“Significant and serious” concerns have been identified at a care service for children in Dunfermline.
Touch Trust provides day care for children from St Margaret’s Parish Church in Abel Place.
It has been warned that unless significant improvements are made by July 18 it faces being closed down.
The Care Inspectorate says it has concerns about medication, transportation, supervision and environmental risk.
Full details will be revealed in due course.
‘Distressing time for children and families’ at Dunfermline care service
A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: “An inspection has identified serious and significant concerns about the quality of care experienced by children at Touch Trust in Dunfermline.
“We understand this is a difficult and distressing time for the children, their families and staff at the service.
“However, our first priority is always the health and wellbeing of children.”
The statement continued: “Because of our concerns we have issued an improvement notice to the service.
“This sets out the significant improvements that must be made within a specified timeframe.
“We are in contact with the service and are monitoring them to follow up on the required improvements.”
The inspectorate wrote in a letter to Touch Trust that it is “not operating with the required regulations.”
It continued: “Unless there is a significant improvement in provision of the service, it intends to make a proposal to cancel your registration.”
5 improvements required at Touch Trust
The care watchdog has listed five improvements to be carried out.
These are:
- Supervision – the provider must ensure children are safe and accounted for at all times by deploying staff in a way that provides effective supervision of
children and meets their rights, needs and choices. - Staff skills and knowledge – the provider must make proper provision for the health, welfare and safety of children. To achieve this, the provider must ensure there are sufficient numbers of staff working in the service to effectively meet children’s needs.
- Medication – the provider must ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of
children is protected by staff implementing safe medication procedures. - Environmental risk – the provider must ensure children are safe and protected from harm. To achieve this, the provider must ensure staff are identifying and responding to risks.
- Use of transport – the provider must make proper provision for the health, safety and wellbeing of children. To achieve this, the provider must demonstrate to the Care Inspectorate that a system is in place to ensure the service is responsible for transporting children and that they are safely transported at all times.
Touch Trust’s website says it is “dedicated to relieving poverty and promoting education.”
It adds: “Touch Trust actively works to reduce anti-social behaviour in communities.”
‘Significant steps taken’ to address Care Inspectorate concerns
A Touch Trust spokesperson said: “As a local charity, we were alerted to the immediate need for childcare in the area following the closure of Garvock Out of School Club.
“We stepped in to set up a service, at a time when no other providers were willing to do so.
“While there have been some early teething problems, which are to be expected with a service in its infancy, the safety and wellbeing of the children in our care is and always has been our top priority.
“We have already taken significant steps to address the issues raised by the Care Inspectorate and we are working closely with local partners and relevant authorities to ensure that we are taking appropriate and effective actions to remedy the shortcomings identified.
“We remain fully committed to improving and to delivering a high-quality service that the community can rely on.”
Conversation