014 the provider must demonstrate to the Care Inspectorate that children are getting outside on a daily basis for fresh air and play. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/210). 3. By 1 May 2014 the provider must record for each service user in their personal plan, suitable activities for that service user, utilising the resources available. The provider must demonstrate to the Care Inspectorate that these recordings have been implemented. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/210). Recommendations Inspection report continued 1. The service should consider minimising the use of processed food in order to maximise healthy eating. National Care Standards: Early Education and Childcare up to the Age of 16: Standard 3 - Health and Wellbeing Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 19 of 34

20 Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment Grade awarded for this theme: 2 - Weak Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the environment within the service. Service strengths Please see quality theme 1.1 Areas for improvement Please see quality theme 1.1 Grade awarded for this statement: 2 - Weak Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 20 of 34

21 Statement 2 We make sure that the environment is safe and service users are protected. Service strengths Evidence gathered in relation to this statement demonstrated that the service was weak. However, there were a number of positive strengths highlighted during our inspection. Overall the environment was light, bright and airy. We found that the nursery environment had great potential for children to be engaged and comfortable. The nursery layout provided three separate areas for children to be cared for according to their age and stage of development. The children were being cared within two rooms of the nursery due to the low number of children. The birth to two years age room was warm and inviting. There were appropriate soft furnishings such a comfortable chairs and soft furnishings for the children. The children's sleep area was in a separate room off of the babies' room within nursery. This room was not in use during the inspection as the babies had been put together with the toddlers in their room. Within the two to three years room, the environment also appeared spacious; however we did refer to this room within the improvement notice in relation to a space for the children to relax. The anti-pre and preschool room was also bright and airy. Access to outdoors was available from this room. The outdoor space was bright and well maintained. There was play equipment and resources for the children, which encouraged imaginative play. There were a number of appropriate policies and risk assessments for the service, which supported best practice and offered guidance to the staff team. (See Areas for Improvement 4.4). The rooms were clean and tidy. The kitchen area was also clean. Food was prepared on the premises, we were satisfied that the staff adopted safe food hygiene practice during food preparation. All of the entrances leading the nursery had safe entry systems. The cloakroom area provided parents/carers had ample space to drop-off and collect their children. Areas for improvement Inspection report continued During the inspection we tracked a child who appeared to be very tired. The room did not have an area for him to cosy into and go to sleep. We felt that the room would benefit from a softer area for children to relax and sleep if needed. We found the child to be very tired later in the inspection and felt he would have greatly benefited from a sleep earlier in the day. We have referred to this in the improvement notice we issued to the service. Please also see requirement 1. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 21 of 34

22 An agreement was made between the Care Inspectorate and the service that a member of staff was able to work within the premises whilst waiting on a PVG update. This agreement was bound by the service having a clear risk management plan in place for the staff member and being very explicit that the member of staff was not be alone with any child at any time and not to participate in person care of children. We found that this agreement had not been adhered to and not monitored in appropriate way. The area of concern was relating to environment and infection control and was noted as: Child height hand washing facilities were available for hand washing within the playroom but only cold water was provided. Hot water was not available for hand washing. The lack of a sink in the baby room meant that prior to feeding the youngest children staff washed their hands in the sink in the small room used to store cleaning resources and materials. This meant that staff washed their hands in the sinks where dirty water from mop buckets were emptied. We have referred to this in the improvement notice we issued to the service. Please also see requirement 2. Grade awarded for this statement: 2 - Weak Number of requirements: 2 Number of recommendations: 0 Requirements 1. By 1 May 2014 the provider must ensure that children in the toddler's room have a designated rest/sleep area with soft furnishings. This is in order to comply with regulation 4 (1) (a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI/210). 2. By 1 May 2014 the provider must provide adequate hand washing facilities for staff and children when working in the playrooms pending installation of a full hot water system. This is in order to comply with regulation 10(2) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/210). Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 22 of 34

23 Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing Grade awarded for this theme: 2 - Weak Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of staffing in the service. Service strengths Please see quality theme 1.1 Areas for improvement Please see quality theme 1.1 Grade awarded for this statement: 2 - Weak Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 23 of 34

24 Statement 3 We have a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National Care Standards, legislation and best practice. Service strengths Having observed staff working with the children, sampling records and discussions with staff, we found the service to be weak in this quality statement. Some staff presented as kind to the children and helpful. Some staff we seen to encourage children in conversation and we found the lunchtime discussion about how food helps our bodies be healthy informative and interactive. However overall we found staff were not professionally skilled at interacting with children. On the day of inspection the service was meeting their ratios of qualified to unqualified staff. Qualified staff were registered with the SSSC. This meant that qualified staff were accountable for their practice and had code of practice to guide them in their work. We found that staff had completed some training in relation to their role, however, we could not evidence that this had been used to improve their practice. We found staff recruitment files to be in good order and all of the relevant documentation to be available. The requirement from the previous inspection in relation to staff undertaking child protection training had been met. All staff members had undertaken child protection training and had identified further training they felt that they required. Areas for improvement Inspection report continued We did have concerns regarding staff interaction with children, which has also been discussed within Quality Theme 1.3 of this report. Overall poor interactions between staff and children were witnessed throughout the inspection. Whilst we found the interaction with children to be improved on what we found during the last inspection, we remain concerned about how children fit into the service's model rather than a service being provided to fit around the children. Children were not being included and responded to within the environment; we found this to be due to a lack of skill by the staff team. We have referred to this in the improvement notice we issued to the service. Please also see requirement 1 noted in statement 1.3. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 24 of 34

25 Furthermore we found that the staff did not have a solid understanding of best practice guidance and how it applied to the nursery setting. The acting manager was aware that further training was required in relation to documents such as 'Getting it Right For Every Child' (GIRFEC), 'Pre-Birth to Three' 'Curriculum for Excellence' and 'Child at the Centre'. We found little evidence that staff had worked on the implementation of any of these documents. And therefore they were not using them for the purposes of assessing and supporting the children's needs, planning, evaluation of the service and practice. The quality of recorded observation of the children's learning within the learning folders was poor and lacked ideas about how to improve the children's experiences. Children's next steps were not being identified. This was identified during the last inspection and therefore and was not addressed at this inspection and therefore the recommendation stands. We have referred to this in the improvement notice we issued to the service. Please also see requirement 1. We found that there were little resources being used in the playroom despite observing that there were lots of resources available in a storage room. Resources were not being used to support or promote children's learning and development. Staff had limited knowledge of best practice guidance and the session lacked planning. As a result it was unclear what children were learning, how their experiences were being observed and promoted and how the staff team were identifying next steps for children's learning. We looked at planning for the nursery and whilst we felt that the format the nursery was using reflected what children were learning we found that this had been poorly completed. We spoke with the manager about developing an approach to planning that included relevant guidance and best practice documentation. We discussed staff training in relation to doing this. (Please also see recommendation 1) During the inspection we found that qualified staff were engaged in domestic tasks which took them away from the playroom floors. This meant that unqualified staff were left with the children unsupported for long periods of time. We found that children's experiences suffered as a result of this. We have referred to this within the improvement notice we issued to the service. Please also see requirement 2. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 25 of 34

26 Grade awarded for this statement: 2 - Weak Number of requirements: 2 Number of recommendations: 1 Requirements 1. By 1 May 2014 the provider must ensure that members of staff employed in the provision of the care service receive training appropriate to the work that they perform. Training should include, but need not be limited to including: a) Stages of babies and young children's development and how this impacts on their learning needs. b) Attachment and quality of adult to child interaction. This is in order to comply with regulation 15(b) (i) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/210). 2. By 1 May 2014 the provider must increase the amount of time that qualified staff spend directly caring for children and reduce the time spent on other tasks. This is in order to comply with regulation 4(1) (a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/210). Recommendations 1. The service should a) Develop a responsive approach to educational planning. b) Best practice guidance should be used to develop this approach and evaluate it c) Staff should be trained in how to use this approach to planning where appropriate. This is in accordance with: The National Care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16: Standards 4 - Engaging with children Standard 5 - Quality of Experience Standard 6 - support and development Standard 7 - A caring environment Standard 12 - Confidence in staff Standards 13 - Improving the service Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 26 of 34

27 Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership Grade awarded for this theme: 2 - Weak Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the management and leadership of the service. Service strengths Please see quality theme 1.1 Areas for improvement Please see quality theme 1.1 Grade awarded for this statement: 2 - Weak Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 27 of 34

28 Statement 4 We use quality assurance systems and processes which involve service users, carers, staff and stakeholders to assess the quality of service we provide Service strengths Having looked at written records and in discussions with the manager and staff, we found the service to have a weak level of performance in this quality statement. The new manager was in post for a week when the inspection took place. During this time she had begun to re-develop the policies and procedures the nursery had in place. We found that she had begun to monitor and assess staff and put some process in place to support the practice on the nursery floor. However, at the time of the inspection none of these developments had been in place long enough to see any impact on the outcomes for the children. The service also had a robust complaints policy to inform parents of how to complain should they need to. The nursery policies and procedures were available for parents and carers to see upon request. (Please see areas for improvement 4.4) A maintenance plan was in place and followed and this meant that overall the nursery was kept in good repair (See Areas for Improvement 2.2). The nursery had policies and procedures in place in relation to most aspects of the business ensuring that there was a framework for staff to be guided by. (See areas for improvement 4.4). Areas for improvement Inspection report continued We spoke with the new manager about how children and their parents are involved and included within the developments within nursery. We discussed that this could be a good opportunity to address this issue by putting policies and procedures out to parents and carers for consultation and including children in this process. We found that policies and procedures were not being regularly as they should be. We spoke with new manager about the importance of ensuring that staff fully understand what is expected of them in relation to their duties and practice. Whilst the service was able to identify training that had been done by staff and also training that was required, there was no comprehensive plan in place for evaluating and identifying gaps in training. The new manager was in the process of developing and implementing an appropriate plan. This would ensure that staff the staff knowledge base could be identified and addressed and developed to build comprehensive skills across the team. This would be further enhanced by regular observations of staff practice being undertaken. (See recommendation 1). Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 28 of 34

29 The service needs to develop its self-evaluation processes. This should be in relation to: Parental involvement Child involvement Stake holder involvement Staff involvement Staff development Staff training Children's learning Children's experiences All management and leadership processes. This is to ensure that all systems and process within the nursery are assessed and reviewed regularly. (See recommendation 2) We found that policies and procedures were not being regularly as they should be. We spoke with new manager about the importance of ensuring that staff fully understand what is expected of them in relation to their duties and practice. We had concerns about staff practices and skills during the inspection. The manager should undertake regular observations of staff practice to ensure that good practice is carried throughout the nursery. Staff files should reflect good quality supervision and appraisals which help staff to identify their learning needs. The acting manager should lead by example and implement a culture of respect, confidence and a caring ethos. We referred to this in the improvement notice we issued to the service. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 29 of 34

30 Grade awarded for this statement: 2 - Weak Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 2 Recommendations 1. The service should develop a training plan. This is in accordance with the National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standards 12: Confidence in staff Standards 13: Improving the service Standards 14: A well-managed service. 2. The providers should implement an effective system of quality assurance and selfevaluation to monitor, assess and improve outcomes for children. This is in accordance with the National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standards 12: Confidence in staff Standards 13: Improving the service Standards 14: Well-managed service. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 30 of 34

31 4 Other information Complaints No complaints have been upheld, or partially upheld, since the last inspection. Enforcements We have taken no enforcement action against this care service since the last inspection. Additional Information No additional information noted. Action Plan Failure to submit an appropriate action plan within the required timescale, including any agreed extension, where requirements and recommendations have been made, will result in the Care Inspectorate re-grading a Quality Statement within the Quality of Management and Leadership Theme (or for childminders, Quality of Staffing Theme) as unsatisfactory (1). This will result in the Quality Theme being re-graded as unsatisfactory (1). Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 31 of 34

32 5 Summary of grades Quality of Care and Support Weak Statement 1 Statement Weak 2 - Weak Quality of Environment Weak Statement 1 Statement Weak 2 - Weak Quality of Staffing Weak Statement 1 Statement Weak 2 - Weak Quality of Management and Leadership Weak Statement 1 Statement Weak 2 - Weak 6 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 2 Dec 2013 Unannounced Care and support 1 - Unsatisfactory Environment 2 - Weak Staffing 1 - Unsatisfactory Management and Leadership 2 - Weak 9 Aug 2013 Unannounced Care and support 2 - Weak Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing 1 - Unsatisfactory Management and Leadership 2 - Weak 14 Jun 2013 Unannounced Care and support 2 - Weak Environment 1 - Unsatisfactory Staffing 1 - Unsatisfactory Management and Leadership 1 - Unsatisfactory Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 32 of 34

33 23 Jul 2012 Unannounced Care and support 2 - Weak Environment 2 - Weak Staffing 3 - Adequate Management and Leadership 2 - Weak 16 Mar 2012 Re-grade Care and support 3 - Adequate Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership 3 - Adequate 4 Oct 2011 Unannounced Care and support 1 - Unsatisfactory Environment 1 - Unsatisfactory Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership 1 - Unsatisfactory 16 Jun 2011 Unannounced Care and support 2 - Weak Environment 2 - Weak Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership 2 - Weak 10 Jan 2011 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment Not Assessed Staffing Not Assessed Management and Leadership Not Assessed 11 Nov 2009 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very Good Environment Not Assessed Staffing 5 - Very Good Management and Leadership Not Assessed 19 Jan 2009 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and Leadership 4 - Good All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former regulator of care services, the Care Commission. Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 33 of 34

34 To find out more about our inspections and inspection reports Read our leaflet 'How we inspect'. You can download it from our website or ask us to send you a copy by telephoning us on This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can get more copies of this report and others by downloading it from our website: or by telephoning Translations and alternative formats This inspection report is available in other languages and formats on request. Telephone: enquiries@careinspectorate.com Web: Noah's Ark Children's Private Nursery, page 34 of 34