Minding the minders
A Tadworth childminder who did not tell Ofsted about changes to the adults living in her house has been given an inadequate rating. Inspectors said the childminder had breached requirements resulting in “a significant impact on children’s safety and overall welfare”.
The childminder’s details are not given in the report published this month by Ofsted.
Inspectors said suitability checks had not been completed on all household members because the regulator had not been informed of the changes to adults living there and therefore children were not safeguarded.
The report said: “Leadership and management are inadequate. The childminder has not identified breaches of the statutory requirements that have a significant impact on children’s safety and personal development.”
The inspection, which was carried out in February, rated the childminder inadequate overall and in the areas of “personal development” and “leadership and management”.
But the rating for “quality of education” and “behaviour and attitudes” were both good.
At the time of the inspection, there were six children on the roll.
Inspectors said the childminder was able to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and knew what steps to take to protect the children she cared for.
They said she refreshed her safeguarding knowledge regularly, had a secure understanding of wider safeguarding issues, and carried out regular risk assessments on her home.
The report said: “Children feel happy and are settled with the childminder, who takes the time to get to know them well.
“Children confidently move around the environment and show curiosity as they explore the resources and activities that have been set up for them.”
According to inspectors, the childminder focussed on supporting children’s emotional well-being, including looking at family photographs with the children to talk about what made them happy.
Inspectors said: “Parents are happy with the care and education that the childminder provides.
“They are complimentary about the care their children receive.”
At the previous inspection in 2015, the childminder met the standards required by inspectors.
Ofsted would not comment on individual inspections. The regulator reinspects inadequate providers within six months of the latest inspection.