Big Country Children's Club
Day Care of Children
Crieff Hydro Hotel
Ferntower Road
Crieff
PH7 3LQ
Telephone: 01764 651727
Inspected by: Arlene Cattigan
Morag Skinner
Type of inspection: Unannounced
Inspection completed on: 9 July 2013
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Contents
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Summary
About the service we inspected
How we inspected this service
The inspection
Other information
Summary of grades
Inspection and grading history
Service provided by:
Crieff Hydro Childrens Club
Service provider number:
SP2003002156
Care service number:
CS2003010102
Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service:
Arlene Cattigan
Telephone 01383 841100
Email [email protected]
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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 4
Quality of Environment 5
Good
Very Good
Quality of Staffing 4
Good
Quality of Management and Leadership 4
Good
What the service does well
Big Country Children's Club provided a very good range of activities to meet the needs
of all age groups. With a strong management team at the helm they listened to the
views of children and parents alike and were constantly striving to improve their
service.
(Please note for the purpose of the report we will use the word 'parents' throughout
to mean those who are the main carers of the children in the parent's absence.)
What the service could do better
The manager agreed at inspection to:
• consider how best to settle in children who are upset on arrival;
• ensure accurate recording of accidents and incidents by all staff;
• encourage children to wash their hands after playing outdoors and before
eating their snack;
• ensure the written child protection line of accountability is clear for all staff;
• put locks on the crèche room pram store and the walk in cupboard in the
main playroom;
• ensure all staff (including key time support staff) attend a wider range of
training to further enhance their knowledge and skills and to support their ongoing professional development;
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• continue the on-going reviews for all staff which will identify their strengths,
areas for development and training needs;
• continue to monitor and evaluate all aspects of service delivery to highlight
the strengths of the service and areas for action and use the findings to
support the service's improvement agenda.
Please also refer to the areas for improvement under each quality statement in this
report where additional best practice suggestions have been made.
What the service has done since the last inspection
We specifically would like to mention that since the last inspection, there has been
increased involvement by children, parents and staff in the evaluation of the service
and their suggestions for improvement have been incorporated into the
improvements outlined within this report. The improved outcomes for the children
have been supported by the strong leadership which has developed within the
management team.
Some other key areas of work undertaken since the last inspection included:
• appointment of two managers, one full-time and one part-time;
• improved consultation with children and parents;
• put in place display of staff photographs and information for children and
parents;
• introduced a daily blackboard display to further enhance communication with
parents and children;
• given key time support staff more responsibilities within the setting, for
example wall displays;
• included helpful information to the children's activity programmes by
providing a 'most frequently asked questions' page;
• increased the number of room observations undertaken as part of improved
quality assurance process.
Conclusion
We saw that Big Country was popular with parents and children alike and that the
staff were enthusiastic and friendly. Families were made to feel welcome at the
registration desk on arrival and the great variety of activities on offer meant that
children had fun throughout the day, both indoors and outside.
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Who did this inspection
Arlene Cattigan
Morag Skinner
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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
www.scswis.com.
This service was previously registered with the Care Commission and transferred its
registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011.
Requirements and recommendations
If we are concerned about some aspect of a service, or think it needs to do more to
improve, 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 based on best practice or
the National Care Standards.
- A requirement is a statement which sets out what is required of a care service to
comply with the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 ("the Act") and secondary
legislation made under the Act, or a condition of registration. Where there are
breaches of Regulations, Orders or conditions, a requirement may be made.
Requirements are legally enforceable at the discretion of the Care Inspectorate.
Big Country operated within modern, purpose built childcare premises. The facility is
based within Crieff Hydro Hotel and is registered to care for a maximum of 140
children aged nought up to 16 years with the following use of rooms:A maximum of nine children aged nought to under two years to be cared for in the
Creche Room.
A maximum of seven children aged two up to 16 years to be cared for in the Den.
A maximum of 109 children aged two up to 16 years to be cared for in the Open Plan
Area.
A maximum of 15 children aged two up to 16 years to be cared for in the Adventure
Play Area.
In addition to the indoor space there is an adjoining garden with overhanging roof
providing a covered play area where the children can enjoy the outdoors in all
weathers. Big Country also makes use of the facilities in the hotel grounds and the
outdoor activity centre to further enhance outdoor experiences for children.
There were 63 children present on the morning of the inspection cared for by the
manager, depute manager, two supervisors, 13 childcare staff. Additionally, reception
staff welcomed parents and children as they arrived, answering queries and assisting
them with the completion of relevant documentation.
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Big Country's 'Mission Statement' informs:
'Big Country will provide a safe, stimulating, happy and nurturing environment where
children can play together happily and confidently.
Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following
grades:
Quality of Care and Support - Grade 4 - Good
Quality of Environment - Grade 5 - Very Good
Quality of Staffing - Grade 4 - Good
Quality of Management and Leadership - Grade 4 - Good
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
www.careinspectorate.com or by calling us on 0845 600 9527 or visiting one of our
offices.
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2 How we inspected this service
The level of inspection we carried out
In this service we carried out a low intensity inspection. We carry out these
inspections when we are satisfied that services are working hard to provide
consistently high standards of care.
What we did during the inspection
We wrote this report after an unannounced inspection. The inspection was carried out
by inspectors Arlene Cattigan and Morag Skinner. The inspection took place between
9.15am and 5.30pm on 09 July 2013, with the inspectors taking a break for lunch and
discussion about the inspection findings before giving feedback. The inspectors gave
feedback on the afternoon of the inspection to the manager, depute manager and the
hotel operations manager.
As requested by us, the service sent us an annual return. The service also sent us a
self-assessment form.
We provided the service with 20 questionnaires for parents of children using the
service. Six completed questionnaires were returned to us before the inspection.
In this inspection we gathered evidence from various sources, including the relevant
sections of policies, procedures, records and other documents:
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supporting evidence from the annual return and the self-assessment
mission statement
resort information
welcome leaflet
displayed information for children and parents
daily blackboard information
policies and procedures folder
displayed information for parents and children in reception
newsletters for parents and staff
activity programmes for different age groups
sample of children's records and consent forms
children's choice wall
talking story book
results of parents and children's surveys, questionnaires and comments and
suggestions cards
• daily register
• risk assessments
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accident and incident report forms
medical forms
displayed staff photographs and information
minutes of most recent staff meetings (May and June 2013)
sample of memos to staff
staff training calendar
sample of staff training certificates
sample of room observation forms
service's business plan
departmental action plan
certificate of registration
certificate of insurance.
We spoke with various people about the service, including:
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manager
depute manager
most staff
hotel operations manager
14 parents
14 children.
We spent time observing how staff interacted with the children. We also considered
the general environment and equipment used in the service.
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.
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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
www.firelawscotland.org
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What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made
at our last inspection
There were no recommendations made at the last inspection.
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
Comments on Self Assessment
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.
We received a completed self-assessment document from the service. We were very
satisfied with the way the service had completed this and with the relevant
information they had given us for each of the headings that we grade them under.
The service identified what they thought they did well, some areas for improvement
and any changes they had planned. The service also provided us with some examples
of how children's and parents' ideas and views had influenced the service provided.
Taking the views of people using the care service into account
Children's comments during the inspection included:
'I like to have fun and make new friends.'
'I'm just here for a wee holiday. I like drawing, pictures and going on the tractor.'
'We've got a whole box of chalk to use.'
'I'm too hot with this jumper on.'
'I've got juice in a cup and raisins.'
'I forgot to wash my hands before I ate my food.'
'I'd like to do clay modelling and swimming. They already do it but not when I've been
here.'
'I've been playing in the big castle and I've been to golf. I've liked table tennis and
snooker.'
'I've been a couple of times here and it's really good. I'd love to come again.'
'There's my little brother, he's upset. He likes to see me. He just wants a hug.'
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'I love it (Big Country). I don't know what my favourite thing is as there are so many
different things.'
'We wear fluorescent vests when we are outside because we might get mixed up. It's
so they know we're the five to sevens.'
Taking carers' views into account
We received six completed questionnaires from parents and we spoke to 14 parents at
the time of the inspection. Parents were very positive in their comments to us and
these included:
'Please note that this is a holiday club for children, not a preschool or nursery. I want
my children to have fun and socialise with other children. I have always found the
staff to be very helpful. My children love it and that is why we return year after year.'
'Kids have a whole range of things to do. It's great they have outside space to play in
fresh air. Ducks are a great attraction for X (child). I feel staff deal with kids who are
difficult very well, the session times are great, but wouldn't put X who is 5 to the 6.30
- 9.30 session in case it was an emergency, as she is too tired.'
'I find the facilities and all the team at Big Country are fantastic. My son X who is 3 ½
years old loves going there.'
'Both my children aged 4 and 2 have enjoyed every minute of their time at Big
Country. I was delighted today when my 2 year old daughter started to tell me the
story of the 'Three Little Pigs' which she'd obviously heard the night before. I feel the
staff are extremely helpful and enthusiastic. I would highly recommend the Big
Country club.'
'She (child) really likes it. We've been coming for a couple of years and she always
looks forward to coming here. The kids are really well looked after and the staff seem
to know them well. I am confident that they keep them (children) safe and
stimulated.'
'We've never been here before but were recommended the club by friends who come
here time after time. We're very happy with the childcare and the variety of activities
they get. X (child) is really young and has not been left anywhere before. We were
really pleased that staff phoned us last night when we were having our meal to say X
was upset. We feel reassured that they are watching her. We don't want her to be
upset as this is her holiday too.'
'She comes out skipping happily each day.'
'They always have a great time here.'
'More opportunities to bring the age groups together would be helpful.'
'They enjoyed themselves and were happy.'
'I feel confident with the staff, they recognise them from the previous day and
remember their names which shows they're paying attention.'
'We just dump them off so we don't really see what happens.'
'I think it's very well run.'
'There's lots of information if you take the time to read it.'
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'I used it for the first time yesterday. He'd a few problems settling in but they called
us and it was fine.'
'This is our first morning and the facilities look lovely. We're impressed so far.'
'Every time we come to stay at the hotel she's desperate to come here.'
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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: 4 - 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
We found the service had a very good performance in the areas covered by this
statement. We concluded this after we spoke with the senior management team,
staff, children and parents and reviewed information within the club.
The club had a range of methods in place to inform children and parents about the
service their children received and these included:
* verbal discussion
* displayed notices
* daily blackboard information
* welcome leaflet
* activity programmes
* digital photoframe
* regular newsletters
* website information.
We found that there were many different ways for children and parents to provide
feedback on the service they received. We have included some of the ways below:
Parents: We heard parents speaking with staff as they dropped off and collected their
children and we saw how comfortable and relaxed parents and staff were when
exchanging relevant information about the children. We saw the wide ranging
feedback that staff received from parents by way of thank you cards, emails,
comments cards, questionnaires, electronic surveys, survey monkey and trip advisor.
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Staff told us that, where contact addresses were provided, they responded to all
comments made, letting parents know that their views and ideas had been received
and any action taken as a result of their suggestions. Staff gave us some examples
where practice had changed as a result of parental feedback including: more
information is now provided to parents about Big Country when they book their hotel
accommodation, an information sheet has been added to activity programmes
answering some of the most frequently asked questions and parents are actively
encouraged to come into the club when dropping off their children to support the
initial settling in process and to meet the team leader who will be looking after their
children. Additionally, the regular newsletter informed, 'Big Country loves getting
feedback and hearing your suggestions for improving the facility' and continued by
explaining how parents' suggestions had been implemented. We were pleased to
note that so many responses from parents were very complimentary.
Children: Staff told us that they talked to the children each session and listened to the
children's suggestions. We looked at children's questionnaires, feedback sheets,
comments cards and emails where we saw written suggestions and feedback from
the children. We listened to the interactive 'talking story book' which recorded
children's views on the range of activities provided. Staff told us that children's
suggestions and ideas were used to plan activities and the environment, purchase
resources and influence staff recruitment and uniform. Some examples included;
children had been asked what magazines they would like added to the regular
magazine delivery and as a result 'Kick' (a footballing magazine) and the 'National
Geographic Kids' are now available; children asked for more games, jigsaws and bikes
and these were bought; one child asked for table tennis competitions and this is now
in place; another child asked for parachute games and these have now been reintroduced to the activity programme; children had voted on the colour of staff polo
shirts and the colours chosen were now worn by staff; and children have been
involved in the garden development and the purchase of the fish and items for the
fish tank.
Areas for improvement
We asked the manager and her staff team to continue to provide a variety of ways to
consult with children and their parents; to continue to collate the information and
provide feedback to them on the action taken as a result of their ideas and
suggestions.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Statement 3
We ensure that service users' health and wellbeing needs are met.
Service strengths
We found the service had a good performance in the areas covered by this statement.
We concluded this after we spoke with the senior management team, staff, children
and parents, reviewed information within the club and observed practice.
At the point of registration, parents completed forms detailing the children's
emergency contacts, doctor's details and any special requirements. A register was
completed at the reception desk clearly recording each child's arrival and departure.
This meant that the service had access to this information at all times and that the
registers were maintained accurately throughout the session.
Staff: child ratios were seen to be good and staff worked well together. The children
were happy and enthusiastic within the setting and we saw that they were
comfortable asking questions and giving their views to staff throughout the
inspection.
Children were divided into age groups along with their friends and with some
consideration for whether or not they wanted to be with their siblings of similar ages
for part of the day. This meant that they could spend some time together if they
wanted. We also saw older siblings helping to settle younger ones into the setting if
they were upset.
We saw that children benefited from a wide range of equipment and resources
throughout the day. These supported the activities which they were participating in.
Staff had a detailed plan for the day but it allowed for adaptations to be made
throughout the session ensuring that activities were balanced to allow some to be
child led. One child told us:
"Sometimes we get free play to do what we want. I like to make things like paper
aeroplanes. We're never short of things to use."
The club promoted children's health and wellbeing. The manager confirmed that
indoor and outdoor active and energetic play was an important feature of the club's
programme. We saw children enjoying play in the soft play area with ball pools and
imaginative play in the enormous castle. In the outdoor area, they particularly enjoyed
the scooters and bikes as well as quieter moments in the big boat and the wooden
house where they enjoyed adventures and chatting in small groups with their new
friends. The regular newsletter with accompanying photographs provided parents with
examples of children enjoying a range of outdoor play activities. Parents told us that
they were pleased their children went outdoors as often as they did.
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Although the club did not provide food to the children the literature informed parents
that they were welcome to supply foods which would be given to the children at
snack time. We saw a group of children aged two to four years sit and enjoy snack in
the Farmyard area and children in the age group eight to 12 years took their snack out
to the football ground. Throughout the session, which was particularly sunny and hot,
we saw staff regularly offer drinks of water to the children and remind them of the
importance of drinking water. This kept children hydrated as they played.
We heard staff reminding parents to supply sunscreen for their children and
throughout the day they were mindful of the need for shade to ensure that children
did not suffer from over exposure to the sun. As a result children enjoyed time inside
as well as benefiting from fresh air and exercise with a variety of activities set up
outdoors for them. Children's comments included:
'I like going outside. The Victoria garden is great. It has benches and we played Splat
there.'
'I don't want to go out in the garden.'
'We're doing splatter painting in the garden.'
'We're doing marble art outside and we can take it home once it's dry. The one we've
already made is over there.'
All full-time staff were trained in first aid, which meant that there were first aiders on
each and every session who would be able to deal with all minor accidents which
could occur during the hours of operation.
The hotel's health and safety manager visited the club to conduct an annual audit of
the facility, staff training records and risk assessments. The senior management team
told us that a recent audit had been carried out and the findings proved to be very
positive. This audit supported club staff to maintain a safe, secure and healthy
environment for the children attending.
Areas for improvement
We saw that accidents were not all well recorded. More detail should be recorded as
to which leg for example had been hurt. Some staff told us that the person dealing
with the accident should sign the accident form. However we did not see evidence of
this on the accident forms. Several forms did not have any staff signature as neither
the staff member nor management had signed the form. Not all forms contained the
children's surnames. This meant that the accident forms were not being audited or
these errors would have been noticed. (See requirement 1.)
We saw that children were not encouraged to wash their hands on returning indoors
after playing outside and before eating or drinking. This meant that they were at
potential risk of harm from the spread of infection. (See requirement 2.)
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We saw that a few young children were upset and unsettled when they arrived at the
club at the beginning of the session. Staff told us that a couple of the children had
not been at the club before and a couple were maybe tired from the previous
evening's activities. (See recommendation 1.)
We made some further suggestions for improvement:
• We saw one child in the crèche using a dummy. When we asked staff how
they would deal with the dummy if it fell on the floor they said that they
would run it under the tap instead of using the Milton which was available for
the purpose. This meant that inappropriate procedures were in place for the
management of children's dummies to prevent the potential spread of
infection.
• There was a clear system in place for informing staff at each session of any
children in attendance with medical or additional support needs. We found
that one staff member knew a child in her care had asthma but she did not
know which child it was. This meant that she did not know to be observing
that particular child for trigger signs of his/her asthma. Consideration should
be given to how to further improve the current system in place.
• We saw that each family was asked to complete one consent and medication
form. This had the potential to lead to confusion although we saw that
separate medication forms were completed if medication was required. The
service should review the procedure for storing children's information to
improve clarity and minimise the risk of errors.
• We noted that some children did not wear aprons whilst playing in the water
tray and some did get wet. Staff agreed that the aprons needed to be located
beside the water tray to help children remember to put aprons on.
Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good
Number of requirements: 2
Number of recommendations: 1
Requirements
1. The provider must ensure that each accident and incident report is completed
accurately and signed by the staff member witnessing the accident. The provider
must also ensure that the completion of accident and incident records becomes
part of the auditing process.
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This is in order to comply with:
The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for
Care Services) Regulations 2011 SSI 2011/210 Regulation 4(1)(a)&(d) Welfare
of users.
Timescale for implementation: upon receipt of this report.
2. The provider must ensure that children are encouraged to wash their hands before
eating food and particularly if they have been playing outside.
This is in order to comply with:
The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for
Care Services) Regulations 2011 SSI 2011/210 Regulation 4(1)(a)&(d) Welfare
of users.
Timescale for implementation: upon receipt of this report.
Recommendations
1. It is recommended that staff consider how best to settle children who are upset on
arrival with a suggestion that senior staff monitor the situation, designate support
staff to help settle any child who needs support and provide training for staff
specifically about settling young children in.
National Care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16.
Standard 3: Health and wellbeing.
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Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment
Grade awarded for this theme: 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
Evidence gathered for quality statement 1.1 was also considered for this quality
statement.
Areas for improvement
Please see the area for improvement under 1.1 and in particular the service should
seek parents' and children's views on the indoor and outdoor environment.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Statement 2
We make sure that the environment is safe and service users are protected.
Service strengths
We found the service had a very good performance in the areas covered by this
statement. We concluded this after we spoke with the senior management team,
staff, children and parents, reviewed information within the club and examined the
environment.
The environment was bright, colourful, well decorated, well maintained and very well
resourced. There was an abundance of natural light and it was maintained at a
comfortable temperature for children and adults alike.
We saw children's work displayed and there was an abundance of information for
parents to keep them up to date with the operation of the club.
We saw that there were a range of policies, procedures and cleaning schedules in
place that helped staff to keep the environment safe, secure and clean for the
children. We saw that the environment had been risk assessed in order to reduce the
risks to children and adults.
We saw very good procedures in place in relation to the security of the children within
the premises and at collection times. This included a controlled entry system with a
coded locking system and high handles fitted to the doors. We noticed that when
children returned to parents at the end of a session the parent had to produce a
security disk to ensure that no errors were made at the point of collection.
We saw that the toilets next to the playrooms were easily accessed by the children
and this meant that they could be independent and safe within a secure environment.
We saw that the club's outdoor play area was secure and this meant that parents
could be assured that children could not slip out unnoticed and that strangers could
not enter.
We noticed that when children left the facility to enjoy games within the grounds of
Crieff Hydro they all wore fluorescent bibs to make them visible to all guests and
those driving round the grounds.
We saw that staff had received information about child protection during their
induction training day and at regular intervals thereafter. They told us that they felt
very confident of their responsibilities in this area. All staff we spoke to knew who the
child protection officers were and they knew who to go to if a concern arose.
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Children were supervised throughout their time at the club with the senior
management team ensuring appropriate staff: child ratios were maintained both
indoors and out.
The club displayed an up to date public liability insurance certificate.
Areas for improvement
We made the following suggestions for improvement:
• We saw that the child protection flowchart was open to interpretation. Upon
examination of the chart it appeared as though staff had to go to the hotel's
Duty Host before reporting any concerns to Perth and Kinross child protection
team. Staff should be made aware that they can go directly to the child
protection team whilst informing the Duty Host of their course of action.
• We found that the store cupboard for toys and cleaning equipment in the
main playroom and a cupboard containing buggies in the crèche room were
not locked. Whilst we did not see any child attempting to access these
cupboards we ask that both should have snibs or locks on them to prevent
children's access and to keep them safe.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing
Grade awarded for this theme: 4 - Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of staffing in the service.
Service strengths
Evidence gathered for quality statement 1.1 was also considered for this quality
statement.
Areas for improvement
Please see the area for improvement under 1.1 and in particular the service should
seek parents' and children's views on staffing.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Statement 3
We have a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National
Care Standards, legislation and best practice.
Service strengths
We found the service had a good performance in the areas covered by this statement.
We concluded this after we spoke with the senior management team, staff, children
and parents, reviewed information within the club and observed staff practice.
The staff team on duty on the morning of the inspection comprised of one of the two
managers, depute manager, two supervisors, 13 childcare staff and two reception
staff. Relevant staff were appropriately qualified and experienced and this contributed
to positive outcomes for children. All staff had attended child protection training.
Each age group had a dedicated supervisor supported by a rotating team of childcare
assistants and key time support staff.
We saw that staff were happy, friendly and motivated and we noted that all staff had
positive relationships with the children, parents and each other. The senior
management team told us that staff worked hard and willingly together to ensure
children had a good experience when attending Big Country. We acknowledged that
with such a large staff team (approximately 62 members), made up of full-time and
part-time staff and key time support staff, that team building and team cohesiveness
was essential to ensure the smooth running of the service.
The senior management team told us about the ways they motivated and supported
staff to carry out their work and this included:
• Staff received a planned and thorough induction and for those key time staff
returning after a period of absence, for example attending university, there
were refresher and training days.
• Staff attended team building events within the club setting and joined hotel
colleagues at bigger social events such as the recent Hawaiian evening.
• Staff sat together as a large group at 'lunch' time to relax and chat.
• Staff attended monthly team meetings with a training element. We saw the
minutes of the last two team meetings (May and June 2013) and we noted
that a variety of relevant topics were discussed to ensure the smooth running
of the club.
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•
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• Staff attended monthly training sessions. The annual training calendar
showed the range of training staff had attended in the previous six months
and the training topics arranged for the next months, examples included child
protection, infection control, behaviour management, brains functions, PreBirth to Three, programme planning and practical working together. We saw
staff received a certificate for all training attended.
• The staff room notice board kept staff up to date and they were given regular
'memos' which relayed important information.
• Staff attended pre-session and end of session briefings. We joined the presession team briefing on the morning of the inspection at which staff
reflected on the previous evening's session and were provided with relevant
information for the session ahead. We heard staff volunteer to work in the
different areas within the setting with good humoured banter taking place
within the group.
• There was a quarterly staff newsletter which was interesting and informative.
We saw that the last newsletter had articles about 'Getting to know the team'
and 'An insight into life of a supervisor'.
• We saw a number of ways that illustrated that staff were being valued. When
individuals received a personal mention from parents their names were
displayed on posters and a bonus was given. One staff member had recently
been awarded a hotel Smile Award for exceptionally good service within the
reception area. This meant that management were aware that the success of
the service was dependent on employing an enthusiastic and motivated staff
team.
There were creatively displayed photographs and information about the staff in the
club's reception area and this ensured children and parents could easily identify the
individual staff members. There was also information about staff in the club's
newsletter to keep children and parents up to date with staffing, for example the
most recent newsletter had a photograph and accompanying article about the 'Onesie
Day' where staff dressed up to support the Sunday Mail's Centenary Fund for 17
different children's charities.
Areas for improvement
We identified that not all staff had had appraisals and that this included key time
support staff. The senior management team acknowledged this and told us that a
newly improved system was about to be introduced. (See Recommendation 1.)
Whilst we saw that all staff could access a range of training opportunities it is
essential that all key time support workers also take up these opportunities.
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It is suggested that the manager continues to encourage support staff to begin the
process of applying for registration with SSSC as this will be compulsory from June
2014. SSSC advise that nearer the time there will be a backlog of applications which
may mean that not all applications are processed in time.
Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 1
Recommendations
1. It is recommended that all staff including key time support staff attend regular one
to one sessions and annual appraisals which will provide a forum in which their
performance is reviewed and training and development needs identified. Written
records of one to one meetings and annual appraisals should be kept for future
reference.
National Care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16.
Standard 12: Confidence in staff.
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Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership
Grade awarded for this theme: 4 - 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
Evidence gathered for quality statement 1.1 was also considered for this quality
statement.
Areas for improvement
Please see the area for improvement under 1.1 and in particular the service should
seek parents' and children's views on management and leadership.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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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
We found the service had a good performance in the areas covered by this statement.
We concluded this after we spoke with the senior management team, staff, children
and parents, reviewed information within the club and observed practice.
There were two managers working in the service, one working full-time and the other
part-time. We commended the provider for taking such a responsible approach as this
ensured management cover at all times.
Both managers shared the overall responsibility for the club and supported the staff
team. They were visible within the club and this ensured staff and parents could talk
to them if they had a query. The manager we met at inspection explained about the
senior management team's division of roles and responsibilities. She told us that this
was working well and that these had been clearly communicated to staff to ensure
there was no confusion. The manager also told us about the hotel's focus on
management training and how much the managers were benefiting from this.
We met the hotel's operations manager at feedback, demonstrating his commitment
and support to the senior management team and staff as they carried out their work.
The operations manager made unannounced visits to the club to assure quality and
he met with the managers monthly to review practice and to discuss any other
relevant matters.
As previously noted the hotel's health and safety manager conducted an annual audit
of the facility, staff training records and risk assessments and the findings were used
to improve practice.
The two managers and the depute talked informally each day and they met as a
senior management team each week to discuss all operational issues. They also
carried out room observations and we saw the records kept. The senior management
team shared key information with staff through daily briefings and team meetings.
The departmental action plan identified the priorities staff were working on.
We found that the club used a wide range of methods to seek and respond to the
views of children and parents about the quality of the service they received; and this
has resulted in the 'very good' grades being awarded for 'consultation' at this
inspection.
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We were pleased to note that the operations manager and the club's senior
management team were clearly committed to improvement, and discussion through
the inspection and at feedback demonstrated that they were continually seeking new
ways to further develop the service. We asked the service to keep up the good work
we saw at this inspection and acknowledged that this service is going from strength
to strength.
Areas for improvement
We suggested to the manager that perhaps an annual quality assurance calendar
would be useful to keep track of all monitoring and the performance of staff. The
calendar could help identify priority areas of work for the future.
We also discussed the need to continue using different methods in the monitoring
and evaluation processes in place to help identify the strengths of the club, and
support key areas for improvement. Written evidence of all monitoring and evaluation
carried out should be kept and a record kept of any action carried out. This will help
the senior management team review and evaluate all aspects of the service and
inform the improvement plan.
Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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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
There is no other information to be included in this report relevant to the inspection.
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).
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5 Summary of grades
Quality of Care and Support - 4 - Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 3
4 - Good
Quality of Environment - 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 2
5 - Very Good
Quality of Staffing - 4 - Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 3
4 - Good
Quality of Management and Leadership - 4 - Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 4
4 - Good
6 Inspection and grading history
Date
Type
Gradings
7 Aug 2012
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
4 - Good
4 - Good
4 - Good
4 - Good
11 Jul 2011
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
4 - Good
Not Assessed
Not Assessed
4 - Good
19 Apr 2010
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
4 - Good
4 - Good
4 - Good
4 - Good
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20 Aug 2009
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
3 - Adequate
3 - Adequate
3 - Adequate
3 - Adequate
2 Jul 2008
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
4 - Good
4 - Good
4 - Good
4 - Good
All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former
regulator of care services, the Care Commission.
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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 0845 600 9527.
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:
www.careinspectorate.com or by telephoning 0845 600 9527.
Translations and alternative formats
This inspection report is available in other languages and formats on request.
Telephone: 0845 600 9527
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.careinspectorate.com
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