New inspection report welcomes improvements at Nairn childcare centre Junior World following strong criticism in March

A NAIRN childcare centre has been recognised for ongoing improvement made in the past months by a recent Care inspectorate report.

In the report the inspectors found that at Junior World Daycare Centre, which is run by Highland charity Care and Learning Alliance (CALA), the children attending were experiencing 'warm, caring and nurturing approaches from staff' and that "recent improvements to the resources and equipment within the indoor spaces helped to provide a comfortable, inviting and welcoming experience for children and families".

The welcomed report comes after the centre faced strong criticism in a report published in March 2023 which stated that the health and safety of children at the nursery were put at risk.

Back then the nursery received a serious concern letter about the risk of children leaving the service without a responsible adult and the risk of strangers being able to enter the premises.

Now, the new report has graded the setting and staff of the centre as "good" and care, play and learning and leadership were marked as "adequate", marking a stark difference from the March report in which they scored the lowest grade in most of those elements.

According to the latest report, the manager and staff team reviewed the security of the premises and steps were taken to ensure that the premises were secure at all times, ensuring the main door was locked at all times and implementing a safer system for families entering and leaving the service during the day, a requirement which was met within the timescale provided by the Care Inspectorate.

Jaci Douglas, chief executive of CALA, said: "The recent inspection report is to be welcomed as it recognises the huge amount of work and effort made over the past few months supporting the staff and the setting with the improvements that are being seen in Junior World. I want to express huge thanks to the whole staff team for their hard work, dedication and professionalism in their work to help ensure that the children at Junior World have the best experiences, care and nurture to support their learning and development. Grateful thanks also goes to the parents, the children, Care Inspectorate and Highland Council for their partnership approach and support for the improvements.

"We are especially pleased to see the recognition from both Care Inspectorate and parents for the staff's care and nurture. The report states "the staff team were welcoming and caring and committed to providing a positive experience for all children. They were warm and friendly in their approach which promoted a happy and inclusive environment where children could play and have fun."

Ms Douglas added "CALA has continuous improvement at the heart of all that we do. I also congratulate the sterling collegiate effort from CALA's management, quality and practice support team who have gone above and beyond to ensure staff, children and parents continue to work together to provide best experiences at Junior World."

The full report is available on the Care Inspectorate's website.

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