A Bristol childminder has quit and closed down after Ofsted found her “aggressive” dog kept knocking over toddlers and that they put its “toys and bones in their mouths”. The Staple Hill woman was “frequently too busy trying to manage” the pet’s behaviour, picking up toys and rocking kids in buggies to look after youngsters properly, according to a watchdog.
Government inspectors also discovered that “units containing toys fall forward on to children” and that she would turn on the TV to try to reduce the “chaos” but that it only added to the noise and disrupted tots trying to sleep. Ofsted rated the childminder as inadequate and were set to issue a welfare notice requiring urgent improvements but she instead chose to resign her registration.
Its report published this month following the inspection in January said: “Children’s safety is not assured, due to the childminder’s poor knowledge of risk assessment. She fails to identify and minimise hazards that might cause potential injury.
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“Hygiene practices are poor. The childminder does not take appropriate steps to prevent the spread of infection. This puts children’s health at risk. She is unable to manage children’s behaviour or interact with them appropriately, due to the loud and chaotic environment.
“Children are often unable to sleep due to the noise levels and lack of organisation. The childminder does not understand how children learn. She does not have appropriate expectations for children’s development. For example, she expects children of a young age to be able to dress themselves and identify letters.”
The report said the childminder did not recognise risks to ensure the premises were safe. “The childminder’s dog frequently knocks children over,” it said.
“At times, the dog becomes aggressive towards the childminder. She fails to identify this risk or protect children by removing the dog from the area.
“The space used for childminding is not appropriate for the number and age of the children. As a result of this, children play and jump on the sofa, often with the dog also present on the sofa.
“Dog toys litter the floor, along with children’s toys. The dog frequently chews children’s toys, which they play with afterwards.
“Children put dog toys and bones in their mouths, which spread germs and increases their risk of other infections.” Ofsted said the woman often exceeded required ratios so the environment was “disorganised” and loud.
“Children wander around, throwing toys and tipping out boxes,” it said. “Sleeping children are frequently disturbed, which impacts on their well-being.
“Children do not have their care and learning needs met. Activities lack focus and do not engage the children, who frequently argue and snatch toys from each other.”
The report said the childminder did not teach youngsters to self-regulate their behaviour and that she would tell them to “play nicely” but do nothing more when they continued to argue. It said she did not acknowledge or nurture some youngsters who tried to resolve disputes by telling others they had made them sad.
“As a result, children do not learn the difference between right and wrong,” the report said. “The childminder is frequently too busy trying to manage the dog’s behaviour, picking up toys and rocking children in buggies to be able to interact effectively with children.
“She is often unable to support children when they are upset, which impacts on their emotional well-being. At times, she puts the television on to try to reduce the chaos.
“However, this adds to the noise levels and disrupts children’s play and rest further.” She resigned on January 30, having looked after up to six children, who were aged one and two at the time of inspection, from Mondays to Thursdays since 2011.
Meanwhile, a separate childminder, also from Staple Hill, also quit just two days later following an Ofsted rating of inadequate and threat of a welfare requirements notice. Its report said she used an unvetted household member as an assistant, leaving them in sole charge of youngsters.
The report said “children’s safety and welfare cannot be assured” and they were at “significant risk of harm”. “The childminder does not work effectively with parents to support children’s toilet training,” it said.
“This means children who are due to start school are still in nappies.” Neither childminder was named.
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