An after-school club has once again been criticised for a rap sheet of failures including making food for children without staff being hygiene certified and workers not understanding child protection rules.
An unannounced visit by the Care Inspectorate to J Puddleducks Childcare in Dyce in December also found vital GP contact details were missing and children’s personal plans were not being reviewed properly.
The spot check took place two months after a full inspection rated the management and leadership as ‘weak’ and the club “adequate” for care and support, environment and staffing.
However one parent told inspectors that their children enjoy the club so much ‘they don’t want to come home’. Children also made comments to inspectors expressing that they were happy with the service provided, they have more choices than before and enjoyed going to the club.
In previous inspections, management and leadership was rated unsatisfactory in March 2014 and staffing given the same lowest ranking in February 2015.
In their latest report, the watchdog said: “Personal plans continued to have some information missing such as GP contact details and start dates. We were aware of an issue within the service which should have resulted in a clear plan about how an individual child should be supported.
“This information however was not in place. Personal plans had not been reviewed every six months in line with legislation.”
It went on: “Two of the three staff had current food hygiene certificates. A member of staff who did not have a current food hygiene certificate helped with serving snacks. We advised the manager that there needed to be more clarification about what staff can and can’t do when they haven’t yet received the required food hygiene training and that they should then ensure this is complied with.
“The service’s child protection policy now refers to the national guidance. The policy still required some further development which was discussed with the manager during feedback. Not all staff were fully familiar with the policy.”
The club has two venues, one at Victoria Street and another at Station Road, which was ravaged by fire in a November 22 blaze which also gutted chip shop Sea, Salt and Sole. Kind-hearted businesses and members of the public rallied to provide donations of cash and goods in the wake of the incident. The club has been running sessions at Dyce Community Centre for children who attended Station Road.
