Integrated Early Years and Childcare Strategy

Introductory Statement

SPPA is the national voluntary intermediary agency supporting over 1500 pre-school groups for over 42,000 children under five years of age, the majority of which are in the voluntary sector. Each member group is autonomous and provides sessional day care and/or pre-school education for children within local communities, throughout each of the thirty two Local Authorities in Scotland.

SPPA welcomes the opportunity to contribute a response to this consultation on the Scottish Executive’s Integrated Strategy for the Early Years and welcomes this important review of the national childcare policy. It trusts that all children in their early years will benefit from a more integrated approach in providing services. SPPA member groups are ideally placed to play an important part in their communities in meeting the indicators suggested by the Executive.

Question 1

Are the proposed outcomes the right ones to measure if we are successfully meeting the needs of children in the early years?

It is agreed that these are useful core measurable outcomes and are all important for children. It is vital that these outcomes ensure that the processes involved will truly integrate all services.

With regard to the Outcomes:

To strengthen families and communities:

Improve parenting skills, including those of fathers, through increasing the number of parents accessing support and learning opportunities, including parenting skills.

It would be useful to consider including the statistics/data from the voluntary sector projects for example SPPA’s “Off to a Good Start” projects and similar SPPA ones from around the country such as the Sure Start work in Dumfries and Galloway (described in response to Question 6).

Reduce the level of child injuries, including fatalities

Although statistics are kept by ISD it may be a useful exercise to look at the CHIRRP Programme carried out in the Accident and Emergency Department of The Royal Hospital for Sick Children Yorkhill which measures childhood injuries (0141 201 0000). The contacts are Mr Doriaswamy Consultant in Accident and Emergency and Prof. David Stone in the PEACH Unit in the Hospital.

Is there the right mix between hard quantifiable indicators and softer qualitative data?

There is no clear division between 'hard' quantifiable indicators and 'softer' qualitative data. Data on experience and expectations appears to be missing. Targets should be specific, measurable, realistic and time-bound. There should therefore be outcomes that measure such joined-up working and include service users' perceptions, both parents and childrens’ and young people’s. Such qualitative data can inform ways of improving services.

Will the proposed outcomes allow us to measure if agencies are successfully targeting the needs of more vulnerable and deprived children and families?

By targeting vulnerable and deprived families, we must also ensure that families who do not portray their needs to agencies, are not overlooked.

People should be encouraged to take ownership of targets in order for them to be successful.

Question 2

What changes might be needed to planning mechanisms to ensure that the range of early years interests reflected in the strategy are involved fully in service planning?

All sectors and stakeholders should have equal ownership of the planning process. The current partnerships only focus on particular aspects, and more effective integration of health and the voluntary sector should be encouraged.

No further layers should be added, but the current structure should be reviewed and revised in light of current good practice. This revision may however lend itself to a change in the structure for planning, and facilitate the establishment of a National Early Years Planning Forum. It could also lead to an enhanced role for the Children in Scotland National Early Years Forum or the setting up of a Scottish Executive led National Early Years Forum. Such Fora could provide a way forward in bringing together the different stakeholders. The more information that is exchanged and the more joint planning that can be facilitated the better. Having lay members attending can also enhance the process and bring a different perspective.

Question 3

What more might the Executive do to improve coherence between funding streams?

Currently, funding applications are time consuming and use resources which could be otherwise used to support children and family services. Ring fencing monies may prevent local needs being addressed. There is concern that this ring fencing may also lead to a focus on short term objectives rather than users’ needs and longer term objectives. Funding which is disbursed solely to Local Authorities prevents national voluntary organisations offering services as required Scotland wide. SPPA welcomes the move for voluntary organisations to be able to use central funding more flexibly.

Question 4

What barriers are there to developing and delivering integrated early years services in your area?

The main barriers are funding and also the current methods which are used to assess joined up working. The proposals will assist in moving forward, however are they adequate?

What changes and actions would remove these barriers and improve service delivery?

There should be outcome measurements which ensure joined up working and also ensure the genuine involvement of the voluntary sector.

Question 5

Are the proposals on monitoring and evaluation sufficient to ensure we are making progress against a set of outcomes?

Monitoring and evaluation should focus on holistic outcomes which enable different stakeholders to understand their part in joined up working.

Although SPPA recognises that monitoring and evaluation are essential, there are concerns that excessive monitoring and evaluation may divert resources from frontline services. SPPA would seek re-assurance that this would not be the case.

What might agencies need to help them adequately monitor their performance?

An agreed simple generic template could be devised to ensure consistency of evaluation, possibly something similar to the Scottish Executive’s Child Health Template?

Question 6

How can existing practice and research relating to integrated service provision in the early years be better shared and disseminated to and between al service providers and agencies?

The Executive could encourage all agencies to post good practice on a website for example part of the Executive’s own site perhaps or the Early Years Website, which would also offer the option to be able to procure hard copies, braille versions, etc. This would be an invaluable way to exchange ideas and project information. A Bulletin could be produced like the Sure Start Bulletin idea to circulate, as not everyone has access to the internet.

There should be opportunities for bench-marking good practice for agencies.

It would be helpful if you could give any examples of service provision that in your view, particularly demonstrates good practice.

Organisations like SPPA can play a role in highlighting good practice through their quality assurance schemes and through their roles of working with diverse groups.

Some good examples which can be can be drawn from SPPA Pre-three Projects for example include:

“Off to a Good Start” projects in Parent and Toddler Groups in Glasgow and East Dunbartonshire and work in pre-three groups in Dumfries and Galloway. The “Off to a Good Start” projects provide play workshops which encourage parents and children to join together in play experiences using dough, music and song, painting, craft activities and icing cakes.

Training courses which are tailored to the interests of parents are also provided. These are entitled ‘The Importance of Play’ and ‘An Introduction to Child Development’.

Issues that concern parents, such as health, behaviour management and healthy eating are discussed. These training sessions and practical workshops have helped parents to look at their role and value the crucial impact that they can have on their child’s development.

In Dumfries and Galloway SPPA staff deliver particular play sessions on a themed basis which are delivered informally. They provide water, sand, dough, gloop, baby gym, story sacks for story telling. They provide a block of 6-8 sessions with groups or one offs, or provide drop in sessions at family centres etc. Other Development Workers support committee work, health and safety issues etc.

With regard to increasing breast feeding rates the Easterhouse Breastfeeding Initiative which was based on peer support proved to be a very successful model of supporting breastfeeding mothers and their families.

Increasing exercise for young children has been achieved by Ralston Playgroup in Paisley in conjunction with Have a Heart Paisley. The Playgroup has launched a physical play programme for pre-school children. (The address is Have a Heart Paisley Mile End Mill, Paisley PA2 6AR).

For material to support parents at home the Play@home series of books for babies and toddlers is to be recommended.