The Early Years Framework: Learning Together: Positive ... · HM Inspectorate of Education Denholm House Almondvale Business Park Almondvale Way Livingston EH54 6GA Tel: 01506 600

THE EARLY YEARSFRAMEWORKLEARNINGTOGETHER

POSITIVE START,POSITIVE OUTCOMES

A REPORT BYHM INSPECTORATEOF EDUCATION

2009


POSITIVE START,POSITIVE OUTCOMES

A REPORT BYHM INSPECTORATEOF EDUCATION

2009

© Crown copyright 2009

ISBN: 978- 0-7053-1159 - 5 (Web only)

HM Inspectorate of EducationDenholm HouseAlmondvale Business ParkAlmondvale WayLivingstonEH54 6GA

Tel: 01506 600 200Fax: 01506 600 337E-mail: [email protected]

Produced for HMIE by RR Donnelley B60441 10/09

Published by HMIE, October 2009

1

CONTENTS

FOREWORD 2HM SENIOR CHIEF INSPECTOR

INTRODUCTION 4

EFFECTIVE PRACTICE 8IN THE TEN ELEMENTS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE

1 A coherent approach 9

2 Helping children, families and 12communities to secure outcomesfor themselves

3 Breaking cycles of poverty, 16inequality and poor outcomes inand through early years

4 A focus on engagement and 20empowerment of children, familiesand communities

5 Using the strength of universal 26services to deliver prevention andearly intervention

6 Putting quality at the heart of 32service delivery

7 Services that meet the needs of 37children and families

8 Improving outcomes and children’s 42quality of life through play

9 Simplifying and streamlining 46delivery

10 More effective collaborations 50

SUMMARY 53


FOREWORDHM SENIOR CHIEF INSPECTOR

2

Experiences in early childhoodare critical to future developmentand achievement.The negativeeffects of poverty, poor health, poorattainment, unemployment andlow expectations are sadly still toocommon in Scotland.Together,we need to get it right in the earlyyears to enable vulnerable childrenand their families to have the morepositive early experience whichwill improve their life chances.

In the HMIE report Improving ScottishEducation 2005 to 2008 we said:

“Individuals, establishments andservices cannot on their owndeliver what is required in today’sdemanding context.”

It went on to include the prioritiesbelow for partnership working:

Priority One

Strengthening partnerships across sectors and services in ways whichcreate a unified learning and support system that eases progressionfor learners.

Priority Two

Ensuring that education plays its full part in taking forward theGetting itRight for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach, actively seeking and embeddingthe behaviours which will sustain effective partnership working.

Priority Three

Enabling parents to play a stronger role as partners in their child’s learningand development.

This document continues thetheme of partnership working asfundamental in the delivery of theEarly Years Framework. It covers twokey purposes. First, it sets out issueswhich need to be taken forwardtogether to turn the Framework’sambitions into a reality. Second, ithighlights a range of case studies,showing how the principles of theFramework are being deliveredacross services and communitiesin Scotland.These offer examplesof how the lives of children andfamilies have been transformedas a result of dedicated staffworking together for improvements.The implementation of the Frameworkis at the very early stages and,therefore, impact on service deliveryis still patchy. It is encouraging tonote, nevertheless, that much goodwork is being done already withinexisting budgets and services.

All those working with young childrenwill want to support the vision andaspirations for children and familiesoutlined in the Early Years Framework,using the principles and purposes ofGIRFEC to deliver the improvementsneeded.This document will be ofparticular interest to councils,services and voluntary organisationswhen they are looking at ways oftaking forward the Early YearsFramework.

HMIE will continue to evaluateprovision, and identify, collate anddisseminate good practice in theimplementation of the Early YearsFramework. Further work will focuson specific areas highlighted inchildren’s services, workforce trainingand qualifications, and collaborativeworking to ensure consistentlyhigh quality in early educationand community learning anddevelopment.

Graham DonaldsonHer Majesty’s Senior Chief InspectorHM Inspectorate of Education

FOREWORDHM SENIOR CHIEF INSPECTOR

3

INTRODUCTION

4

“WHAT HAPPENSTO CHILDREN INTHEIR EARLIEST

YEARS SAYS MUCHABOUT OUR

SOCIETY AND ISKEY TO OUTCOMES

IN ADULT LIFE”THE EARLY YEARS FRAMEWORK

5

INTRODUCTION

On 10 December 2008, the ScottishGovernment and Convention ofScottish Local Authorities (COSLA)launched the Early Years Framework.The Framework is intended to improvethe life chances of Scotland’s childrenand tackle inequalities by targetingthe early years.The Frameworksets out a radical shift away froma culture of crisis management toearly intervention.The key priorityis to develop longer-term solutionsthat support children and parents.This means channelling resourcesinto services for children, youngpeople and families who arevulnerable or at risk, and providingthem with support before problemsarise or become serious. It also aimsto build greater resilience bypromoting strong, functional andwell-supported families. We knowthat the early years represent agolden opportunity when positiveaction can have the biggestinfluence on a person’s life.

Two other frameworks from ScottishGovernment form part of the driveto create a better future for our

young people. Equally Well reportson health inequalities, showing theimpact of key factors such as povertyand poor housing on overall healthand life expectancy, and identifiesthe importance of interventionin the very early years.AchievingOur Potential tackles poverty andincome inequalities with the aimof increasing the overall incomeearned in Scotland and, particularly,raise it for the lowest 30% of earners.

To support the development andintroduction of the Early YearsFramework, HMIE undertook taskson each of the key draft themes,made focused visits to centresand analysed inspection evidencefrom 435 early years inspections,48 community learning anddevelopment inspections and32 inspections of services to protectchildren. We also used evidencegathered from inspections ofeducation authorities.This workcontinued after the publication ofthe Framework in December 2008through our inspection programmes.

Publication reference

Equally Well

www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2008/06/09160103/0


Early Years Frameworkwww.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/13095148/0

Achieving Our Potentialwww.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/11/20103815/0/

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2008/06/09160103/0

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/13095148/0

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/11/20103815/0/

INTRODUCTION

6

At the same time, with an emphasison exploring the outcomes forfamilies and communities, HMIE alsoidentified the impact of participationin family learning and parentingprogrammes on raising attainmentand wider achievement.

This report shows where effectivepractice already exists acrossScotland in making positive startsfor children to help them havepositive future outcomes.Theexamples highlighted show thebenefits in learning, inclusion andimproved access to services forchildren, families and communitiesthat result from participation in earlyintervention and family learningprogrammes.The report also showsthe need for better co-ordinationof services and resources.

The Framework is ambitious andit will take time to deliver the fullextent of its benefits and outcomes.While acknowledging the scale andcomplexity of the task, there existmany early years centres and otherservices already working successfully

to deliver the key transformationalelements. Scotland’s children areentitled to have the best possiblestart in life.They should have everyopportunity to be safe, happy, healthy,active, nurtured and responsible.They are entitled to be included,respected and well educatedand be ambitious for their futures1.

Within the Framework,Curriculumfor Excellence is seen as an integralpart of achieving this success.The principles of the new curriculumset clear expectations of the shiftin emphasis for children’s andyoung people’s entitlements andachievements in their education.

This report looks at each area inturn of the Framework and showshow a coherent approach andmore effective collaboration canhelp deliver better services forchildren and families.The reportcontains a number of case studieswhich exemplify the success ofcentres, services and communitiesin taking forward some of thekey transformational elements.


Curriculum for Excellence

www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/06104407/0

1 Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC),the Scottish Government 2008

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/06104407/0

INTRODUCTION

7

In all of the case-studies, staff gavehigh priority to achieving the bestoutcomes for children and theirfamilies.

The projects, approaches used,and ideas presented here willenhance planning and discussionat council level and in early yearscentres and schools, and with otherkey partners working together todeliver the Early Years Frameworkoutcomes in line with GIRFECprinciples.They will facilitate decisionmaking and priority setting forimplementation of the Framework.Many of the projects demonstratehow effectively and efficientlyeducation authorities havemanaged to focus on the earlyyears, particularly in times ofincreasing demands on resources.Many have successfully re-allocatedexisting resources to early yearsservices to facilitate a wide rangeof innovative projects.

Reference information

Examples of practice canbe found on the HMIEand Journey to Excellencewebsites. Links to someof these and to keydocuments are madethroughout the report.

8

EFFECTIVE PRACTICEIN THE TEN ELEMENTS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE

“A GOODBEGINNINGMAKESA GOODENDING”

9

“It is essential that Government andits partners are working to a coherentagenda so that children and parentsreceive consistent rather than confusingmessages…”Early Years Framework

In implementing the Framework,greater consistency of approachesand delivery will be needed acrosscouncils and their planning partners.Improved merging of communityplans and integrated children’sservices plans offer opportunitiesto bring together health, education,social work, housing, the voluntary(third) sector and economicdevelopment. Leadership skills ofpeople and partnerships are criticalto manage successful partnershipworking. Equally essential is thecommitment by all of those involvedin services to have an understandingof their shared responsibilities.This is being done already in councilswhich have taken forward auditsof the range of their work, andhave been successful in involvingin the process those who deliverand use the services.

All councils have begun the taskof planning and prioritising servicesthrough their Single OutcomeAgreements (SOAs) with ScottishGovernment.They have alignedand worked with their communityplanning partners in producingtheir SOA.This is providing greateropportunities for services to give bettersupport to the needs of children,their families and communities.Already, SOAs across Scotland aremaking specific mention of theEarly Years Framework and how thecommunity planning partners planto work together through the GIRFECmethod of delivery towards improvingoutcomes for children.They are allbeginning to align strategic planningacross service commitments and linkthe evaluation of coherent delivery.There is evidence of an increasein family learning and parentingskills programmes.


1 A coherent approach

10


Points for reflection

•How well do you engageall those working inand using services inthe decision-makingprocess?


•How do you integrate with otherservices in a coherent way to planand improve outcomes?

• In what ways can you measureimprovements through working ina coherent way?

From practice

The council regularly sought the views ofchildren.With the help of voluntary services,the views of vulnerable children weregathered successfully in imaginative ways,using focus groups, drama and workshops.Children contributed well and influencedthe development of the IntegratedChildren’s Service Plan. As a result of thissuccess, a pilot to involve children morein social work policy development wasbeing introduced.

With clear direction and purposefrom council management andthe community planning partners,a coherent approach is developingfor those working in services andusing them. Effective practice in acoherent approach shows howlocal communities and parentsare empowered to take action.

Perth and Kinross council and itspartners share a clear andambitious vision.Their vision reflectslocal needs through the communityplan.They have agreed the SingleOutcome Agreement for the area.The council’s vision is supportedthrough effective strategic planningfounded on an ambitious corporateimprovement agenda.

The shared strategic vision is reflectedin the council’s and its partnersadopting a coherent approach todelivering services to children andfamilies. One example of this is thecouncil programme which providessupport to children and engagesand involves parents at all stagesof their child’s life.The programmeadopts a coherent inter-professionalapproach, based around commonvalues. It is delivered as a keyelement within a wider communityregeneration development.The regeneration includes buildingnew houses, schools and communityfacilities and forms part of thecommunity plan and the SingleOutcome Agreement.The programmeinvolves the full range of staff insupporting parents, includingheadteachers, teachers, communitylink workers, community learningworkers, nurture group staff, schoolsupport staff and health promotionworkers.

Support uses formal contactswith parents such as nursery toP1 transition, parents’ evenings,parenting skills groups, andworkshops on handling children’sand teenage behaviour.Theprogramme also uses informalopportunities that take place inschools and community facilitiessuch as literacy and computinggroups, return to work sessions, familylearning activities, and clubs andholiday activities for children.

Impact for parents and familiesThe coherent working approach inthis programme has led to benefitsfor children and families. Parentsfeel happier and less isolated andbetter able to overcome times ofcrisis and worry.Getting supportwith basic needs has allowedthem to give more energy and timeto their children.They are moreconfident in being able to handlechange and transitions, and domore things with and for theirchildren. In addition, they havegained skills through adult learningand are now achieving andattaining qualifications.


11

A coherent approach whichsupports parents to make adifference for childrenPerth and Kinross Council

CASE STUDY 1


12

Success is achieved where agencieswork together with parents and thecommunity to create and developservices.This kind of joint workingencourages members of thecommunity to work alongside staffand share responsibility for providinga quality service. Families gain anincreased awareness and accessto community facilities andorganisations work together tosupport the community.

Many education authorities haveimplemented a range of successfulinitiatives to involve and increasegroups of parents in supportingtheir children’s learning. Examplesinclude partnership working withlibraries, encouraging fathers toplay a more active role in their child’slearning, and support to familiesand children for whom English is anadditional language.Through thiskind of involvement, families areencouraged to increase the numberof activities they share and enjoy,such as reading together, visiting thelibrary and visiting new places ofinterest.They improve their capacityto communicate with their children.

Learner’s voice

“For me it was life changing. My lack ofdrive and focus has turned aroundcompletely and now I feel so positiveabout my life. Instead of accepting myfate of being a robotic single parent,I have an amazing amount of ambitionand determination to succeed.Instead of wishing I had a better life,I am making a better life for myself.”

From practice

Challenge Dads was successful ininvolving fathers in actively supportingtheir children’s learning. It developedthe self-confidence of parents involved,in enriching their relationships withtheir children, and in supporting theirprogression to further education, trainingand employment.

“…for almost all childrenresponsibility forparenting must lie withthe parents, supportedby communities andservices as required.”Early Years Framework

2 Helping children, familiesand communities to secureoutcomes for themselves

Local communities are capable ofidentifying for themselves the typeof services they need in their area.Early years centres which work witha wide range of partner agencies inthe community to improve the workof the centre have positive outcomesfor the community and families.


Family learning can have a positiveimpact on children and families, withbenefits that extend beyond adults,children and families and into thelocal community.These benefits canbe seen in helping parents in theirparenting role and promoting socialinclusion. Critically, parents developmore confidence to tackle familysituations. Parents, particularlysingle parents, gain confidence andself-esteem and, in some instances,their employability skills improve.Gaining more understanding andknowledge of the educationsystem leads parents to becomemore interested and involved intheir own children’s education.Their increasing understandingof children’s development helpsthem to recognise and support theirchildren’s educational progress.The family as a whole can benefitfrom one or more members takingpart in family learning activities.

Although the main motivationfor many adults’ participationin family learning is the supportof their children’s learning anddevelopment, participants oftengo on to address their own learningneeds.They improve their own skillsin the areas of parenting andcommunication, in literacy andnumeracy, and develop an interestin and commitment to learning.

Children can then benefit from‘positive role model effects’ whentheir parent undertakes furtherlearning. Children are likely to gainfrom an increase in householdincome if their parent movesinto employment as a result ofparticipation in family learning.

13


•How knowledgeable are you aboutthe range of adult learning facilitiesin your area?

•How can you share this informationwith parents and families?

•How well does your service organiseand welcome parent and familyinvolvement in learning?

• In what ways could you encouragemore parent participation in learning?


14

Woodlands Nursery Centre catersfor children aged two to five years.It has two nursery buildings witha Family Unit housed in a separatebuilding within the nursery grounds.The unit also provides vital earlyentrant places for children underthree. Partnership with parents andeffective working with a wide rangeof agencies provides high-qualitysupport for children and families.Significantly, support is also given tofamilies in the community whether ornot their children attend the centre.

The Woodlands Family Unit worksto address consequences ofsocial issues such as deprivation,unemployment, low expectationsand lack of confidence.

There is a positive impact on thedevelopment and care of youngchildren and families.Work undertakenby the Unit includes parenting skills,health and nutrition support andbudgeting advice. It supports accessto a ‘credit union’ and a communityfood cooperative.

Impact for parents and familiesFamily Workers in the Unit haveestablished effective links with awide range of local support servicesand voluntary agencies.The FamilyUnit recognizes the importanceof engaging with parents at theearliest stage in a child’s life to allowappropriate support strategies tobe identified and implemented.The effects of this are longer lastingthan the length of time familiesare involved with the nursery and,in turn,make Woodlands NurseryCentre a vital community resource.

Woodlands Nursery Centreand Family UnitFife Council

CASE STUDY 2

Publication referencewww.Itscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/sharingpractice/hmieItsgoodpractice/index.asp

www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/sharingpractice/hmieltsgoodpractice/index.asp

PEEP includes Making the most ofyour children, an SQA-accreditedprogramme, closely aligned tothe national Birth to Three guidance.It offers support for communityparent groups and gives formalrecognition to the vital role parentsand carers play as the mostinfluential educators in the earlyyears.The programme exploresparenting and child development inthe context of the family. It encouragespersonal development through thenatural interest parents have in theirchildren’s learning and in using thehome as a learning environment.Essential to the success of theprogramme has been thedevelopment of a comprehensivetraining unit.This training unitadvises Community Learning andDevelopment (CLD) managers andpractitioner trainers on how bestto deliver PEEP within communityprogrammes.


15

(PEEP) Parents Early EducationProgramme Child Developmentand Learning courseWorkers Education Association

CASE STUDY 3


resources for reinvestment inprevention and early intervention.Teenagers who have had poorexperiences themselves of thecare system, and those with noqualifications are more likely tobecome pregnant at an early age.More recent developments havefocused on early and effectiveintervention to match children’sneeds with appropriate,proportionate and timely support.These include improving outcomesfor looked after children, followingthe We Can and Must Do Betterreport and the implementationof GIRFEC approach. When earlyintervention works well, supportworkers are available to respondflexibly to meet the individual needsof families who are experiencingdifficulties in caring for their children.Families can then engage with andestablish relationships with a rangeof agencies, including health andsocial work. Benefits accrue forchildren when their parents andfamilies are supported pre- andpost-birth and when the baby hasa placement at a nursery centre.

Inequalities appear early. Social issues,such as deprivation, unemploymentand low expectations, impact onthe development and care of youngchildren and families. Crime statisticsshow correlations on the influenceson crime where, for example, a highpercentage of those who havecommitted murder were from brokenhomes, had been in care and hadproblems in school.This reinforcesthe message that vulnerable children,including looked after children, needparticular support and nurture intheir early care and education.

Identifying and intervening at theearly stages is much less costly thanwaiting until the young people arein their teens and needing crisisinterventions.The average cost perweek for a secure placement for ayoung person in Scotland in 2007/08was £4,500. Saving even a fractionof these costs can release significant

16


Looked After Childrenand Young People:WeCan and Must Do Better

www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2007/01/15084446/0

3 Breaking cycles of poverty,inequality and poor outcomesin and through early years

“The period between pregnancy andthree years old is increasingly seen asa critical period in shaping children’slife chances. It is therefore a criticalopportunity to intervene to break cyclesof poor outcomes.”Early Years Framework

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2007/01/15084446/0


Health for All (Hall 4) has been akey policy change which re-focusedthe health visitor service on morevulnerable children and families,while still retaining an element ofuniversality. However, not all vulnerablefamilies access the support of regularhealth visitors.Younger parents areless likely to attend ante-natal contactsand classes.Their babies are lesslikely to be breastfed, and more likelyto suffer asthma, have accidentalinjuries and be subjected to tobaccosmoke in the home. By age three,there can be up to a year’s differencein child development and there is astrong link to deprivation. NHS QualityImprovement Scotland is takingthe lead on behalf of ScottishGovernment, in developing forvulnerable children and families amulti-agency and multi-disciplinaryapproach to accessing better‘pathways’ to ante-natal, post-nataland early years support.


•What creative ways have you foundsuccessful in reaching out to familiesat a very early stage?

•How successful is your service inworking with vulnerable parents intheir homes?

•How can you develop the support forvulnerable families and children inyour own service?

17

From practice

Midwives in one health authority identified ahigh number of women with a range of socialproblems and complex needs in pregnancy.As a result, they developed a joint health andsocial work partnership programme. Midwivesworked very closely with addiction and mentalhealth staff as well as social workers andsupport workers.They identified risks and needsand planned individualised support for thewomen to improve outcomes for children.Pregnant women received a range of supportthrough a local one-door service. Risks tounborn children were assessed and plans putin place to protect them and meet both theirown needs and those of their families.


18

Paisley Threads is a Barnardo’sProject which runs a service foryoung people under 21. One veryimportant aspect of the work issupport for prospective and newmothers.The project was set upto respond more effectively to theparticular needs of teenage motherswho feel unable or lack confidenceto use the regular pre-natal service.The pre-natal group in the projectdraws on support from health servicemidwives and group workers atPaisley Threads.Young mothers-to-beare given support through theirpregnancy and in preparation forparenthood.The joint workingapproach with health visitors hasbeen very successful in helping

new, young mothers to be moreconfident as parents.

Paisley Threads also helps youngmothers to address a range of socialissues such as financial and housingadvice, and return to education orinto employment.

The work undertaken has enabled anumber of young mothers to continuetheir education. Effective partnershipswith other agencies, access tochildcare and encouragement toreturn to school or college is asignificant positive feature of thework of Paisley Threads.

Paisley Threads, supportingteenage parentsBarnardo’s

CASE STUDY 4

M’s Story

M was 16 weeks pregnant and still at school. She was referred to theproject by her mother who had heard about the work through a friend.M was an achieving student but was having difficulties at school fromher peers. She was embarrassed about being pregnant and had beenin denial. Project workers established positive relationships with her,at all times being supportive and non-judgmental. M began to attendthe pre-natal group to build her confidence and self-esteem. M alsohad support with education. She had thought, initially, about leavingschool to go to college due to issues with her school peers but, by theend of her pregnancy, she was more confident and was supportedto stay on at school. After the baby was born, project staff providedhelp with child care which was essential for M to continue her studies.M is a strong advocate for Paisley Threads and has helped byorganising a successful peer led breastfeeding group at the project.She has gone on to university much more confident about herfuture career path.


19

R’s story

R was 15 and several weeks pregnant when referredby the family home link worker. Home circumstanceswere difficult. R’s mother was anxious about the impactof the baby on their situation. She was supportiveof R’s education but needed to work and would beunable to help R with childcare. Project staff supported Rto come to the pre-natal group, which she did regularly,finding the support and practical help invaluable.A nursery place was organised when the baby arrivedand this was to be provided as long as R remainedat school to gain Higher awards. R’s financial situationand home life has stabilised with advice and supportfrom project staff. Her confidence has grown and shefeels more empowered to take control of her futureeducation and career as a result of her connectionto Paisley Threads. R has returned to school to completeher 6th year with a view to working towards a universityplace to study Community Learning and Development.

Publication referencewww.Itscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/sharingpractice/hmieItsgoodpractice/index.asp

www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/sharingpractice/hmieltsgoodpractice/index.asp


20

workers in their own surroundingswhere they feel most comfortable.

It also enables the visiting agencies tosee family/child relationships withinthe home. Support services need towork together in innovative ways toengage ‘hard to reach’ families andsource necessary funding to deliverappropriate services.

Parents’ services initiatives in healthpromotion, speech therapy andparenting skills are being introducedin many councils. Parents are offeredand provided with a range ofmaterials, ideas and parentingworkshops to encourage earlyinvolvement in support services andhelp them to support their children’slearning at home. Early years/family centres can also offer anon-threatening location for parentsto access services from otheragencies such as police, healthvisitors, dieticians, and oral hygienists.

Positive relationships and trustbetween pre-school staff and parentshave proved beneficial in workingwith individual families on strategiesto support play and deal withchildren’s challenging behaviour.

Information on this element ofthe Framework highlights issuesin supporting and encouraging‘hard-to-reach’ parents and families.Tackling the issues involves workingwith parents, carer grandparents,and other kinship carers who areexperiencing difficulties in the homeor community and in engagingwith services.

Positive examples of support existand can be replicated in otherareas using practical approacheswith families, parents and theirchildren. At an early stage, healthvisitors are able to establish linkswith families in their own home and,through this, to identify priority areasto support.This may involve, forexample, nursery staff helping theparent and child to access careand education.This joint approachprovides families with the opportunityto establish relationships with key

4 A focus on engagementand empowerment of children,families and communities

“At the heart of what needs to change is anew attitude to the importance of parentsand parenting, particularly in the periodbefore birth and the very early years oflife. Parents themselves must understandthe importance of that role for theirchildren’s well-being and development.”Early Years Framework


21

Staff have been able to help familiesand carers in using the strategiesby visiting at home, discussing,modelling playing with their childrenand providing encouragement.Parents and families become moreconfident in dealing with theirresponsibilities for child care andmore aware of child development.Parents have a better understandingof the role of different agencies andare less anxious when interactingwith a range of professionals.

Continuing the involvement andsupport can be difficult to sustain aschildren and families move throughthe ‘system’. Joined-up practicebetween early years provisions andschools is not consistent and the goodpractice started in pre-school may notbe in place to maintain the benefitsof support into the school years.Sustainable funding is also an issuefor employing family support workersin early years centres and in nurseryclasses. Private and voluntary providersfind it more difficult to organise theirown family link worker, or accesscouncil family support workers.

Quote from member of staff in centre“Families experience difficulty in engaging with multipleagencies for the same issue.They have to ‘tell thesame story’ to a number of agencies such as housing,benefits, social work.This causes frustration and canlead to disengagement. It increases the workload ofstaff as they are often the link between the agencies.”


•How well do you support the wholefamily in your services?

•Do you check that your provision andlinks with other agencies change tomeet current needs of your users?


•How are users ofyour services involvedin planning earlyintervention?

To be successful, such approacheshave to be flexible to meet the needsof individuals and families as theychange over time. Ongoing trainingin multi-agency approaches, in linewith GIRFEC, is essential for all agencyworkers if they are to provide:

•A more child-centred systemwith heightened focus on thechild’s needs

•A greater focus on effectiveoutcomes for children

•More effective collaborationbetween agencies

•A more integrated approachacross agencies

•The reduction of institutional,cultural and procedural barriersto joint working

22


Whitdale Family Centre is in an areaof deprivation. It caters for childrenbirth to five years and also offers anout-of-school care service for childrenup to eight years of age. Over aperiod of time, there had been asignificant number of families withsocial problems.The experiencedheadteacher had built up strongpartnership working with a rangeof other professionals and services.

The headteacher realised that manyfamilies with very young childrenwould benefit from support to ensurethat they had the best possiblestart in life, including help to takefull advantage of opportunitiessuch as pre-school education.

She also recognised the importanceof joint working between education,social work, health and relevantvoluntary organisations. She wantedto ensure that the specific needs offamilies with children aged birth tothree were met within a more cohesiveservice for all parents and children.A further target was to improve thehealth, wellbeing, development andeducation opportunities of childrenand families by creating a flexible,needs-led service accessible to allfamilies and adopting a multi-agencyapproach in the community.The centre wanted to ensure highquality education experiences foryoung children and also to improvetheir life chances and achieve socialinclusion.


23

Whitdale Family CentreWest Lothian Council

CASE STUDY 5

The range of services in the centrewas planned to meet, in a singlelocation, the needs of the targetedand vulnerable as well as the universalpopulation. Parents and familieswere identified in a variety of ways,including by professionals inconsultation with parents, healthvisitors or midwives, and by parentsself-referring.Through advertising, allparents in and outside the catchmentarea were made aware of groups onoffer within and beyond the centre.Partnership working provided theopportunity to plan and implementa wide range of activities at all levelswhich led to effective outcomes forall parents and families. Importantly,a multi-agency steering group,comprising the headteacher, socialpolicy managers, health staff andsenior managers from education,monitored progress towards effectivejoint working to ensure the buildingof parenting and family capacity.

Impact on parents and familiesDelivering care services and familysupport (targeted at the underthrees) in the same buildingas pre-school provision for threeand four years olds blurred thedistinction between targeted anduniversal provision and helpedto remove any perceived stigmafrom using services.This resultedin improved parental confidenceand self-esteem leading toparents feeling more empowered.Parents became less anxious aboutinteracting with professionals andsaw them as there to help.The centreis able to ‘signpost’ parents to anyother service they might requireto support their child.


24


25

One of the key priorities of theIntegrated Children’s Services Projectin Inverclyde was the developmentof integrated family support services.Initial discussions between serviceshighlighted the need for an expandedrange of parenting programmesfor highly vulnerable families.After examining several options,Mellow Parenting was chosen as anappropriately intensive programme.Social services commissioned thedelivery of Mellow Parenting training,resulting in a pool of 24 facilitatorsfrom psychological services, healthvisiting, the voluntary sector andfamily support workers from earlyyears and social work services.Three intensive 12 to 14 week

programmes were developed;Mellow Babies, Mellow Mothers andMellow Fathers. Each group involvedthree cross-agency facilitators.

Impact on parents and familiesAll parents taking part in theprogramme were very positiveabout its benefits.They said that ithad helped them understand theinfluence of their own childhoodexperiences and significantlyimproved their parenting abilities.They felt calmer. In turn, their childrenwere calmer.Parents were confidentthey had a wider range of strategiesto manage their children’s behaviourand could interact with their childrenin a more positive way. In particular,fathers were helped to realise thecontribution they could make andgained new confidence and skills tobuild positive relationships with theirchildren.Parents spoke highly of thesupportive and positive relationshipsthey had built with staff in the groups.

Mellow ParentingInverclyde Council

CASE STUDY 6


26

parenting is the most important,as well as the most difficult job thatthey will do. All parents need accessto support them being goodparents, as and when they need it.This is not about taking over the roleof parents, but rather supportingthem in their role and making bestuse of the family, peers and thecommunity. Improved partnershipworking across universal servicesprovides the opportunityto deliver effective outcomes for allparents and families.

The range of services in early yearscentres varies considerably andcan often meet the needs of bothtargeted and vulnerable groups,as well as the universal population.For example, in many establishmentsthe introduction of Nurture Groupsprovides extra support to childrenwith social and emotional difficultiesand helps raise their self-esteem.

The Early Years Framework sets outhigh ambitions for early years andearly intervention at a time wheneducation authorities cannot relyon large amounts of new moneybeing available to implement theframework.The Framework outlinesthe disadvantage for children fromvulnerable groups and the necessityfor early years preventative and earlyintervention services to reduce thisdisadvantage. Universal services,particularly health and education,have the potential to reach allchildren and families.

The vast majority of parents want todo the best for their child. Sometimesthey may not know what the best isor how to achieve it. It is crucial thatparents know and understand that

5 Using the strength of universalservices to deliver preventionand early intervention

“The power of universal services in securingengagement is key.Too much of recentinvestment has gone into small-scaleprojects bolted on to universal servicesrather than build capacity of the coreservices that children and families comeinto contact with on a regular basis.”Early Years Framework


Nurture groups offer a carefullyplanned programme of broad-basedexperiences in an environment whichgives children security, routines andclear boundaries.

Peer mediation and mentoringschemes operate successfully inmany primary and secondaryschools and help young people todevelop a sense of responsibilitytowards others.The establishment ofEarly Years Teams within educationauthorities has led to improvements inservice delivery and positiveoutcomes for children. Staff on theseteams share good practice throughvisits to establishments, andimplement effective professionaldevelopment programmes.Examples include assistance indeveloping early numeracy andliteracy strategies, as well asworkshops to explain how parentscould support their children’s learning.

Sustainability of such joint workingdepends on the quality of relationshipsamong the professionals workingdirectly with children, young peopleand families.This is particularly thecase for health and educationworkers and police supporting familiesin school and in the community.All professionals working with youngpeople aged 14 to 25 need to beaware of the importance of earlyintervention at this stage, with thepotential for improving employabilityand health and reducing teenagepregnancy and crime.

Developments, such as the expansionof pre-school hours, have the potentialto benefit all children, but they areparticularly valuable in increasingthe capacity of universal services tointervene early. High qualitypre-school provision is essential insupporting those most at risk ofmissing out.

27

The Impact of NurtureGroups in PrimarySchoolswww.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/ingps.pdf

“substantial numbersof children and youngpeople from vulnerablegroups do not sufficientlydevelop their skills, attainor achieve qualifications”.HMIE ISE2

http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/ingps.pdf


Areas for support will includefamily planning, parenting capacityand skills, health (including mentalhealth), childcare, education, familylearning, employability, play andleisure and to build resilience atevery stage.

A number of education authoritiesand establishments have successfullyintroduced effective measures tomonitor children’s progress atindividual and group level, witha clear focus on identifying andtaking action in relation to thelowest-achieving 20% of youngpeople. Effective practice has to bedeveloped in making mainstreamservices focus on inclusion and bemore responsive to meeting learningneeds.The presence and deploymentof resources such as community linkworkers, home-school partnershipofficers, and Joint Support Teams istoo patchy and inconsistent acrosscouncil areas.The quality of transitionfrom one sector to another impacts

on the continuity of support,particularly for vulnerable childrenand their families. Careful andwell-planned support for childrenmoving from pre-school into primaryschool is particularly important.The early level of Curriculum forExcellence will help staff delivermore coherent outcomes andexperiences for children agedthree to six.

More needs to be done throughprevention and early interventionto reduce the impact on childrenof parental substance misuse.Partnership working is crucial in suchcircumstances between early yearscentres, schools, police, primaryhealth care and specialist servicesto reduce addiction.There needs tobe the capacity to provide additionalsupport and early intervention forfamilies facing greater challenges,whether on a temporary or morelong-term basis.


•How can you ensure inclusion andmeeting needs are at the forefrontof your work?

•Are there ways to reduce theinconsistency of access to key resourcesin local authorities, including staffing?


•How are you planningto use Curriculum forExcellence to deliverhigh expectations andcoherent support forvulnerable children?

28

The Early Learning Unit caters forchildren from six weeks to five yearsand is open all year round. It housesboth a mainstream and specialistprovision which work very closelytogether.The centre is particularlyfocused on providing an integratedservice within the community.It caters for children who havemild and more complex and severeneeds, as well as providingmainstream provision for childrenaged three to five years. Staff withinthe unit have received specialisttraining in additional supportneeds and also in caring for childrenwho require medical assistancethroughout their session.A very widerange of multidisciplinary serviceswork with the unit, including speechand language therapy, visualimpairment and other specialistlearning support teachers,psychological services, occupationaltherapy and physiotherapy,community nurses, a paediatrician,social workers and parent and childsupport workers.

The unit provides a supportiveenvironment for children withthe earliest identification of anyadditional support that maybe required. It offers an effective,inclusive, early years service whichembraces the role of parents andsupports them with high qualityservices. Specialist, trained staffensure a range of medical needscan be supported within the unit.Because their children have full-timecentre places at the centre, theseparents have been able to go outto work. Home-visiting servicessupport parents in recognising theirchild and family needs and how toaccess relevant services.

Parents of children with additionalneeds can experience manybarriers. Friends and relatives mayhave difficulty in understanding theissues the parents face as well as theneeds of the child.The Parent andChild Support Group within the unitwas set up by parent and childsupport workers to provide a positiveforum for families to support eachother.


29

Early Learning Unit, HamiltonSouth Lanarkshire

CASE STUDY 7

Strathclyde Police identified a needto help children feel safer withintheir schools and local communities.In particular, it aimed to improveits engagement with a small,hard-to-reach group of young peopleand to reduce offending andanti-social behaviour. Campus PoliceOfficer posts were established inselected secondary schools withinthe council area.The posts werejointly funded and recruited byStrathclyde Police and theeducation service. Campus OfficersForums includededucation service staff andprovided opportunities to agree onlocal priorities for action.

Campus Police Officers played a fullpart in the Integrated Support Teamswithin their schools.This providedvaluable opportunities for them toshare their knowledge of individualchildren and families within the widercommunity with staff from otherkey services. As a result, planningfor vulnerable children was betterinformed.The involvement of theCampus Police Officers strengthenedthe impact of restorative practicesin some schools.The Officers had setup a number of effective diversionaryactivities, including cycling clubs.As a result, a number of children havelearned new skills, gained confidenceand reduced offending behaviour.


30

Campus Police OfficersGlasgow City Council

CASE STUDY 8

The staff team at Laburnum NurseryCentre recognise and value theimportance of having positive andsmooth transitions for children atall stages.There is an emphasis onputting into practice very successfultransitions for children startingnursery, moving from one room toanother, to a new establishmentand when going to primary school.

Before a child starts at nursery, staffoffer parents either a home visitor an open day to meet the childand their family and begin to formpositive relationships.This approachprovides the child’s key worker withthe opportunity to engage in playwith the child, pass on relevantinformation to parents and discussthe child’s learning at home.This information is used to build onchildren’s previous learning to ensurethat they get off to a positive start.

Staff continue to shareinformation about each child’sachievements ensuring continuityand progression in children’slearning. Staff development isan ongoing feature of work withinthe nursery whereby staff areencouraged to extend theirknowledge and qualifications.

Regular opportunities are plannedfor staff within the centre to sharegood practice and engage inreflective discussions about howto improve the work of the nursery.

Very effective multi-agency workingand planning assist in providinga positive transition when a child ismoving to another establishment.There are effective approachesin place to support children whoare moving on to primary school.Nursery staff play an integral partin supporting children in this move.A particularly successful transitioncalendar ensures key events areplanned for and take placethroughout the year.Visits arearranged for P6 children who are‘buddies’ to come and read tothe children and support themwhen they move to school. Mutualarrangements are in place for staffto work together in the nursery andin school. In this way, teachers canmeet the children and work with keyworkers to support the children intheir first days at school. Nursery staffhave made a major contribution todiscussions and good practice onactive learning through play in theearly stages of the primary school.This has had a significant impacton children’s learning, achievementsand attainment in P1. Staff useconsistent and effective approacheswhich enable all children to transfersmoothly from pre-school to P1.


31

Transitions At All LevelsLaburnum Nursery CentreNorth Lanarkshire

CASE STUDY 9

Publication referencewww.hmie.gov.uk/documents/goodpractice1.%20GP1%20-%20Transitions%20at%20all%20levels%20Laburnum%20Nursery%20Centre.doc

http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/goodpractice1.%20GP1%20-%20Transitions%20at%20all%20levels%20Laburnum%20Nursery%20Centre.doc


At present, staff working with childrenin pre-school centres have a rangeof levels of qualifications.A strongerfocus is needed on developing awider skills set to prepare staff towork with other professionals andengage in partnership working tosupport families and communities.Continuing professional developmenthas to reflect the new skills setneeded within the voluntary, privateand council sectors.There are earlysigns of staff accessing training tohelp support their skills in workingwith other agencies and build onpartnership working. Benefits to staffand children are evident whenstaff have a strong commitmentto continuous professionaldevelopment.Through attendingcertificated courses as well asnon-certificated training, staffdevelop their expertise and learnabout new initiatives. In best practice,they share their learning andexpertise with others to improve

outcomes for children and families.An increasing number of earlyyears staff are pursuing nationallyaccredited additional qualifications.There are improvements in therange and quality of professionaldevelopment opportunities acrosssome councils.The introduction ofdegree-level childhood practicestandards is already resulting insignificant numbers of manager-levelstaff accessing these work-basedcourses.The registration requirementsand Continuous Learning Frameworkof the Scottish Social ServicesCouncil for all staff working in earlyyears services has been a keydriver in staff seeking qualifications.There are signs of staff increasingtheir engagement with Curriculumfor Excellence, taking a lead indeveloping flexible and challenginglearning experiences for children.There is continued need for higherlevel and relevant qualificationsfor staff to deliver this curriculum.

32

6 Putting quality at the heartof service delivery

“Early years research consistently highlights the quality of servicesand relationships as being the single biggest contributor to outcomesfrom early years services. Poor quality services waste resources and area missed opportunity.The skills, knowledge, attitudes and qualificationsof the workforce are a key focus in improving quality, and the mix ofthose skills is also critical. We want the best people working in earlyyears where they can have the biggest impact on outcomes.”Early Years Framework


33

Clare’s story

Clare has been working in Early Years for 13 years. Her studiesbegan in college where she gained national qualification inChildcare and Education. Her studies and ongoing commitmentto continuing professional development has developed herapproach to working in early years to improve the quality ofchildren’s experiences and learning.This commitment led Clareto undertake a BA degree in Childhood Practice. She soon foundherself immersed in a range of new information. Clare recognisedthe impact this was having on the way she was working withchildren. She shared with her colleagues the knowledge gainedfrom her BA studies about the United Nations Convention on theRights of the Child and the importance of Article 12 (children’sright to participate and be heard). As a result, she and the staffteam understood more fully the importance of consultation withyoung children.This helped develop their approaches to theinvolvement of children, including forming a ‘Children’s Council’in the nursery.

To embark on degree study takes passion, enthusiasm andcommitment as well as support from colleagues and council.Clare is proud of her achievements in this part of her journeyand has grown in confidence about her own role and theimportance of working with others.


Curriculum for Excellence needsteachers and other well-qualifiedstaff to engage fully in theimplementation of principlesand practice, as well as theoutcomes and experiences in thistransformational national initiative.

Scottish Government is committed inits concordat with local governmentto improving early years provisionwith access to a teacher for everypre-school child.Recent guidance forlocal education authorities makesthis clear. Education authorities are,overall, supporting this commitment.However, there are still inconsistenciesin whether teachers are deployed, theextent to which each child has accessto a teacher and how teachers’skillsand expertise are used to supportother staff in centres. Some councilshave removed full-time teachersfrom pre-school settings in order toshare their expertise across a widernumber of partner centres.This, inturn has meant much reducedaccess in some centres to a teacher.Many partnership centres haveonly limited or inconsistent accessto a teacher with much variabilityin the contribution and impact ofthe teacher when present.

The early years is a sector whereparents can make their first steps totraining and gaining qualificationswhich can then lead to a career inchildcare. Helping in their child’splaygroup or nursery can nurture theenjoyment of working with groupsof children. Across Scotland, manyworkers in the early years sectorhave started in this way. Many otherscome into the early years directfrom school, often with few schoolqualifications but with the ambitionto work with children.This approachcan be very positive in supportingpeople into work and, in turn, resultin benefits to the economy. However,their training needs to take place inhigh-quality centres or services withhighly effective practitioners andleaders to ensure the best professionaldevelopment takes place.

34


•What opportunities can you take toshare in training with colleagues inallied professions?

•To what extent are staff engaged inprofessional development to implementCurriculum for Excellence as part ofsupporting the Framework principles?


•What steps can you take to buildexpertise and skills in your role?

•How well do you support employeesor colleagues to achieve relevanttraining and development and securequalifications?

This high quality training programmehad provided an opportunity formany adults to take a first stepto re-engage in learning andemployment. Community Learningand Development (CLD) stafforganised the training and providedvery effective support and guidancefor learners. Participants gaineda qualification which led toemployment as crèche workers.Many had moved on to other learningas a result, including further andhigher education.They reportedgains in confidence and self esteemand improved family relationships.They were able to use their experienceto enhance their own parenting skillsthrough a greater understandingof child development.


35

Training parents ascrèche workersMidlothian Council

CASE STUDY 10

Springvale Nursery Centre offers ahigh quality service to children andfamilies from various backgrounds.The experienced staff identify needsand empower vulnerable familiesthrough universal and targetedservices. By using North AyrshireCouncil’s Integrated AssessmentFramework, staff adopt a systematicapproach to meet individual familyneeds. Parents, nursery staff andother professionals are continuouslyengaged in planning andevaluating services to ensure thebest possible outcomes for families.

Individual work with families cantake place in the family home, localcommunity or within the nurserycentre.Time spent with individualparents or carers provides supportin a variety of ways, for exampleaccessing resources, modellingadult-child interactions, referring toappropriate agencies, using theadvocacy service, accessing healthappointments and accompanyingparents to local community groupsand further education.

Parents and carers are able to getfurther support and advice throughjoining specific groups such asfitness classes, play sessions,computing classes, healthy lifestylegroup, Fit Ayrshire Babies and healthvisitor groups.

As a result of this skilled intervention,the nursery can demonstrateimproved support by targetingservices to vulnerable children andtheir families. Respect and effectivecollaboration is the key to theirsuccess in working with familiesto make a more positive impacton children as learners.


36

Using the collective skillsof staff to support families,Springvale NurseryNorth Ayrshire Council

CASE STUDY 11

Publication referencewww.hmie.gov.uk/documents/goodpractice1.%20Springvale%20NC%20Good%20Practice.doc

http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/goodpractice1.%20Springvale%20NC%20Good%20Practice.doc


There are a number of ways that stafffrom local authorities and communityplanning partners can work withchildren and families to developservices that meet needs. In bestpractice, there is a willingness toengage and listen to the voices ofchildren, young people, families andcommunities.This willingness needsto happen at strategic levels andallow service users to be involvedin the development and design ofservices. It is important to keep tothe principle that it is the child whoshould be at the centre of the serviceand to consider and reflect uponthe nature and experience ofchild-centred services from thechild’s point of view.

A willingness to listen to and engagewith distinct groups of service userscan lead to the development of new,more tailored services to meet needsand aspirations in line with GIRFECprinciples.The Scottish Schools(Parental Involvement) Act 2006 hasconsiderable potential to increasefamily involvement in learning inschools and in other family learningprogrammes.

37


The Scottish Schools(Parental Involvement)Act 2006

www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2006/pdf/asp_20060008_en.pdf

From practice

CLD staff in home-school partnershipprogrammes had significantly improvedlearners’ confidence and their abilityto engage in learning.This increase inconfidence had, for example, led a smallnumber of individual parents to assist inthe development of the school parentcouncil in their local primary school.Others were currently training to beclassroom assistants with a view to gainingfuture employment. As a result ofparticipation in the programme, learnerswere now starting college and engagingin voluntary activity.

“The availability,accessibility and flexibilityof services are keycomponents in meetingthe needs of childrenand families.”Early Years Framework

7 Services that meet the needsof children and families

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2006/pdf/asp_20060008_en.pdf


38


•How flexible and accessible is yourservice to respond to the needsof users?

•How well do you balance the needsof parents with the needs of childrenin your provision?

The examples highlighted in thissection show a range of practicewhere service providers engage withtheir users and their local communityto innovate and develop newservices. The continuing challenge isto learn from these innovations andspread practice across professionalgroupings and community planningpartnerships.

The establishment of EsslemontSchool is an example of partnershipworking across professionalboundaries, agencies anddisciplines. It involved the Early YearsForum, the Autism Network and thecommunity-based adult learninggroup among others.The area hasan above average number ofchildren on the autistic spectrumand the school was developedin response to the need identifiedby parents for local services.

Partnership working was essential incollating and analysing informationto identify need and support thejoint resourcing of provision atEsslemont School.This includedpinpointing a suitable venue,working together on fund raisingfor equipment and commissioningand supervising the refurbishmentand adaptation of the building.The development also ledto professional developmentto enhance staff’s skills for thishighly specialised area of work.


39

Involving parents in the designand development of servicesAberdeenshire Council

CASE STUDY 12

Many parents had been unawareof the services available to them inthe Craigshill area and identified theneed for a central information point.Parents were invited to ‘dreamsomething better’ for the communityand then write their thoughts on alarge duvet cover. A shop unit in thelocal Craigshill shopping centre wasrented and a launch event of theDaisy Drop In took place. Over 400local people, on the mailing list forlocality planning, were invited.The appearance of an actor froma well known children’s televisionprogramme helped to draw a largecrowd.The Daisy Drop In has sincedeveloped in partnership betweenparents and services in the Craigshillarea. It is staffed by a coordinatorand provides a central locationwhere parents and children canattend activities and accessinformation on all services relatingto early years work in Craigshill.Parents who engage in this servicehave a stronger sense of communityas a result.

More positive outcomes for theneighbourhood of Craigshill includethe increased confidence of localpeople to engage with serviceproviders and to manage servicesthemselves.This new confidence isfurther evidenced by the creationof a community council for the area,something which had never existedbefore.The West Lothian Children’sservices Management Group EarlyYears plan has also been heavilyinfluenced by the Craigshill localityplanning process.


40

Daisy Drop In community shopWest Lothian Council

CASE STUDY 13

The Coffee Groups at GoodlyburnIntegrated School offered parentsa well designed, progressive andsupportive structure to facilitatetheir return to learning.The groupsused personal learning plans andnegotiated learning content to suitlearners’ needs.These projectsprovided learners with appropriatechallenge. For example, in theCoffee Plus group, learners wereundertaking peer review of theirlearning and were developingcurriculum vitae in preparation foremployment. While some parentswere moving into employmentopportunities in education asclassroom assistants, others werefinding employment in the widerlabour market.


41

Coffee Groups at GoodlyburnIntegrated SchoolPerth and Kinross Council

CASE STUDY 14


Play is a central part of thedevelopment of all children.The parent and family are the firstplaymates for the child and it ishere that the child learns throughwatching, participating andexperimenting in the home.The children’s learning through playbuilds from interactions with parentsin the home to exploring the widerworld. It then develops in learningactivities in playgroups, nurseriesand in the early years of school.

42

From practice

The nursery offered parents and carersa short programme on home safety withthe pre-five age group. It also provideda well-stocked bank of equipment suchas safety gates, socket blocks andcupboard locks that parents could usein their own homes to enable children toplay safely.This service was highly valuedby families who were unable to affordthis equipment.

For the child, play is naturaland encourages a sense ofexperimentation on their own as wellas interaction with parents, family,peers and the wider community.The world of play can be a naturalsetting for introducing andencouraging early literacy andnumeracy as well as socialisationwith others.

Play takes place in settings that mustbe safe yet encourage the child totake carefully controlled risks. For manyparents, this can present a challengeas personal circumstances maymean that the child is growing upin an environment where there isa high risk of accidents.As a result,many parents do not feel confidentenough to play with their child andto encourage learning through play.

8 Improving outcomesand children’s quality of lifethrough play

“We need to ensure that parents,communities and professionalsrecognise the value and long-termbenefits of play and to promote howcritical play and the arts are forchildren’s development.”Early Years Framework


Creating spaces for playThe process of engaging the widercommunity to support play andprovide interesting spaces for playand playful learning is essential.The importance of Play is recognisedin the United Nations Conventionon the Rights of the Child in whichArticle 31 enshrines the child’s rightto play.There are clear benefits fromproviding and maintaining publicplay space in the community forchildren. Many children in urbanenvironments have few opportunitiesto play outside. Areas set asidefor that purpose help children tobecome confident in an outdoorsetting and learn how to take riskswhile keeping themselves safe.

It prepares them for more challengingout-of-school activities, such assport or joining one of the uniformedorganisations for young people.The successes and widerachievements can lead to awardprogrammes such as the Dukeof Edinburgh award scheme andestablish a positive habit of engagingin outdoor pursuits that can last intoadult life. Some councils have workedwith charities and the communityto provide new facilities in the localneighbourhood. Others are supportingschools and pre-schools in initiativessuch as forest schools.

43

At Gartlea, the community councilset up a separate group, GartleaChildren Playing Safely, to progressthe project. In Petersburn, the localhousing association (Link HousingAssociation) brought in theircharitable arm, Link Wide, to consultwith the community on the playprovision that the associationneeded to offer as a planningcondition. Out of this, the PetersburnDevelopment Trust was formed,supported by the council’s CLD andPlay Services staff as well as LinkWide workers.At Caldercruix, therewas an existing youth andcommunity development projectthat wanted to improve the playfacilities in the village and, atCraigneuk, it was an existingCommunity Regeneration groupwho identified the lack of playprovision as an important issuefor them.

Parents engaged in a variety ofactivities dependent on the existingskills and experiences of the group.Examples included committeeskills training and the CVSfinancial management course.Other activities were more specificto the project such as consultationevents and community surveys,research about play generally andplay area design. Such activitiesincluded site visits and meetingother groups who had built andmanaged community play areas.Parents developed their play areadesign with Play Services and alandscape architect, met potentialfunders and submitted successfulfunding applications.


44

Housing partners developingplay spacesNorth Lanarkshire

CASE STUDY 15

Clentry Nursery School wanted toensure that children had regularhigh quality learning experiencesoutside as well as inside.Theyextended children’s learning bydeveloping an exciting andchallenging programme of dailyoutdoor learning experiences.As a result, staff are able to supportchildren’s progress even more whenoutside in a wide range of areas.

Staff include frequent visits toBlairadam Forest where childrenare encouraged to be active, usetheir senses, take risks, make mistakesand learn from them.They enjoytrying new activities like orienteeringwhere they can use their literacyand numeracy skills to help themlook at simple maps and signs.Staff encourage children toexperiment with science andtechnology resources outdoors.

Children gain movement skills inmore challenging balancing andclimbing activities.They learn how tobe safe using the hill slide and whenriding wheeled toys on their ownmarked roadways and roundaboutin the nursery grounds. Parents arekeen supporters of all of theseactivities and often work alongsidestaff to support their children.

Staff see the benefits of learningoutside where children canexperience real life and imaginarysituations. Children learn to usedifferent strategies and developpositive attitudes to the outsideworld around them. Staff know thatby engaging children and theirfamilies in meaningful outdoor playthey grow in confidence, havebetter self esteem, social awareness,independence, and improvedphysical and mental wellbeing.Parents are learning to respond totheir children’s needs and interestsand they now feel more confidentabout involving them in outdooractivities.


45

Clentry Nursery School:learning outdoorsFife

CASE STUDY 16


What are less common at presentare inter-agency approaches wherestaff re-think methods of workingtogether with hard-to-reach groupsor challenge existing professionalmindsets that can act as barriersto achieving positive outcomesfor children.

Professional training has a key partto play in supporting inter-agencywork at strategic level.The workof multi-agency committees andChief Officers Groups involved inchild protection offers useful insightsinto possible future developments.Funded pre-school education forthree-to-five year olds means thatalmost all of this age group comeinto contact with universal servicesand any intervention and supportcan be coordinated. However, thisis not the case for the youngerage group from birth to three.

There are many examples ofeffective multi-agency deliveryfrom councils across Scotlandwhere staff from different professionalbackgrounds in family centres,schools or nurseries and short-termprojects. Each profession takes thelead on its specialist area of activity,for example education professionalsleading on educational programmes.

46

9 Simplifying and streamliningdelivery

“If we are to improve outcomes, thencommunity planning partners will needto place a particular focus on joining updelivery around children and families.”Early Years Framework


Traditionally, this is the age rangewhere younger and less experiencedstaff have been deployed in daycare provision. Much more needsto be done to bring the expertiseof the early years staff and servicestogether to ensure vulnerablechildren are not missed at this veryearly stage of their development.Particular improvements in support forbirth to three services are highlightedin the Early Years Framework.The Equally Well programme takesthis area of work further withopportunities for local authoritiesand their community planningpartners to explore.

Taking the service into thecommunity through a communitydevelopment approach is anemerging area of work.This approachdoes not focus upon the serviceprofessionals but is based uponthe development of the child at thecentre of the whole community.

However, family learning is notincluded as part of the outcomesof Community Learning andDevelopment in Delivering Change:Understanding the outcomes of CLD,produced by Communities Scotlandin 2007.The Community EmpowermentAction Plan 2009 makes limitedmention of early years and familylearning work. This leaves room todevelop understanding of the roleof family learning programmes indelivering outcomes for communityengagement and empowermentfurther. Traditional forms of communitywork with the focus on small groupsof adults need to broaden andreach out to engage with the widerwork that is ongoing with children,families and communities.


•How well do you work in an inter-agencyapproach?

•What model of working would bestmeet the needs and circumstancesof children, families and communitiesin your area or service?

47

Hailesland Child and Family Centreis a community-based resourcecommitted to promoting the welfareand early learning of vulnerablechildren and families by providing aninclusive, flexible service, maximisingindividual potential. Referrals to thecentre are made through otheragencies.Vulnerable children areidentified through partnershiparrangements with the local nurseryschool and through the centre’swork with families in the community.Admission of children to the centreis through the admissions panel.

The centre has a strong interagencyapproach. Services are tailoredto meet the individual needs ofchildren and families.The familieswho use the centre are invariably‘hard to reach’ and may not havehad positive experiences of contactwith services. Many are affected bydrugs and alcohol addiction, mentalhealth issues, family breakdownand isolation and high levels ofpoverty. Parental involvement andengagement has improvedassessment and early interventionto improve outcomes for children.

The centre has developed creativeways of addressing the needs ofchildren and families in a holisticand integrated way. Services aredelivered flexibly and through carefulcase planning. Senior staff identifyand use the skills and expertise ofindividual staff to maximise theimpact of the centre’s work. Staffdevelopment and training is integralto this. At points of transition in andout of the centre, reviews areconducted and information handedover, for example, to the nurseryschool. The nursery schoolheadteacher can then makedecisions about resources to deliverthe levels of support needed forchildren and families.


48

Hailesland Child andFamily CentreEdinburgh Council

CASE STUDY 17

The local council has extendedits provision for children aged birthto three and now provides veryeffective support for a significantnumber of children requiring apriority nursery place. Multi-agencypartnership forums have been setup to ensure that professionalscan work together to plan moreeffectively the support for children.Community nurseries provide safe,stimulating and fun environmentsfor young children and alsooffer support for parents eitheras individuals or as groups.Programmes for parents involvecolleagues from health, socialservices and addiction preventionservices, thereby streamlining accessand delivery of services.


49

North Ayrshire Council

CASE STUDY 18


This report started the ten elementsof the Early Years Framework witha Coherent Approach.This tenthelement returns to the theme ofworking together.This report hashighlighted the range of work thatis ongoing at local level.A significantproportion of work in early years,early intervention and family learningis undertaken with the communityand voluntary sector, in particularin childcare and childminding. Muchof this work has developed to meetlocal needs and circumstances withsupport from charitable foundationsthat work with children in the earlyyears. Partnership with parents andeffective working with a wide range ofagencies can provide very goodsupport for children, parents andfamilies within the community.However, it does not always allowchildren, families and communitiesto connect to the wider range ofsupport services available at local ornational levels.

Better partnership working is neededacross statutory and community/voluntary sectors to share and accessservices for children and families.To develop this approach, strategicintegrated working will have toincrease with the community andvoluntary sector.There is still furtherwork to do to build upon the GIRFECregional and thematic pathfinders.

50

10 More effectivecollaborations

“There is an almostuniversal view thatpartnerships betweenthe public and privateand third sectorproviders could andshould work better.”Early Years Framework


This approach to partnership is likelyto become increasingly prevalent.The financial situation for councilsis challenging and likely to remain sofor the next several years.The relevantpartnerships present a numberof challenges in that they do notalways link to the strategic planningframeworks such as single outcomeagreements or community Plans.For councils and their communityplanning partners, this may requirebuilding a more strategic formof Service Level Agreement withan associated focus on servicecommissioning for community andvoluntary services.

Scottish Government is presentlyseeking to direct the communityand voluntary sector and other partsof the Third Sector, such as socialenterprises and local co-operativestowards increased links to CommunityPlanning Partnerships. At the sametime, Scottish Government is seekingto quantify the impact of thesetypes of partnerships using tools suchas Social Return on Investment3,to gauge the social return on thepublic pound. Equally Well will alsotake us into new territory of bothstrategic approaches and deliverymechanisms.


• In what ways can you work moreclosely with the community andvoluntary sector?

•How can you help to move froma patchwork of services to a morestrategic and collective approach?

3 Strategic return on investment.Policy into practice. AmericanPublic Human ServicesAssociation (APHSA) tools fororganisational effectiveness. 51

This programme was led by YMCAScotland in partnership with threeprimary schools and one secondaryschool, with parents, with ScottishBorders Council (as part of its MoreChoices More Chances Strategy)and with the Robertson Trust.Through the programme, youngpeople who were at risk of disaffectionwith school were identified in primaryschools.Those identified were thenreferred during their P6 school yearto AchieveYour Potential programme.Their parents were engaged in thesame programme.

Successful management anddelivery of the work was achievedthrough training and supportingteams of volunteer youth mentors andfamily monitors. Strong, supportiverelationships were developedbetween volunteer youth mentorsand children. Alongside this, familymonitors were established in eachfamily to support parents andkeep an eye on the progress anddevelopment of the young peopleover each school term.

Teams intervened where appropriateto remove obstacles to healthydevelopment and provide supportfor parents when requested. A keyprinciple to the success and positivefeedback from all involved was inmaintaining the relationships andsupport programme over the two yearprogramme. Collaborative workinghad the direct benefit of helpingthe children involved to achievetheir potential.


52

Borders Parenting ProgrammeBorders Youth Trust

CASE STUDY 19

SUMMARY

53

and young people must recognisetheir responsibilities and also havethe expertise to meet the needs ofthose at risk of exclusion. Dependenceon short-term support will not deliverthe results. Sustainability is key tosupporting vulnerable children andtheir families. A commitment ‘to bein for as long as it takes’ is needed toprevent the initially high level of effortand investment dwindling as ‘at risk’children move through universalservices from birth to school.

The importance of the early years iswidely recognised. Extensive researchfindings exhort policymakers andproviders to give our young childrenthe best provision and support.But the reality is still that many ofour youngest and most vulnerablechildren are looked after in serviceswith the most inexperienced andleast qualified staff.The developmentsof improved qualifications for theearly years workforce in recent yearsare very encouraging and over timecan make a difference to the qualityof management and services.

Summary

It is very encouraging to report onthe good work already being doneacross Scotland and in the rangeof sectors and services involved.Key lessons can be learned fromthis work which in many caseswas under way before the finalpublication of the Early YearsFramework in 2008. Others will beencouraged by the variety ofapproaches in the case studiesto build on their own practice toimprove the outcomes for children.

Success in improving children’s livesmeans everyone has to acknowledgethe rights of the child as enshrinedin United Nations Convention onthe Rights of the Child. Too often theneeds of the adult or the professionget in the way of putting the child atthe centre in health and wellbeing.

The report has shown whereimproved capacity can provideadditional support and earlyintervention for families facinggreater challenges. Staff working inall mainstream services for children

SUMMARY

54

That will not happen overnight andsupport from well qualified staff willcontinue to be needed to bridgethe gap.Those professionals currentlyworking in the sector need to be ableto share their expertise, particularlywhere services need to improve.

Higher expectations, better training forstaff and coordination of communitysupport will help communities to helpthemselves.The essential is positivepartnership working across differentservices involving frank and opendialogue, and a recognition that nosingle service can meet all needs.This will need a stronger focus on staffdeveloping the right skills set to workeffectively with other professionals tosupport families and communities.

The report gives due recognition tothose already committed to deliveringthe very best for children and theirfamilies, often in challengingcircumstances.The work of theseindividuals, services and voluntarygroups already benefits manychildren and families.The time is rightto share their successful strategiesmore widely.

Scotland’s future economic prosperityrequires all those working with childrenand families to have the knowledgeand skills to help children and youngpeople develop socially, emotionallyand educationally in order to thrivein this 21st century.

Curriculum for Excellence provideseveryone with a common directionfor this work, with its emphasisproviding every child with a broadgeneral education with high qualitylearning and achievements in andbeyond the school. All have animportant part to play in givingScotland and Scotland’s childrenthe excellence which they need.All who work with and for childrenhave to take collective responsibilityas a community of educators.Working together and making bestuse of opportunities will ensure thateach child can have a positive startwith positive outcomes.

© Crown copyright 2009

ISBN: 978- 0-7053-1159 - 5 (Web only)

HM Inspectorate of EducationDenholm HouseAlmondvale Business ParkAlmondvale WayLivingstonEH54 6GA

Tel: 01506 600 200Fax: 01506 600 337E-mail: [email protected]

Produced for HMIE by RR Donnelley B60441 10/09

Published by HMIE, October 2009

Documents

The Early Years Framework: Learning Together: Positive ... · HM Inspectorate of Education Denholm House Almondvale Business Park Almondvale Way Livingston EH54 6GA Tel: 01506 600