Children were found to be unsafe at an Aberdeenshire breakfast out of school club because staff didn’t keep a proper register, a Care Inspectorate report has found.
Inspectors said an electronic record of attendance at Hillside Breakfast and Out of School Club in Portlethen was found to be inaccurate, which put children at risk of leaving the building unsupervised.
Staff have since introduced a paper register.
The unannounced inspection of the children’s day care service, run by Flexible Childcare Services Scotland and located in Hillside School, took place on November 22 and 23.
Registered for 48 school-aged children, the inspection ranked the service on a number of different of different criteria using a six point scale, with one being unsatisfactory and six being excellent.
Setting, leadership and care, play and learning were graded as weak. With the staff team graded as adequate.
Children and families not protected
The Care Inspectorate said: “Children and families were not protected through robust safeguarding procedures”.
Staff it said were “not confident in who to go to” with concerns.
Children’s information did not contain enough detail and staff had not “carried out risk assessments of the environment”.
The inspection found that staff “were not sufficiently challenged to raise standards”.
Staff were also not told the numbers of children who would be in at the service each day, which led to more concerns about safety.
‘We remain committed’
A spokesman for Flexible Childcare Services Scotland said: “Although we are disappointed with Care Inspectorate’s most recent findings we are pleased that they recognise that children were happy to attend and were supported by caring staff, and that children were effectively supervised to support their safety, health and wellbeing.
“Almost all of the Care Inspectorate’s concerns have now been addressed, for instance, we have now redeveloped the children’s personal plans to reflect all of their individual needs and these are now being implemented.
“We are also reviewing chronologies and are working with the team so that they are all up to date and are aware of significant milestones.
“All in all, we remain committed to providing high-quality, sustainable, flexible childcare and are confident that the steps we have taken to date, along with ongoing improvement plans, will ensure that this service meets the required standards for children and families in Hillside.”
Conversation