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Executive Summary
The Review has provided an opportunity to make a bold statement about the kind of workforce we need to provide the high quality services that our children deserve.
Context
Investing in our children and their childhoods makes sense. There are social and economic benefits for children and for families. However, we should also value childhood for just that. Children deserve the best possible childhood experience and we should celebrate it. Likewise, we should value the staff who work with children and their childhoods.
As a result of a growing body of research evidence, we are now, more than ever, recognising the benefits of quality early years and childcare services for children and parents. We know that children who attend quality early years services benefit in their cognitive and social development, and in confidence. Disadvantaged children benefit even more. School age children can also benefit from childcare - improved attainment at school, attendance, behaviour; and in the level of parental involvement which is the single most important factor in improving children's attainment at school, more so than parental income or level of education.
Working in early years and childcare is often seen as low skill work. In reality, however, the services provided by workers in the sector influence how children develop and learn, and have the potential to help raise children out of poverty by giving them the best possible start in life whatever their family circumstances. It also removes barriers for some parents, particularly single parents, wishing to gain employment.
The roles and responsibilities of the workforce are diverse, challenging and changing. This Review is an opportunity for us to build on good work around the country, to set standards for the future and to ensure all workers achieve the status that their crucial role deserves.
Review Themes
The Review identified three main themes that will guide all of the changes that will affect the early years and childcare sector in the future. Those themes are leadership, worker development and flexibility.
- A Roles and Responsibilities Framework has been developed that creates a central leadership role for the lead practitioner/manager of a service. The lead practitioner/
manager has a role in, for example: assisting their staff to appreciate how they, as an individual and a service, are contributing to the Vision for children (see Annex A); facilitating partnership working with other occupational groups; and encouraging, advising and mentoring staff to develop their own skills and knowledge. - We need to help each worker develop their skills, knowledge and potential throughout their career, to ensure that we have the workers with the right skills to deliver the quality services we need, and so each worker has the opportunity to pursue a rewarding career in early years and childcare.
- Flexibility in career choice for workers and employers should create a flexible workforce to allow the delivery of services that meet the needs of children and families in local communities. A flexible workforce which is able to work in different settings and with different professionals will be essential to deliver integrated and changing services.
Findings
Roles and Responsibilities
The roles and responsibilities of the workforce are diverse, challenging and changing. Each worker should recognise they are part of a wider workforce, working in partnership with others to support delivery of an agreed set of outcomes for all children.
Summary Finding 1
Develop a single, shared framework to encompass the diverse roles and responsibilities of the early years and childcare workforce, which links explicitly to the Vision for children.
Qualifications and Training
Whilst evidence shows that children do best in the highest quality centres, there is also evidence to show that a poor quality service can have negative effects for disadvantaged children. Critically, the single most significant factor in determining the quality of the centre is the level of qualification of the manager of the centre, and to a lesser extent the level of qualification of the wider workforce.1
Summary Finding 2
Develop a new qualifications structure for the sector, whose main attributes will be:
- one framework for the whole sector;
- services to be led by SCQF level 9 (ordinary degree or work-based equivalent) qualified professionals;
- entry and exit points at each level - supporting flexibility and movement;
- college, university and work-based routes - supporting flexibility and inclusion;
- recognition and accreditation of prior learning - supporting flexibility and inclusion;
- supports progression and continuing professional development ( CPD);
- supports identification of shared skills/knowledge base across children's services.
Recruitment and Retention
To provide the kind of services we want for children we need to have the right people in the sector.
Summary Finding 3
We identified a number of straightforward principles that should underpin all recruitment and retention practice:
- profile of the sector needs to be raised and professional identity established;
- need to attract the right workers to the profession;
- need to retain experienced, well-qualified staff; and
- need a workforce that more closely reflects the diversity of the Scottish population.
Career Pathways
We need to make sure that early years and childcare is an attractive profession: one that is respected, and where there are opportunities for development and career progression.
Summary Finding 4
There are four key principles underpinning effective career pathways:
- transparency, flexibility and choice;
- qualifications which support - rather than hinder - a diverse range of career pathways;
- rewarding workers for increasing responsibility and skill; and
- attractive to a wide section of the community.
Workforce Planning
The sector's greatest resource and asset is the workforce. All organisations involved in delivering early years and childcare services have a role in planning for that workforce.
Summary Finding 5
Develop an approach to workforce planning that is consistent across the country but is flexible enough both to be useful to small individual providers and to much larger organisations such as local authorities.
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