Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales

Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales

Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010

Child Minding and Day Care (Inspection and Information for Local

Authorities) (Wales) Regulations 2010

The Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Regulations 2010

Inspection Report

Meithrinfa Camau Bach (Aberystwyth)

Boulevard St Brieuc Aberystwyth

SY23 1PD

Type of Inspection – Focussed Date(s) of inspection – 19 September 2014

Date of publication – 16 October 2014

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Summary

Meithrinfa Camau Bach, which was registered by CSSIW in August 2005, offers a full day service through the medium of Welsh for up to a hundred and five children under eight years old at any time. The nursery is located in Mudiad Meithrin’s Integrated Training and Childcare Centre in Aberystwyth. They are financed by the Local Authority to provide education to three year old children and are inspected by Estyn. They have achieved a quality of care award and are part of national schemes in health and sustainability.

The provision is managed by Mudiad Meithrin Cyf and the responsible individuals for the company are Gwenllian Lansdown-Davies, Dona Lewis, Carys Gwyn Evans, Heather Davies-Rollinson and Leanne Marsh. Sioned Evans is the person in charge.

What type of inspection was carried out?

This was a scheduled unannounced inspection to look at the quality of life theme only and it was held on 19 September 2014. The following inspection methods were used:-

Talking with the children attending the nursery Talking with the person in charge and the staff Looking at some documentation and records

Observing the environment and the interaction between staff and children.

We also used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) to observe four children as they played. This tool enables inspectors to observe and record life from the child’s point of view, how they spend their time, their activities, their interaction with others and the sort of help they received.

What does the service do well?

The ratio of qualified staff exceeds what is required by the Minimum Standards. Most of the staff have valid and current first aid and child protection certificates.

Parents are informed about their children’s time in the setting through daily letters. The children’s health and welfare are promoted since the nursery takes part in the Healthy and Sustainable Pre-school Scheme and Designed to Smile.

The nursery has had a good inspection report from Estyn. The nursery has achieved a quality of care award.

The nursery was awarded level 5 by the Food Standards Agency.

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Quality of life

We (CSSIW) saw that the care offered in the setting is welcoming and that the children are safe, happy and comfortable with their carers and in their environment. The children enjoy a variety of indoor and outdoor experiences, including activities of their choice.

We saw that the children were occupied and had plenty of interesting things to do, since the staff planned a variety of activities that were appropriate for their age. We saw

activity plans, pictures and numerous examples of craft work that all provided evidence of the varied and stimulating activities offered. Amongst the activities observed were reading stories, singing, pasting and colouring and playing outdoors. We also saw that some of the babies had visited the sensory room during the morning and some of the older children went out for a walk after lunch to look at different houses, since the theme was homes.

The children receive care that matches their individual daily routines because we saw the staff following parents’ instructions when feeding children and encouraging them to sleep. We saw children sleeping on beds and in rocking chairs and some lay down and went straight to sleep and others wanted to have a member of staff sitting with them. The staff showed that they were aware of the children’s needs and allergies and they followed health programmes in some cases.

We saw that the children were encouraged to make their own choices because there was a good balance between free play and the focused tasks and the nursery promoted the Foundation Phase. We saw the children choosing their toys and in one section the children chose the story and the songs. There was a variety of suitable toys in each section that were within easy reach of the children.

The children experience warmth, attachment and a sense of belonging because they are cared for by a consistent team of qualified staff. We saw the staff respond warmly when children were unhappy or tired. The staff sat with the children and we saw them

encouraging and praising them appropriately. We saw children playing enthusiastically and happily and we heard some lovely conversations between the staff and the older children.

We saw the children benefiting from good health and hygiene practices because parents are asked to provide food and outdoor play is available in every session. The nursery takes part in the Healthy and Sustainable Pre-school Scheme and Designed to Smile.

Quality of staffing

In this inspection, we concentrated on the experience of the children using the service and the quality of life in the setting. We did not think we needed to look at the quality of staffing this time because they possessed appropriate child care qualifications and a number of them had worked in the nursery for a considerable time. Most of the staff held first aid and child protection qualifications.

During our observations using the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) tool, we saw very good interaction in the over twos areas but there was room for improvement in the interaction between staff and children in the under twos areas. For example we saw periods during dinner time and free play time when the conversation of the staff was basic at times rather than stimulating conversation that would extend the children’s vocabulary.

This theme will be considered in more detail in future inspections.

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Quality of leadership and management

In this inspection, we concentrated on the experience of the children using the service and the quality of life in the setting. We did not think we needed to look at the quality of leadership and management this time. The paperwork seen in the rooms and on the parents’ notice boards was comprehensive and tidy. Although they have a system to review the quality of care we believe that the report needs to be expanded because at present it only includes the parents’ opinions. We looked at five staff files and saw that they conformed with the regulations and we saw that the person in charge had begun the annual staff appraisals. The staff had shared their concerns about their working hours with the person in charge, who said that a staff meeting had been arranged and that this would be discussed.

However, this theme will be considered in more detail in future inspections.

Quality of environment

In this inspection, we concentrated on the experience of the children using the service and the quality of life in the setting. We did not think we needed to look at the quality of the environment this time because we saw that the premises were well maintained and the pictures, craft work and displays created a colourful and welcoming atmosphere. No problems with health and safety were found during the visit.

However the staff expressed their concerns about the cleanliness of the floors of the rooms and the fact that there were ants in some areas. This was discussed with the person in charge and she said that she was aware of this and had discussed it with the caretaker.

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How we inspect and report on services

Baseline inspections assess whether the registration of a service is justified and whether the conditions of registration are appropriate. For most services, we carry out these inspections every three years. Exceptions are registered child minders, out of school care, sessional care, crèches and open access provision, which are every four years.

At these inspections we check whether the service has a clear, effective Statement of Purpose and whether the service delivers on the commitments set out in its Statement of Purpose. In assessing whether registration is justified inspectors check that the service can demonstrate a history of compliance with regulations.

Focussed inspections consider the experience of people using services and we will look at compliance with regulations when poor outcomes for people using services are identified. We carry out these inspections in between baseline inspections. Focussed inspections will always consider the quality of life of people using services and may look at other areas.

Baseline and focussed inspections may be scheduled or carried out in response to concerns.

Inspectors use a variety of methods to gather information during inspections. These may include;

Talking with people who use services and their representatives Talking to staff and the manager

Looking at documentation

Observation of staff interactions with people and of the environment

Comments made within questionnaires returned from people who use services, staff and health and social care professionals

We inspect and report our findings under ‘Quality Themes’. Those relevant to each type of service are referred to within our inspection reports.

Further information about what we do can be found in our leaflet ‘Improving Care and Social Services in Wales’. You can download this from our website, Improving Care and Social Services in Wales or ask us to send you a copy by telephoning your local CSSIW regional office.