Teddy Bear Club Nursery Day Care of Children

Transcription

1 Teddy Bear Club Nursery Day Care of Children Thomas Wise Place Dundee DD2 1UB Inspected by: (Care Commission Officer) Type of inspection: Karen Lock Unannounced Inspection completed on: 7 May 29 1/16

2 Service Number Service name CS23731 Teddy Bear Club Nursery Service address Thomas Wise Place Dundee DD2 1UB Provider Number dummy Provider Name SP23136 Teddy Bear Club Nursery Inspected By dummy Inspection Type Karen Lock Care Commission Officer Unannounced dummy Inspection Completed Period since last inspection 7 May 29 dummy Local Office Address Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY dummy 2/16

3 Introduction The Teddy Bear Club is a private nursery that has been in operation since 1998, initially for 5 children and through a series of extensions now offers 94 full-time places for children aged from -5 years. It is situated within the grounds of Ninewells Hospital. The nursery is spacious and bright, with all facilities on ground floor level.the nursery is kept in a very good state of repair and is well equipped and comfortably furnished. There are large garden grounds for outdoor play, which are in a well maintained condition. The nursery has rooms designated for specific age groups, -1 year, 1-2 years, 2-3 years and 3-5 years with children moving between departments on a phased and gradual basis. The nursery is a partner provider, assessed by Dundee City Council's Education department to be suitable to provide pre-school education to 3 and 4 year old's. Based on the findings of this inspection the service has been awarded the following grades: Quality of Care and Support Very Good Quality of Environment Very Good Quality of Staffing Very Good Quality of Management and Leadership Very Good This inspection report and grades represent the Care Commission s 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. Please refer to the care services register on the Care Commission s website ( for the most up-to-date grades for this service. Basis of Report Before the Inspection The report was written following an unannounced inspection which took place on the 7 May 29. The inspection was carried out by Karen Lock,Care Commission Officer, (CCO). The Annual Return The service submitted a completed Annual Return as requested by the Care Commission. The Self-Assessment Form The service submitted a self-assessment form as requested by the Care Commission Views of service users The Care Commission received fourteen questionnaires from parents using the service. During the inspection process The inspection plan for this service was decided after a Regulation Support Assessment (RSA) was carried out to determine the intensity of inspection necessary. The RSA is an assessment undertaken by the Care Commission Officer (CCO) which considers: complaints activity, changes in the provision of the service, nature of notifications made to the Care Commission by the service, (such as absence of manager) and action taken upon 3/16

4 requirements. The CCO will also have considered how the service responded to situations and issues as part of the RSA. The assessment resulted in this service receiving a low RSA score and so a low intensity inspection was required as a result. The inspection was based upon the relevant Inspection Focus Areas (IFA) and associated National Care Standards - Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, recommendations and requirements from previous inspections and complaints or other regulatory activity. The inspection methodology included a sampling/grading of the service using quality statement from each Quality Theme, a sampling/grading of the IFA (Quality Theme 4) and an additional statement (chosen by the CCO) in Quality Themes 1, 2, and 3. During the inspection, evidence was gathered from a number of sources including: Discussion with the nursery manager,depute manager and several childcare staff regarding the operation of the service. A review of a range of policies, procedures, records and other documentation including the following: Accidents and Incidents Child Protection Complaints Health and Safety Certificate of Registration A sample of children's files Staff training records Fire Safety Issues The Fire (Scotland) Act 25 introduced new regulatory arrangements in respect of fire safety, on 1 October 26. In terms of those arrangements, responsibility for enforcing the statutory provisions in relation to fire safety now lies with the Fire and Rescue service for the area in which a care service is located. Accordingly, the Care Commission will no longer report on matters of fire safety as part of its regulatory function, but, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, will alert the relevant Fire and Rescue service to their existence in order that it may act as it considers appropriate. Further advice on your responsibilities is available at Action taken on requirements since last Inspection There were no recommendations or requirements made at the last inspection. Comments on Self Assessment A fully completed self -assessment document was returned and had been completed to a very good standard. The manager had identified the strengths of the service and some areas for development. 4/16

5 View of Service Users All children were observed to be very comfortable and relaxed in the setting and to be interacting well with staff and each other. The children were seen to be active and well stimulated and had opportunity to play outside with a varied range of activity. Generally the children appeared happy and content within the nursery. Staff were seen to be responsive and caring towards the children. View of Carers Fourteen parents returned Care Commission questionnaires and reported favourably on all aspects of the service. Of the fourteen, nine 'strongly agreed' and five 'agreed' that they were satisfied with the overall quality of the service.parents also made some written comments about the nursery which are included in the main body of the report. 5/16

6 Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support Overall CCO Theme Grading: 5 - Very Good 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 Not all aspects of this quality statement were evaluated. Having sampled evidence given by the nursery in the self-evaluation of the service, a review of some documentation and observations of outcomes for children relating to how service users and carers participated in assessing and improving the care and support provided by them, this service was found to have a very good performance in relation to this statement. Nursery staff and management felt that the nursery had worked hard to build on the well established practice that involved parents and families in the life of the nursery. A variety of methods were noted which they believed ensured that children,parents and carers were involved and had an impact on the service;including: information and feedback given to parents and carers about their children through informal daily discussions, parent's meetings to learn more about the curriculum and nursery routines,very well organised notice boards displaying up to date information, the suggestion box that asks parents to put in any comments or views of the nursery, use of parental questionnaire,parental feedback sheets,monthly newsletters.extensive use of mind mapping with the children.viewing of returned questionnaires evidenced significant satisfaction with the service. The manager had an open door policy for parents and maintained an active role in the playrooms enabling regular contact with parents. In addition to this the nursery described a range of nursery activities and events that parents were invited and welcomed to. Parents also had the opportunity to attend three parents evenings with their children's key workers where they had the Chance to learn about their child's progress and discuss any relevant issues. Parents had access to all nursery polices and National Care Standards in all rooms and were provided with very well devised and informative parents handbooks. Children within the nursery were seen to be consulted and their views were sought throughout the observed session. Children were observed to be confident in expressing their views and wishes. The nursery structure and programme enabled children to make some choices and influence their own learning and nursery experience, particularly during freeplay periods and during outside play. The children were seen to be having great fun outside on the day of this inspection and staff were seen to be engaging with them positively. Fourteen parents using the service returned Care Commission questionnaires and reported favourably on all aspects of the service. Parents made the following written comments: The nursery staff are excellent, approachable and the manager knows every child and what is going on. She has impressed me very much. Also the nursery doesn't smell! Children from the 3-4 group and children from the 4-5 group have now been placed together. One week has passed my child has reacted positively so far. I just hope this relationship with staff and children remains strong. Prior to this change my child had recently come out of his/her shell. I hope this does not reverse. 6/16

7 Excellent environment and staff management with good communication with parents. Nursery keeps parents well informed of health issues. Such as chicken pox and head lice, that have occurred within the nursery. The nursery is fun and vibrant and my daughter is always happy to be dropped off and enjoying herself when I go to collect her. The staff seem to really enjoy their work and this is reflected in their positive attitude toward the children. I am confident that the Teddy Bear club provides a safe and stimulation environment. Their optimum goal I feel is for each individual child to reach their full potential. I really feel this nursery provides superb care, support and a nurturing environment for the needs of pre-school children. I am totally confident that when my child goes to nursery they will be very well cared for and supported in a learning and fun environment. They always come home happy having had a good day. I cannot praise the Teddy bear club staff enough. They have constantly went that extra mile to help my son, My son is extremely hard work and all the staff have remained patient and firm with him. Although they already have a busy schedule they give my child a tailor made service for his needs. I get a 2 page feedback sheet everyday to see if we can identify trends to get to the root of his problems. Susan and her team should be highly commended. My child loves going to nursery. The range of activities offered is excellent and the lunches/snacks very well received my eldest daughter also went to this nursery and I am always impressed with the constant updating and maintenance of a very high standard of care provided over many years. The nursery is extremely well managed, we have a lot of confidence in all the staff. Any queries are always promptly dealt with, More feedback would be good, especially regarding development. II am given daily reports of the activities which have taken place and skills entailed from all the staff workers within my daughters section. My daughter is happy and confident, bringing home new actions and enriched by the experiences and staff within her environment at the Teddy Bear nursery. Areas for Development CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations Statement 3: We ensure that service user's health and wellbeing needs are met. Service Strengths 7/16

8 Not all aspects of this quality statement were evaluated. Having sampled evidence given by the nursery in the self-evaluation of the service, a review of some documentation and observations, this service was found to have a very good performance in relation to this statement. The service noted a variety of methods being used to ensure that children's health and wellbeing needs were being met. These included; policy,procedures and good practice in the areas of healthy eating, tooth brushing, active play, infection control, child protection and very good planning for children using current childcare guidance. Discussion with staff and observation of practice evidenced that staff were all very familiar with operational policies and procedures. Healthy eating was promoted in the nursery and children's independence was encouraged at mealtimes. Menus were regularly reviewed with input from children and parents. A full time cook was employed who was involved in menu planning and provided a very good range of healthy home made meals and home baking. The nursery used the Nutritional Guidance for early years to inform the children's diet. The observed snack consisted of a range of fresh fruit,raisins,home made muffins with milk or water to drink. Staff had very good access to best practice guidance and a range of documents and publications were seen throughout the nursery. A well resourced office had been allocated to staff for them to use for their own study and personal development. There was evidence to support the service's well informed approach to child protection matters. Staff had a very good understanding of their roles and responsibilities and knew to direct concerns to the designated senior member of staff. An external trainer had recently come into the nursery and delivered Child Protection training to 22 staff. All staff were made aware of the service Child Protection policy and of their responsibilities during their induction training. The subject was discussed regularly at staff meetings.the nursery manager and staff group demonstrated a very caring and supportive approach towards children and families using the service. The service demonstrated an excellent understanding of the importance of active play within the nursery. Most children were seen to access the outdoor area during this inspection. The outside area was very well developed to provide a most inviting outdoor space.older children could access this area independently for much of the day. Staff were seen to respond to the children's wishes and adapted staffing levels outside in response to the children's requests. The children were observed to be very happy outside and to be enjoying the freedom of outdoors. Staff reported that they ensured daily access to outside and active play.they had suitable clothing for children for all weather conditions. The nursery had developed very good links with other professionals and services, who they used for advice, joint working and to bring visitors into the nursery to talk to staff and children, including speech therapists, dental nurse and health visitors. Very good practice was observed throughout the nursery in relation to infection control. Six children's individual files were sampled and found to be of a very good quality, they were consistently kept with detailed and regular recordings, evidencing that children were observed at play and that staff used this information to plan next learning steps. Programme planning made very good reference to individual child need and the children's interests 8/16

9 recorded through mind mapping exercises and discussion. All children seen during the course of this inspection were content,well stimulated and seen to be very comfortable with staff and the nursery environment. Areas for Development CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations 9/16

10 Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment Overall CCO Theme Grading: 5 - Very Good Statement 1: We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the environment within the service. Service Strengths Following discussion with the manager, a sample of the documentation and observations of outcomes for children relating to how the nursery ensured that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the environment, this service was found to have a very good performance in relation to this statement. The nursery had a range of methods in place to seek the views of children and parents, as previously described in 1:1, with an effective mix of regular verbal communication and more structured methods to gauge views,including mind mapping and use of questionnaire. Observed practice evidenced that the nursery was consulting children throughout the day about their environment and how they wished to access the space and facilities available to them. It was observed that the nursery's indoor resources were arranged in a way which children could easily access them and see what they could choose from. Most of the nursery routines allowed for children to choose their own activity, especially in relation to outside play where older children were provided with the freedom to access the outside space for much of the day. Children and parents were shown around the nursery before taking up their place and had the opportunity to see and discuss the area that their child would be accessing. Thereafter, parents were kept informed on a daily basis of activities and outings children had undertaken. All of the ffourteen parents who responded to the Care Commission questionnaire informed they were very happy that the service was clean and safe. All of the fouteen parents stated that they were happy that their children regularly accessed fresh air and energetic physical play. All of the fourteen parents felt that there was sufficient space for their child to play and get involved in activities. Areas for Development CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations 1/16

11 Statement 2: We make sure that the environment is safe and service users are protected Service Strengths The indoor space was well organised and well presented to provide a most inviting, welcoming environment conducive to learning. Children could easily access a range of equipment and were seen to be making good use of resources and to be well stimulated by the environment during observations made as part of the inspection. Children were confident with nursery routines which allowed for them to choose their own activities. Children were seen to be using the space effectively and were attentively supported by staff who extended play and learning opportunities appropriately. The service made good use of risk assessment to create a safe environment for the children. A range of well considered policies and procedures were in place to direct and support staff in their daily practice. Staff demonstrated a very good understanding of child protection issues and of the nursery's procedures in this area. The well used outside area was very well supervised and maintained. Robust staff recruitment and monitoring procedures were in place. Staff were observed to be very aware of health and safety issues and very good practice was observed in this area throughput the inspection visit. Areas for Development CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations 11/16

12 Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing Overall CCO Theme Grading: 5 - Very Good Statement 1: We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of staffing in the service. Service Strengths Following discussion with the manager, a sample of the documentation and observations of outcomes for children relating to how the nursery ensured that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of staffing, this service was found to have a very good performance in relation to this statement. The methods that the service used to engage with parents and children have been previously mentioned in this report. From the Care Commission questionnaires, parents were very happy that staff were treating their child respectfully and fairly. All of the parents who returned questionnaires either 'strongly agreed' or 'agreed' that staff had the skills and experience to care for their child and support their learning and development. Parents were informed of their child's key worker, and staff were observed talking to parents when they delivered/collected their child. Individual meetings were held with parents to discuss any staff changes,particularly if the keyworker was to change. Areas for Development CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations 12/16

13 Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership Overall CCO Theme Grading: 5 - Very Good 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 Following discussion with staff and a review of a sample of the documentation relating to how the nursery ensured that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of management, the nursery service was found to have a very good performance in relation to this quality statement. Notice boards in the entrance and in all rooms kept parents informed of the daily plans and of the week's menu. Additional information for parents include certificate of insurance, certificate of registration, certificates,curriculum information and information relating to forthcoming events. The nursery staff advised that they continuously monitored and evaluated the service and discussed what had worked well within the session and what the children had enjoyed and benefited from. The management team had a strong presence in the playrooms and were accessible to parents and staff on a daily basis. The service had established an open door policy where parents could approach staff and management at any time. Areas for Development CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations 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 Following discussion with staff and a sample of the documentation relating to how the nursery ensured that service users and carers participate in assessing the quality of the centre, this service was found to have a very good performance in relation to this statement. 13/16

14 All staff members spoken to stated that they felt their views were valued and that they could contribute to improvements to the nursery. The staff were encouraged to bring in new ideas and learning into the service by feeding back any training they had attended to their colleagues. Staff were aware of the timescales and requirements for registration with the S.S.S.C. The manager was aware of the responsibility in relation to reporting misconduct to the S.S.S.C and reported that there had been no incidents that had required such action. Staff were aware of the nursery's development plan and were working towards the targets identified. The management team had a regular presence in the playrooms and could pick up on any practice issues at an early stage,which could be explode through supervision or the appraisal system. The nursery had used Child at the centre and How good is our school? as structures to self-evaluate the nursery and its work,to which all staff had contributed. Areas for Development The nursery should continue to build on the very good established practice and further develop the role of children and parents in quality assurance processes. (See recommendation 1 ) CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations 1 14/16

15 Regulations / Principles National Care Standards 15/16

16 Enforcement There has been no enforcement action against this service since the last inspection. Other Information None. Requirements Recommendations Recommendation 1 The nursery should continue to build on the very good established practice and further develop the role of children and parents in quality assurance processes. National Care Standards :Early education and childcare up to the age of 16 Standard 13 : Improving the service. Karen Lock Care Commission Officer 16/16