A CHILD care service in Dundee is striving to turn things around after being criticised in a recent inspection report.
Aberfoyle at St Luke’s in Downfield — which provides care to a total of 42 children aged 0 to 16 years at any one time — received a rating of “weak” in all four key areas of a Care Inspectorate report.
Inspectors observed “very poor experiences for children of all ages” and identified a “staffing crisis”.
In the report, they said: “The quality of the service had declined since the last inspection and there had been a very disappointing response to the areas identified for improvement.
“We were very concerned to note that the progress seen at the last inspection had not been sustained and that opportunities for children to reach their potential were seen to be significantly weaker.
“The constant staffing pressures are a key factor in the poor and declining standards observed. The service has too few sufficiently skilled, experienced and able practitioners to support the development of the trainees.”
Inspectors said many resources were old, damaged, incomplete or age inappropriate, and there were was not enough emphasis on numeracy and literacy.
Inspectors did note that the service provided flexible care that parents were satisfied with, and that it promoted healthy eating, providing healthy, freshly prepared meals and snacks for children with the report adding: “Staff had established open and friendly relationships with parents and children.”
Owner Jan Brown said she was determined to turn things around, adding: “After making progress in our last inspection in April 2015, it’s very disappointing to see that we did not perform particularly well on the most recent inspection in April 2016 due to three members of staff being absent.
“We’ve made staff changes since this inspection and our current staff are committed to providing good outcomes for all children. We’ve been working closely with the Care Inspectorate and have now met all recommendations and continue to work on the requirements set in the given timescales.
“We had a recent visit from the Care Inspectorate on June 21, where they commented on significant improvements in the staff, environment and the nursery over all.”