A Helensburgh childminder whose service was deemed ‘unsatisfactory’ by Scotland's care watchdog has made significant steps forward, according to a new report.

But the Care Inspectorate says more improvements are still required at Aiste Gvildyte's service in the town.

Ms Gvildyte's operation was visited by the Care Inspectorate between August 31 and September 5 - following an earlier assessment between November 24 and December 1 last year.

The watchdog's initial report, published in January, rated the service's setting and leadership as 'unsatisfactory' - and said its staff team and the quality of care, play and learning were 'weak'.

All four areas have shown improvement in the new report - with the setting and staff team now described as 'good', and its leadership, along with its care, play and learning, both 'adequate'.

The original report criticised Ms Gvildyte for providing her service at a different location to the one specified in her registration without telling the regulator.

In its latest report, the Care Inspectorate says Ms Gvildyte showed a “strong commitment to making the necessary improvements highlighted at the last inspection” and notes that “the standard of care for children had improved”.

They also commented on the “warm and nurturing care” Ms Gvildyte provided to the children, her focus on outdoor play, and her keenness to develop her skills.

However, the report says Ms Gvildyte still has to “develop formal quality assurance processes, including self-evaluation, to support continuous improvement”.

The latest report states: “The childminder demonstrated a nurturing approach to caring for the minded children, offering children warm and affectionate care.

“The childminder had continued with effective approaches discussed at the last inspection, which helped her get to know the children and their families before they started helping both children and families settle well into the service.

“The childminder's approach to play and activities had become more child-centred and responsive to the children's interests, wishes and level of skill.

“The childminder told us that children were always asked what they would like to do and then they chose from these ideas as a group.

“The childminder was more confident about her responsibilities to keep children safe and had developed basic risk assessments for her home and garden, which identified hazards and control measures needed to keep children safe.

“Through regular communication with the parents and children, the childminder was able to provide a service that met the needs and interests of the children she was caring for.

“The childminder was keen to develop her skills and practice and had recently registered with the local authority to participate in a range of training sessions to underpin her knowledge and enhance her practice.

“This demonstrated that the childminder had reflected on her knowledge and practice and was able to identify where there were gaps or enhancement needed.”

Ms Gvildyte was given two requirements to meet by the Inspectorate after her last assessment, and was found to have met them both.

She was required to ensure that the premises are safe to be used for childminding and at a minimum: “(a) ensure compliance with fire safety legislation, (b) ensure the premises are decorated and maintained to a standard appropriate for the care service, (c) ensure a valid certification of public liability is in place for the premises.”

The Inspectorate also required her to “ensure that the service is provided at all times in accordance with relevant legislation, the Health and Social Care Standards and Care Inspectorate procedures for registered services.”

The Care Inspectorate also gave two ‘areas for improvement’, one of which has since been met, though another is still in place.

Ms Gvildyte was asked to “develop formal risk assessments to help her keep children safe” and was found to have done so adequately.

She was also asked to “continue to develop children's personal plans and ensure that the information is fully completed, kept up to date and reviewed every six months, or before, dependent on the needs of the child.”

While the watchdog noted some progress, they also said improvements must be made as some children were involved in plans including their sibling - which was deemed inadequate for their personal needs.

When contacted by the Advertiser, Ms Gvildyte declined to comment on the latest report.