The Scottish Government

EARLY YEARS FRAMEWORK: DRAFT FINAL REPORT FROM INTEGRATED SERVICES TASK GROUP.

Introduction.

• The Integrated Services Task Group consists of around 30 members from Scottish Government, COSLA, local authorities, the NHS, voluntary and private sector organisations and regulatory and inspection bodies. The Task Group agreed to form three sub-groups to look at childcare, pre-school and interventions beyond pre-school. The Task Group and sub-groups engaged with a range of other bodies (including ADES and ADSW) and our gratititude is recorded here to all who have contributed to this report and who are very likely to be further involved as the report is refined in the weeks ahead.
• The Task Group considered the overarching tasks which apply to all the Task Groups but their specific tasks were as follows:

- Implementing existing pre-school commitments and examining targeted additional services for vulnerable 0-3s.

- Refreshing the direction of childcare, including consideration of its role, purpose and value. Reducing fragmentation; addressing cost/funding issues and the roles of formal and informal carers. Considering the future role of childcare partnerships in the new strategic context.

- Joining up the education experience for children, managing more effectively the transitions from pre-school to school, including wider applicability of approaches such as nurture groups.

- Implementing the planned reduction in class sizes to 18 in a way that has greatest impact on outcomes for children.

- Optimising health protection and health promotion for children 0-5 and school children, including the phased introduction of free school meals.

- Developing a sense of how to sustain the intervention beyond early years and how the EYF will connect to the Curriculum for Excellence, the More Choices, More Chances agenda and Getting it Right for Every Child, with the aim of improving outcomes for all children.

- Examining various models for delivering more integrated services eg children's centres, networks or partnerships etc. Consider the practicality of a holistic family support service approach and the role of advice and information services. Securing a place for Gaelic within early years services.

- A continuing focus on equipping children with good literacy and numeracy skills.

Summary of main conclusions.

• More detailed reports on the tasks follow later but a summary of our key conclusions is set out below. These are not presented in any order of priority. There are also much more detailed reports from the three sub-groups (which include examples of integrated services, innovative approaches and research/document references) which can be made available. They have not been included in this report solely on the grounds of brevity:

- The views and opinions of children, parents and carers must be sought and taken into account in all stages of planning, commissioning and delivery of services for children of all ages;

- Although the Concordat and the development of Single Outcome Agreements will change the ways in which everyone works, local authorities, the NHS and other providers must still ensure that they still meet their statutory obligations eg to protect children, support those with disabilities and other support needs;

- Universal services need to be strengthened in terms of their skills and capacity so that they feel more confident in identifying and addressing issues without the need to refer children towards more targeted services unless this is absolutely necessary. This would help to address children and families who may have latent or emerging issues but who are not yet in need of intensive multi-agency interventions and would reduce risks of stigmatisation; this is a key issue for parents, especially those who feel vulnerable in asking for support.

- Service planners and providers need to take account of rurality and remoteness factors in providing high quality services which provide satisfactory degrees of flexibility and choice for children and families;

- Planned and coordinated transitions are essential at all stages of a child's life;

- We need to avoid fragmented and uncoordinated policies which translate into fragmented and uncoordinated delivery of services. We need to have clear linkages between key policies eg Curriculum for Excellence, Additional Support Needs, Substance Misuse, Better Health/Better Health, Equally Well. Pre-school and childcare need to be fully embedded into wider integrated children's services planning;

- Successful development and roll out of Getting It Right for Every Child (including the integrated assessment framework) should be regarded as the "golden thread" through which child-centred and personalised services are delivered to all children and families, including those who may be vulnerable or at risk. Delivery of the EYF needs to firmly embedded in the next round of Outcome Agreements to ensure coherence and Community Planning Partnership "buy in";

- We should break the false distinction between pre-school education and childcare, perhaps referring to "services for under-5s." Pre-school isn't solely about education and needs to encompass a child's life in a more holistic way. Similarly, childcare services should encompass a more holistic approach to include parenting, family and community and should also link into services for adults.We should be describing how we care for children and promote early learing effectively in all settings whether formal or informal to give children the best possible start in life.

- Childcare must be seen as supporting the development of the child - not just a way of easing parental employment or training. We recognise, however, the important role which childcare plays in respect of tackling poverty and unemployment;

- The special needs of looked after children need to be considered at every stage and embedded in assessment, planning and delivery of services. We need shared responsibility, clarity and consistency of decision making eg stable placements and permanence, coordination between courts, hearings, adoption etc. These decisions should be informed by an explicit intent to improve the outcomes for children rather than solve a " problem". Decision making bodies should be held to account for the outcomes arising from their decisions.

- We need a stable, well qualified and well remunerated workforce in the pre-school and childcare sectors (indeed, across all children's services) to ensure successful deliver of the EYF and improved outcomes;

- In planning their early years services, local authorities may wish to make appropriate links with their local strategies to develop Gaelic.

Childcare.

4. Universal childcare services act as a gateway and as a conduit for families who need extra support and this is a non-stigmatising and positive route potentially available to all families, especially those who would not readily seek support via the statutory routes; e.g. health, education, social work, justice or other support agencies. Families and children may not actually seek support, or know what help is available. Childhood professionals in childcare services have a clear role to play in both providing general care and support to a child to meet the needs of the whole child, as outlined above, and in terms of identifying and supporting children and families through the levels of general or more targeted support.

5. Professionals and support staff in childcare are able to build up good relationships with children and their families, are often able to identify potential difficulties facing children and their work is also part of the solution to many of these problems. If these staff are equal members of a children's services workforce which receives training in common principles and good practice in working with children and young people, then this will reduce fragmentation and false professional barriers, as well as improving the skills of the current workforce and leading to improved pay conditions and the "real and valuable" jobs set out in the governments aims for justice and solidarity.

6. The provision of good quality flexible childcare is a clear element of universal preventative strategies, for example, enabling parents to work or train helps prevent the problems associated with poverty. Children's physical and mental health, early learning social and physical development is actively promoted through good quality childcare. It is also important to stress here that every child should be able to access good quality holistic child centered care without this necessarily being provided in terms of intervention to meet current or potential problems, but in recognition of their overall rights to play, care, learning and leisure support, this should be based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

7. Every worker, including childminders, in registered childcare services, currently undergoes child protection training and services have policies in place to support children and families should there be concerns about a child's development, behaviour, or emotional and physical well being. Some community childminders (SCMA) and sitter services further contribute to the GIRFEC agenda, in being able to provide immediate respite care for a child in emergency situations, as well as longer term support to families in crisis. Group daycare providers also currently support short or long term support of children through social work financed placements, see for example, evidence in School's Out. [i]

8. To maximise the full potential of childcare to support children and families as part of a holistic approach through GIRFEC, there needs to be integration of childcare at a community and service delivery level (e.g. recognising childcare services as a solution for placements for vulnerable twos), integration at policy, resources and strategic levels (Childcare Partnerships) and at the workforce development level, where professional staff who understand the holistic needs of children and can engage with the wider community should be supported through access to relevant qualifications for this role (for example using the national standards for childhood practice and developing pedagogy qualifications). This workforce should also reflect the diversity of our society and link closely with education colleagues to ensure families can access a professionally led blend of early years education and childcare.

9. Informal care through family and friends, especially kinship carers providing long term replacement parenting support, is also a source of support for children experiencing gaps in their care. There is a role for childhood professionals to work with family support agencies in supporting these carers, by providing respite care, help information advice and community resources.The "army" of grandparents and relatives providing childcare, could also be supported by imaginatively extending, for example, community toddler groups and services providing high quality resources to assist them in their role. Parenting support strategies must include these informal carers, and they and the children involved should be consulted about decisions relating to a child's welfare. Fathers are increasingly involved in direct care of their children and resources provided from integrated community childcare centres and parenting support agencies should be open to a diverse range of carers.

10. Ensuring the universal provision of childcare to meet the needs of children and families is part of the process of supporting equality and diversity. Parents, in particular lone parents, those living in rural areas and parents of children with additional support needs, or who need respite childcare in order to deal with other family circumstances, benefit from the equal opportunities enabled by the provision of childcare. Increasingly fathers and grandparents also need access to childcare and parenting support. Parents who themselves have additional support needs also need extra support. Good quality childcare also enables children from different social, cultural, religious and economic backgrounds, and with different needs, to mix together and this contributes to a positive promotion of equality and diversity principles, as well as integration into the local community for children with ASN or refugee or asylum seeking families.

11. Central to the development, delivery and support of the provision of childcare to support this overarching integrated children's services framework, is to ensure that, at every level, that children with additional support needs and those looked after, or in need of extra support through family or individual circumstances, are able to access appropriate childcare, play, learning and leisure services which are recognised as a key component of the individualised support that child may need for their development and inclusion, as well as supporting their families or foster/ kinship carers. Specialist childcare and youth day/evening services could be developed to meet the needs of children at high risk, including those excluded from school or persistent offenders. With potential integration of childcare centres and a pool of professional staff, with particular specialist skills, such services could be extended from the existing universal provision rather than set up apart from the community.

12. Childcare is an essential element of addressing poverty, inequality and deprivation. As well as the direct support it gives in enabling parents or carers to work or train for work, children experiencing the effects of inequalities through poverty and deprivation need access to play, care learning and leisure opportunities, especially if they are from a workless household reliant on benefits. The negative impact often caused by rural deprivation can be countered through the delivery of a range of quality childcare services. Childcare is therefore an essential component of the Scottish government's economic strategy, and the targets related to equality, fairness and justice. Childcare also addresses the health, learning and well being of children from deprived backgrounds, enabling their development, meeting their physical and emotional needs, and giving extra support in terms of inclusion into their community. Childcare has a key role to play in supporting children whose families are homeless, who may be moving from place to place, or who are affected by poverty.

13. Childcare is also a source of employment and training for work, although the low pay and poor conditions of employment of childcare workers must be addressed. The inclusion of men, minority ethnic, disabled and a wide variety of ages, to reflect our diverse society also has to be addressed. With some types of services only able to offer part time posts, further integration of the delivery of childcare services is required in order to provide wider and more permanent work opportunities.

Where are we now?

14. Forty five percent of all children were in receipt of some kind of childcare. Informal childcare was much more commonly used than formal care with the overall most common type being care provided by a relative. In January 2007 there were 4,457 registered childcare and pre-school education centres, of which 142 (3.2 per cent) were closed or not operating. There were 6,020 registered childminders, of whom 5,510 (92 per cent) were active. Childcare and early education centres are managed by a mixture of state, voluntary and private agencies. The largest providers are local authorities who provide 61% of nurseries, 58% of children/family centres, nearly 30% of crèches, just over 20% of play schemes and 18% of out of school care.

15. The legal definition of a "child" in Scotland is based on age, usually up to 16, sometimes 18, and every single child has the need and indeed the right to be cared for in terms of their social, physical, intellectual, cognitive and emotional development. Good quality childcare should meet children's needs and rights to support which covers all of these aspects of their development. It is still the case that the locus for much of that care is with parents (carers) and where parents choose others to provide this care for their children they mostly turn to close family, such as grandparents, or close friends, for support.

16. However it should be borne in mind that these national statistics are for childcare and early education. Therefore the bulk of the LA figures may be based on 1,537 local authority pre-school education establishments not necessarily providing childcare or wraparound care. A further 1,213 early education places are delivered by providers in partnership with the local authority, from the private, voluntary and independent sectors. The voluntary sector dominates as the management model for playgroups 79% provide nearly half of out of school care 47%, and sitter services 46%.

17. Formal childcare is provided as a service to meet the needs of the child, to ensure their overall well being, and as a service to meet the needs of society, usually for economic reasons, for example, enabling parents to work and as one of the measures used to address economic inequalities, addressing issues around poverty and exclusion from the labour market. To date, most funding investment in "childcare" (rather than sure start or early intervention) has been based more on that economic imperative than based on the child-centred principles embedded in GIRFEC. Residential childcare workers in social care cater for very vulnerable children yet there are low levels of qualified staff and pay and conditions in this field are poor. Childcare is also provided for children in need of specialist support by organisations such as Aberlour, Barnados, Children First, NCH, Capability Scotland, Stepping Stones for Families, Save the Children and other national charities.

18. We challenged the distinctions between, for example "childcare" and "early education". We could be talking about the same child in the same setting being cared for by the same staff e.g. a private, voluntary or local authority nursery which provides integrated early education and care. Or between "childcare" in terms of school age childcare and out of school learning activities, summer schools etc, provided by the school? Or indeed education of younger or children with ASN where there is also an element of care provided through classroom assistants. Do parents see much difference between these services at point of delivery, and do children? Apart from the difficulties in terms of moving between services located in different premises? Or lack of integration so parents of, say a baby in nursery, and an older child in OSC is faced with different locations, opening hours and staff job titles.

19. For formal education there are assessments based on the set of measures based on the national curriculum. However, increasingly childcare centres use quality assessment tools such as "Child at the Centre", or for school age childcare: SOSCN's Aiming High Scotland. There are also quality assurance schemes for private nurseries, for childminders and other locally developed assessment tools. The Care Commission has also introduced a grading system to encourage continued quality development of services.The value of childcare in terms of the impact on the economy is widely accepted. However, there is not enough research to show the value of childcare in terms of a child's developmental progress outside of the academic curriculum, as well as the value of extra support where and when needed.

20. While there are numerous studies to show the value of early education, childcare and early intervention, it is quite erroneous to assume that these beneficial outcomes may not also be products of quality care, play, learning and leisure for all ages. This has just not been measured. The enriching experiences provided for children of all ages in the here and now are not valued enough; there is too much emphasis on their future, which, while important, should not detract from improving the quality of their lives today. Social opportunities, learning through play, and early identification of difficulties by frontline professional staff, could be delivered by all childcare services for all ages, led by trained professionals.

21. The other difference is in the qualifications, pay, conditions and status of staff and although the new standards for childhood practice framework may do a great deal to raise professional skills and meet requirements for SSSC registration there is a great deal of uncertainly about whether the financial resources and support structures are in place to make this happen. Investment in and access to professional status such as that outlined in proposals for a Scottish Pedagogy model (Cohen, 2008) would do much to up skill the workforce and increase levels of holistic support to children, and engender co-operation and shared understanding across the wider children's services workforce.

22. A forthcoming SOSCN survey into the pay of staff in out of school care, for example, shows that, on average, a practitioner earns £6.33 an hour. A recent report illustrates the difficult choices made by a workforce highly motivated to work with children because of the high intrinsic value of such work, yet they are often forced to leave in order to earn a decent wage or make progress in their own lives. While significant gains have been made in overall qualification levels, with 65% of the Early Education and Childcare workforce qualified now at SVQ level 3 or above, only 8% currently have a degree level qualification and at the starting point is still very low for many areas of the childcare workforce. To gain parity with education, health and social work professionals in terms of pay, conditions and status, will require investment in workforce development and then in wages and resources for ongoing professional development.

23. Given that all managers/ lead practitioners will be expected to gain or work towards a degree level award (within the standards for childhood practice) in order to register with the SSSC, there is a lot of progress to be made here.

Where do we want to be?

24. In short, we need to provide universal services for children at all ages, stages and circumstances in their lives, with a highly valued professional workforce. We need to embed the principles of GIRFEC, especially in areas where it is obviously not being used - such as services for children with ASN, vulnerable adolescents, older children of lone parents who will be affected by welfare to work reforms. There needs to be continued and ongoing investment and support to childcare services and the qualifications of staff in the field.

25. All children at some ages, stages or circumstances in life need to be part of a universal and joined up framework where the front line staff who are providing care, play, learning or health support are sufficiently trained and skilled to pick up on any extra support a child may need at different points in their lives, and are able to work together as equal partners in doing this.

26. A Scottish Pedagogy qualification could provide both a professional identity to childhood professionals and a holistic approach to meeting children's needs, which encompasses the GIRFEC framework.

27. We should refresh the direction of childcare in that it should be provided, developed and delivered, according to meeting the development needs of children and their families, in terms of access to play and leisure, social support and care, based on supporting their rights and overall health and well being. The services should be pro-active in supporting children's rights, equality, diversity and citizenship, value and promote play, outdoor activities and nature, environmental awareness, music, creativity and self expression, health and physical activities, nutrition and overall well being. They should work closely with family support agencies, schools, health and social work professionals to support GIRFEC and to contribute specific knowledge and expertise. Such services should be embedded and integrated in communities, and act as a gateway to different levels of support families and children may need.

28. Services must be accessible and affordable to families in varying circumstances. Where possible there should be integration of different types, ages and stages of childcare but delivered in a way that takes into account the different needs of varying age groups. Current childcare services do offer support to high risk children and families. With the increasing professionalism and parity of the workforce set out in the proposals for a Scottish pedagogy, [ii] there are opportunities for more childcare and youth services to be set up to support children excluded and at risk of offending. This should be extended from universal provision with sufficient extra resources.

29. There is also scope to look at expanding to all day care and learning for children unable to manage in a formal school setting. The best approach to high risks for children and families is to prevent this stage ever being reached. It is essential that through the GIRFEC framework and the focus on the 4 capacities that all schools become more responsive to the needs of all learners not just those who are successful and well supported by their families.Universal provision which provides older children with support and learning on things like anger management, drugs, sexual behaviour and relationships are worth investment in order to support large numbers of young people from becoming disengaged with society. Services should be located in good quality premises and there should be greater development and use of outdoor space for children and young people.

How do we get there?

30. There are models of good practice, where families are supported by centres which integrate various forms of childcare, support to parents, training for staff, and liaison with fellow professionals. There should be a mapping of such good practice and development planning based on the best examples. We need to learn from what has been successful in past development processes; there is a lot of experience out there now in Childcare Partnerships, development staff, service providers, across all sectors, and charitable umbrella organisations and agencies. Information on successful current good practice at a strategic level by Childcare Partnerships and others should be shared and expanded upon.

31. There should be protected, secure and steady levels of investment in services. Anxiety and work related to financial viability and struggling to survive mitigates against core quality and professional development, as this has to happen within a secure framework.

32. Professionalising the workforce and strengthening management models is a necessary step forward. Too many services still rely on parent committees of spare time managers who are forced to take on employer responsibilities without having the skills, tools or training to do so. Smaller services will not be able to support/ pay for level 9 /degree qualified managers, so there is an urgent need to develop multi site or integrated services using peripatetic managers.

33. There needs to be an ongoing process of improving the way childcare is perceived valued and paid for. There needs to be steady and secure investment in childcare and in developing the integration agenda, as well as addressing current gaps in provision.

What do we need to do to get there?

34. We need leadership and resources at a national and a local level. We need to convince a sector which has already gone through a great deal of transformational change that there is another big step to take to bring them on a professional equal level with other key workers involved with supporting children, thus creating services embedded in GIRFEC principles.

35. We need to strengthen and review the roles of Childcare Partnerships and ensure they are re-deployed on a higher strategic level, linking in with health, social work, education, youth work and all family support services in order to work on overarching planning and policies to support children and their families. They should include skilled and unbiased representatives, in the long term, from the pool of professional managers across the different types of childcare services (from the public, private and voluntary sectors).

36. We should learn from current good practice with councils and Childcare Partnerships which are already developing the holistic integration agenda, and support those who are at a crossroads in terms of establishing future roles and purposes. Some partnerships consulted at a recent national meeting expressed the view that they are waiting for the outcomes of this framework development process before making strategic decisions about the future.

37. The role of childcare information services should also be reassessed, this role could be developed more to give parents and children access to relevant information and this could be another "portal" or gateway to related services.

38. We should continue to support the integration of services, where this is possible and desired. Rural areas have often, through necessity, taken the lead on this model of all ages' services, but there are also outstanding examples from the family centre services and family support agencies developing sitter services. For example:

39. We should move towards joined up centres (co-located, co-managed or locally co-coordinated e.g. rural areas which cannot support centre based services) which are a one stop gateway for families to access direct care, learning and support for their children and young people, and to help them access a wider range of services as needed.

How do we need to do it?

40. Allow for a gradual but well planned process including:

• Stabilise and secure current services.
• Map needs and gaps in services for children (based on their needs).
• Develop pilots and carry out evaluations and assessments of successful models of delivery at national and local strategic policy and partnership levels and service delivery levels.
• Develop local plans with the services, community, children and parents involved and their views included.
• Develop and share models of good practice in service delivery
• Involve all key stakeholders at a senior strategic level - refreshing the role of Childcare Partnerships is a key process here.
• Plan and pilot pedagogy qualifications

41. We need to do things in the right order. The current sector has had to deal with a great deal of change in the last ten years, often too rapidly. New strategies should be planned and delivered in consultation and in stages, with consideration of how different strategies may overlap.

Who needs to do what to ensure successful delivery?

42. There should be a clear lead and investment from national and local government. The higher education sector should start developing relevant qualifications. National and local umbrella and representative organisations have a role to play in leading, researching, sharing good practice and in supporting this transformation of the sector . The Scottish Government, as well as COSLA, is accountable for ensuing that GIRFEC is properly resourced and supported through the concordat and also through investing in national initiatives to enable the sharing of good practice and innovation.

43. Newly energised and focused Childcare Partnerships with the power and resources to support development at a senior strategic and collaborative level have a clear role to play in supporting development and delivery. In particular, consideration should be given to creating Integrated Children's Services Departments that link to Integrated Children and Family Services Partnerships instead of the current Childcare Partnerships. These could have more formal and strategic relationships in contributing to LA Children's Services Plans and subsequently to Community Plans and would bring childcare to the heart of planning structures.

44. The present Childcare Information Services within local authorities should be directed to further develop and extend their functions to become Children and Family Information Services.

45. Services need to embrace the professionalisation of their workforce and seek to develop management and delivery models which maximise support to families and children. They will need support from local agencies, partnerships and their national organisations in this process.

Resource implications?

46. While tax credits do help families access childcare there is a limit to using a market led approach to cover all of the costs so investment directly in services is currently required in a lot of areas, including rural children, children with a disability or additional support needs, older children, children in poverty/ difficult circumstances, family support/ sitter services. None of these are sustainable on fees alone. Full cost recovery through fees would make the services inaccessible to all but the very wealthy.

47. In all types of services, creating a professional framework and improving pay, conditions and career prospects, will naturally bring up the direct cost of providing such services. In For love or money, [iii](Cook and Lawton, 2008), it is suggested that the childcare market has reached its limits in terms of charges to parents. So there is a significant gap in resources here in terms of meeting GIRFEC and putting a proper value on childcare work.

48. The private sector is under ever-increasing pressure to accommodate conflicting initiatives. On the one hand, there is the necessity to up skill the workforce, leading to increased employment costs, whilst on the other hand; there is pressure to keep childcare affordable. To be able to attract talented and committed staff into childcare the rewards and status must meet with expectations. However, these financial requirements cannot be met out of fee income alone, unless fees are set at a level that is unaffordable by the vast majority of working parents.Developing new services to meet current low levels of services (for example, ASN provision) will also require initial and ongoing investment.

49. Given the flexibility of the Concordat with local government, there are fears that sufficient resources will not continue to be allocated from the block grant received by local government to support childcare and workforce development required to meet these ambitions. National strategic direction and investment of resources ( increases in resources will be required over time if we really want a recognised profession and services delivering the best for all children).

How will these resources be secured?

50. As indicated earlier, there is a need for increased investment from central and local government. We do, however, acknowledge the realities of the financial situation. Local authorities and their partners should look at sharing resources such as premises - schools, community centres, outdoor play and leisure space. More imaginative use of the school estate (including local authority nursery premises) could be considered. Whole buildings and playing fields are closed down over the summer yet could be more widely available for community childcare, play and learning activities. With less time and resources being spent on reporting back on a myriad of programmes and projects in terms of central government funding, there should be savings on that level. Pooling resources across education, social work, health and economic regeneration could result in joint strategies and delivery of resources to meet outcomes such as Hall4, GIRFEC and economic and social justice targets.

51. There should be constructive dialogue with the UK government on the best way forward in terms of tax credits and in using the resources such as working for families which are rolled out on a UK level. Direct payments for disabled children could also be a source for families to help pay for childcare support, for the child's development and for the parent's respite and/or occupational needs. The Scottish Government shsould be in dialogue with the Treasury about their current consultation on tax credits.

52. Resources can also be freed up by working together across the public sector, as well as within it and ensuring that the vibrant third sector and private sector are involved, included and supported as equal partners. Charitable organisations often have opportunities to bring in external funding through grants and trusts, donations and philanthropy, so they should be viewed as equal partners in cross sector developments of funding and sharing resources strategies. The private sector brings a great deal of expertise in business development, market analysis, innovation and start up skills. This is the best approach to offering choice flexibility and quality for parents/carers.

Barriers.

53. In addition to resource constraints, there is fragmentation and different policies, standards and drivers at a national level, as well as local. We suggest that all must be integrated into GIRFEC and the developing early years framework. There are "professional" divisions - across and within children's services and a lack of a common language, definitions of children in need, at risk and so on. There is a lack of understanding of different roles and priorities. Integration has to come both from the grassroots service delivery level - multi-purpose, multi-site childcare services for all ages, and developing innovative support to families depending on their communities' needs, as well as co-operation and collaboration across national and local strategic and leadership levels. This will also invovle the engagement of local politicians to ensure local investment and commitment to transformational change.

Timescales

54. The development of the workforce and strengthening of the management model are closely linked to the timetable for rolling out the requirements for registration with the SSSC, and the time needed to develop existing and new entrants to level 9/degree level at leadership and management registration. This will be a gradual process but certainly in 10 years most if not all managers will either have or be working towards a level 9 qualification. In the short term we should draw up a new map: a map which looks at the potential for integration on all levels, and set out directions for travelling forward.

55. In the short term pilots should be developed and it is crucial that successful practice is shared nationally. In the medium term there should be development based on the lessons learned from these pilot innovations and mapping of current good practice. In the long term (ten years) there should be significant and measurable outcomes, which show progression in quality, resources, services and professional status, collaboration and access to services for children and families. There should be ongoing inclusion of children and parents views in the measuring of these outcomes.

Pre-school

56. This sub-group looked at ways of delivering services for under 5s which meet their needs and the wider needs of their families. In particular, the sub-group focused on implementing existing pre-school commitments and examining targeted additional services for 0-3 year olds; optimising health protection and health promotion for pre-school and school children; examining various models for delivering more integrated services eg children's centres, networks or partnerships etc. They also considered the practicality of holistic family support service approach and the role of advice and information services.

57. There was much common ground with the conclusions from the Childcare Sub-group in that we were clear that pre-school services are not solely about education but should encompass a more holistic approach to the child's life including the family, community and parenting. There was also a strong call for pre-school services to be fully embedded withing wider integrated planning for children's services and for a strengthened role for Childcare Partnerships. The comments that follow are relevant to all services that impact on a child's life - education, health, social work, voluntary, private and public sector and services for adults where there are children in a household.

Where are we now?

58. The paper 'Early Years Framework - Evidence Briefing' includes a section on integrated services. Key findings include a)integrated services are better developed where child protection is concerned than in more preventative work, b) key-worker approaches seem particularly effective in engaging vulnerable parents, c)there is a lack of hard evidence demonstrating better outcomes for children from integrated services, although there is subjective evidence of positive effects on processes and professionals, and d) there have been a number of catastrophic child protection cases where lack of integration has been identified as a key contributory factor.There is evidence that providing care / education together in Early ears settings has benefits.

59. The evidence briefing states specifically on services for under 5s: a) 2000-01 study of services to Scottish families with children aged 0-3 indicated a wide range of services but poorly co-ordinated, b) negative perceptions of social workers by those not engaged with them, appreciation of health visitors, c) very positive reactions to family centres, d) almost universal (97%) uptake of free pre-school places, d) Scottish Household Survey 2005-06 showed high levels of satisfaction with childcare (90%+ - not limited to pre-school, e) a major European longitudinal study indicated into children at risk of needing additional support for learning showed that an earlier start (under 3) in pre-school is linked to better intellectual development, f) there is no difference between part-time and full-time, integrated centres and nursery classes more effective than other provision in promoting positive outcomes.

60. Early years services have been subject to a number of policy developments over the past 10 - 15 years under administrations of a variety of political complexions. Highlights include the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, covering children of all ages but enshrining the principle of the paramountcy of the child's best interest, initial development of pre-school education for 4 year-olds over 1995-96, the subsequent extension of that to the term after the third birthday, the development of a childcare strategy in 1998-99, and a growing emphasis on more integrated children's services from reports such as For Scotland's Children (2001) and (in a child protection context) "It's everyone's job to make sure I'm alright" (2002). In health services Hall 4 has been a key policy shift, seeing a re-focusing of the health visitor service on more vulnerable children and families, while still retaining an element of universality. More recent developments have included a focus on improving outcomes for looked after children following the We Can and Must Do Better report and the development of the Getting it Right for Every Child approach to match children's needs with appropriate, proportionate and timely support, with work underway through pathfinder projects to test this in detail and develop practical aids to this such as a shared approach to assessment founded on well-being indicators, better technical arrangements for information sharing, developing the role of the lead professional etc.

61. The Scottish Government outlined the approach for the NHS in Scotland in addressing the early years agenda in Better Health Better Care - The Best Possible Start. The importance of pre-conception, ante natal and maternity care are highlighted as being essential in addressing the underlying issues that result in poorer outcomes for vulnerable children. A significant number of children in Scotland have underlying health issues that are often exacerbated by inequalities experienced by many families in Scotland. the health policy context for addressing these issues are currently being implemented and a summary of the key documents are provided below.

· Mental Health of Children and Young People, A Framework for Promotion, Prevention and Care (2005)

· Health for all Children (Hall4) (2005)

· Emergency Care Framework for Children and Young People in Scotland (2006)

· Delivering a Healthy Future- an Action Framework for Children and Young People's Health in Scotland (2007)

· Better Health Better Care (2007)

· National Delivery Plan for Children and Young People's Specialist Services in Scotland (2008) # (currently out for consultation).

Each of these documents set out the challenges that need to be addressed over the next 5 to 10 years in relation to child health. The Scottish Government has also published (at the end of June 2008) the report "Equally Well" - the report of the Ministerial Task Force on Health Inequalities" which makes links with the Early Years Framework, Curriculum for Excellence, GIRFEC and other key policies (eg alcohol and drugs).

Current Developments

62. There are good examples of integrated service delivery throughout Scotland, but practice is inconsistent and often dependent on interpersonal relationships. Services for pre-5s are delivered by providers in the public, private and voluntary sectors and the level to which the different sectors are well integrated varies across the country. Many of the tools to achieve successful integrated service provision are already developed through the Getting it Right agenda - Integrated Assessment Framework and the development of joint inspections of children's services.

Where We Want To Get To?

63. In short, we want to ensure that children and families in Scotland get access to the best possible support when required. We need universal services which have the capacity to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families, services which are better coordinated and linked to strategic planning for 0-3 year olds, services which meet the best standards available in comparable international settings and which improve outcomes for those most in need.We comment below on the specific tasks considered by the sub-group:

64. Implementing Existing Pre-school Commitments:Local authorities and partners delivering 50% increase in entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds; Pre-school providers delivering access to a teacher to all children in pre-school education

65. Optimising Health Protection and Health Promotion for Pre-school and School Children: Health promotion services delivered via a range of settings, including non-health settings. Supporting infant mental health to be included as a key part of services to children and families.

66. Examining models for Delivering More Integrated Services: Integrated services are key to providing services for all children and families. In particular we want to see:

67. Getting it Right for Every Child: The principles and practices of Getting it Right for Every Child should be embedded across Scotland, in particular:

• Shared values, language and understanding among professionals
• Strengthened integrated planning of children's services
• Integrated Assessment Framework being widely used
• Lead practitioner model adopted across Scotland
• Information sharing between relevant professionals
• Multi-agency/disciplinary teams working with under 5s, working to a team leader to deliver services in accordance with local need.

68. Universal and targeted services: There needs to be universal and targeted services in place that meet the needs of families at all levels. Priority should be given to early intervention and there is a particular needs to meet the needs of those children and families considered to be "bubbling under", ie with assessed needs but who are not yet in a crisis situation.

69. Childcare Partnerships : The role of Childcare Partnerships across Scotland should be strengthened.

70. Children and Families Information System : A children and families information system that can provide information on a range of relevant subjects e.g. childcare, benefits, family support services, parenting, local groups etc, should be developed.

What We Need to do to Get There?

71. Implementing Existing Pre-school Commitments: The sub group sought views from the ADES pre-5 group on how best to deliver the final 12% of the 50% increase in the entitlement to pre-school education. No single approach was preferred. There was no support for a direct 12% pro-rata increase in the current and committed entitlement (ie to 618.75 hours). There was some support for changing the entitlement so that children could start pre-school education from the date of their third birthday (and not the term after as is the current position) and also for not implementing the increase at all (and therefore not implementing the commitment) and seeking to use the related resources for increasing targeted provision, e.g. for vulnerable children only. Given the lack of a clearly preferred view on the way forward it is suggested that the Scottish Government, COSLA and partners such as ADES pre-5 group give further consideration to the 2 preferred options, including costings, by autumn 2008.

72. The Scottish Government and COSLA have been working, in partnership with others, to develop an advice note on delivering access to a teacher in pre-school education. The Group did not recommend any additional action.

73. Ensuring that the commitments in Better Health Better Care are fully implemented:

• Work in partnership with local government and others to develop a long term early years strategy by Autumn 2008
• Work within the framework of Getting it Right for Every Child to change cultures, systems and practices in NHS Scotland and its partner organisations
• Ensure the widespread implementation of Health for All Children, supported by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, to enable intensive support for those with greatest needs
• Continue work to protect children from the effects of drugs, alcohol and smoking in their families and communities
• Implement the recommendations of Looked After Children and Young People: We Can and Must Do Better
• Develop a competency framework through NHS Education for Scotland to support the development of specialist nurses for looked after children
• Strengthen antenatal care to better engage with parents with higher needs, in particular teenage mothers and young fathers.
• Develop actions to promote infant nutrition within the new Food and Health Delivery Plan
• Target NHS Boards to improve breastfeeding rates and appoint an Infant Nutrition Co-ordinator at national level
• Roll out the new schools based preventative dental service
• Publish reviews of current evidence on early interventions, particularly those that will mitigate the effects of inequality on wellbeing and develop a programme of work that will implement them across NHS Boards
• Extend entitlement to free school meals, subject to legislation being passed
• Increase healthcare support for schools and teachers starting in those areas with the highest concentrations of vulnerable children
• Implement the Mental Health of Children and Young People Framework for Promotion, Prevention and Care by 2015
• Publish a National Delivery Plan for Specialist Children's Services in 2008
• Sustain four major children's hospitals across Scotland, including new hospitals in Glasgow and Edinburgh by 2012

74. Specifically for children and adolescent mental health:

• reduce the number of admissions of children and young people to adult beds by 50% by 2009
• increase dedicated inpatient beds nationally from the current 44 to 56 beds by 2010
• provide mental health training for all those working with, or caring for, looked after or accommodated children and young people by 2008
• ensure that a community based named mental health worker is available to every school by 2008 to better inform all concerned and help identify and respond to needs at the earliest point
• provide training for child psychotherapy through NHS Education for Scotland.
• All integrated childrens services partnerships have joint comprehensive strategies related to well being and mental health.

75. Optimising Health Protection and Health Promotion for Pre-school and School Children: Improved Engagement between Health Services and other Professionals to improve health promotion in all services. At the time of preparing the sub-group report, the "Equally Well" report on tackling health inequalities had not been published. Further work will be necessary to ensure that this is linked closely with implementation of the early years framework.

76. Examining models for Delivering More Integrated Services:

• Continued roll-out of Getting it Right for Every Child by Scottish Government and partners
• Dissemination of findings of Pathfinder authorities
• Pro-active adoption of Getting it Right by all agencies involved in services for families and children;
• Common training for all staff which develops core competencies for working with children whatever their professional background.
• Common criteria for agencies involved
• Better systems to be developed for communicating with parents;
• Use existing structures, ie Community Planning, Integrated Children's Services Plans to strengthen planning of services
• Ensure that Early Years and Early Intervention Framework is embedded in the Community Planning Process and the next round of Outcome Agreements.
• Work with service users to develop a positive perspective of intervention strategies

77. Universal and targeted services :

• Provide proactive services rather than reactive;
• Establish planned out of hours support for families, not just 9 to 5.
• Ensure that appropriate venues are available - family centres, parents' rooms in schools, community halls;
• Ensure that services are available to meet assessed need and not only in crises.

78. Childcare Partnerships:

• Review and strengthen the function of Childcare Partnership, including what they do, their decision making roles, their ability to decide/influence policy;
• Review the roles and structures of Childcare Partnerships;
• Review the membership of CPs, including the mix between different types of staff (e.g. practioners/policy officers/resource holders/service deliverers)
• Review the membership of the CPs in terms of the mix between private/voluntary and public sector.

79. Delivery Partners:

• Review mechanisms for engaging with the voluntary sector;
• Continue/establish partnership arrangements with the voluntary sector for the delivery of services;
• Commission services on the basis of outcomes - where outcomes are not achieved review partnerships;
• Fund partners on a sustainable basis -consider 7 to 10 years to allow follow through rather than short-term funding and short term outcomes.

80. Children and Families Information System: Review the current Childcare Information Service (short term) and commission the development of a new Children and Families Information service (medium term).

How We Need to Do It:

81. Implementing Existing Pre-school Commitments : SG/COSLA need to develop and fully analyse two favoured proposals and consult with ADES and wider early education sector; SG/COSLA/ADES - Practical implications to be worked through; resource implications determined; Any legislative changes require to be taken forward by the Scottish Government.

82. Ensuring that the commitments in Better Health Better Care are fully implemented: In addition, review maternity services in Scotland to focus on the objectives of the early years framework and review the delivery of Hall4 to ensure it reflects the aims and objectives of the Early Years Framework.

83. Optimising Health Protection and Health Promotion for Pre-school and School Children: Ensure that roll out of "Equally Well" is coodinated with other policy priorities, including the early years Framework and GIRFEC.

84. Examining models for Delivering More Integrated Services : Learn from and build on existing good practice across Scotland. We have many examples of good practice across Scotland which could be further developed. We need to recognise good practice and learn how to disseminate it and learn from good outcomes achieved. Examples of good practice that we would like to see developed throughout Scotland include: use of Home Visiting both in terms of professionals and buddies. Increase the numbers of staff trained / accredited in delivering parenting programmes.

85. Universal and targeted services: Local authorities need to review services to ensure that local need are met;Local authorities and partners should investigate co-location of staff, where appropriate;Local authorities and partners should develop suitable local management structures to deliver family support services;There should be a review of budgets by all agencies involved in delivering services for children and families; Monitoring systems should be established and implemented to measure outcomes for the delivery of local services.

Who Needs To Do What To Ensure Delivery:

86. To ensure successful delivery of the Early Years Framework across the board, there needs to be a strategic lead from local authority and health board chief executives. Elected members need consulted on and be fully aware of the Framework and committed to the implementation in their local areas. The framework needs to be clearly communicated to staff. There should be a sharing of good practice across Scotland and all staff should be involved in future developments

87. Implementing Existing Pre-school Commitments: Scottish Government and COSLA need to take forward the proposals. Local government need to plan to implement the existing commitment to 570 hours and any further expansion to cover the remaining 12%, supporting partners where needed. The Scottish Government and COSLA need to put in place advice on implementing the commitment to provide access to a teacher. Local government needs to work closely with partners to ensure that all children in pre-school education, including those attending partner centres will have access to a teacher. The Scottish Government, COSLA, local government and other partners will need to consider any implications for teacher training, teacher numbers and resources.

88. Examining models for Delivering More Integrated Services: Getting it Right for Every Child: Getting it Right team to continue with implementationand all agencies involved in providing services for families and children should be adopting the principles and values of Getting it Right;

89. Universal and targeted services : There needs to be monitoring of the integrated assessment framework in order for resources to be targeted to assessed needs. Parents need to feel they can trust services - services should be developed accordingly (e.g. NCH Tullibody Families project).

90. Children and Families Information System: Support is needed from various departments in local authorities, health, police and the voluntary sector. Development needs to be endorsed by the Scottish Government and COSLA.What the Resource Implications are and How Those Resources will be Secured:

91. Implementing Existing Pre-school Commitments: If there is an increase to the statutory entitlement to pre-school education, over and above that already set out in the Concordat, the Scottish Government will need to provide additional resources to local government through the finance settlement. Local government will need to increase resources to partner providers to cover any increase in hours. This may also be an opportunity for local government to review relationships with partner providers including the financial arrangements.

92. Examining models for Delivering More Integrated Services: Resources should be amalgamated locally via Community Health Partnerships, Community Planning Partnerships and local authorities to meet local demands and priorities, which may change over time. Long term funding should be committed and where services are co-located there may be a requirement to shift resources between different budgets.

93. Children and Families Information System : Resources to develop a new system will need to be provided by the Scottish Government. Current local authority budgets to support the existing Childcare Information Service could support the new service.

Barriers.

94. Ensuring that the commitments in Better Health Better Care are fully implemented: Lack of capacity in community based services for children and families to meet current and proposed commitments. Ensuring that health care provision is modernised and redesigned to reflect the needs of children and families and provided and appropriate settings.

95. Examining models for Delivering More Integrated Services: Getting it Right/Integrated Services:

• Lack of shared language and terminology between professionals
• Lack of shared value base
• Need for shared training
• Need to have agreed information sharing protocols
• Professionals protecting their individual professional identity
• Lack of skills and knowledge theory sharing
• Significant differences in pay and conditions between different professions working with children and families
• Challenges of providing services in rural areas
• Need for adequate suitable premises
• Families not always willing or able to trust professionals
• Lack of clarity of roles/tasks

Interventions beyond pre-school.

Transitions:

Where are we now?

96. There is almost universal take up of free pre-school places. Evidence suggests that parents find that their children settle well in school. A significant minority of parents express concerns about their child settling. Where practice is best, staff have very well planned programmes to ensure smooth transitions from home to nursery and from nursery to school. This often involves home visits and regular meetings between staff in both nursery and school to ensure continuity in active approaches to learning.

97. Staff support children with additional support needs well by ensuring very effective multi-agency working. In best practice, staff develop appropriate individualised educational programmes, in consultation with parents and specialists, which are regularly reviewed. They work effectively with parents and a range of support agencies to ensure that each child's needs are identified and well met. Staff observe children at play and use this assessment information effectively to plan next steps in their learning. However, this practice is not yet consistent in all establishments and for all children.

Where do we want to get to?

98. Well developed and clearly communicated policy and procedures at national and local level, shared and articulated between the primary and pre-school sector. In Scottish Education policy documents such as the Curriculum Framework for Children 3-5 and the 5-14 Curriculum guidelines currently provide the cornerstones of our practice. At a local level education authorities devise policy to reflect national guidance and within primary schools and pre-five establishments a further layer of bespoke policy exists. While one can argue for the importance of national policy in terms of ensuring the quality of provision and at authority level the need for consistency across services the need for policy in individual establishments is not essential. Effective transition arrangements are those where children feel 'suitable' where they feel secure relaxed and comfortable in their new environment. .

99. Partnership working between sectors and, clearly defined induction arrangements including attempts to minimise the differences in settings between the playroom and primary classroom. Frequent visits to the new setting help children to settle quickly. This is a feature of all effective induction programmes.Where schools provide such opportunities the impact of the transition on children is less marked and incidences of problem behaviours are reduced.

100. Well planned transition arrangements for all children at points of transition to include; home to pre-school, across and within sectors and from pre-school to primary. Education authorities must also bear in mind their statutory obligations for supporting children with additional support needs, including engagement with other agencies eg health, social work and with children and parents. Transition planning must be fully embedded within an authority's policies and procedures for additional support needs.

101. Ensure effective involvement and communication with parents, the receiving primary school and associated pre-school establishments. Parents see the benefits of being involved in the process, they feel valued by the establishment. Research suggests that transition programmes should include many formal and informal opportunities for children and their parents to visit their new school and be involved in the process of transition. Parents want to know what is expected of them in preparing their child for school. Margetts notes that transition programmes will vary depending on the community and the school which it serves but the effectiveness of the programme hinges on the quality of the communication and collaboration of those involved. Home visits prior to the transition have been shown to impact very positively on both the child and its family.

102. Effective curriculum planning at the point of transition to ensure continuity in learning based on sound knowledge of the individual child. Within the primary sector almost all staff claim to make use of the transition information in some way and as a consequence children entering primary one are more likely to experience a more appropriate curriculum tailored to their needs. Research suggests that pre-school staff believed their colleagues in the primary sector made insufficient use of the information passed to them and as a consequence many children were not supported effectively in the first months of their transition to school. Staff did place more value on the opportunities to have face to face meetings which focussed on what the child could do. This would suggest that staff do make use of this information to plan the curriculum for each child and or group of children. Anecdotal evidence strongly supports the theory that there are fewer teachers adopting the fresh start approach.

103. Effective leadership- a shared vision and commitment to easing transition for the pre-school child. Common areas of strength in management and leadership include the following. Most headteachers or heads of centres successfully encourage teamwork amongst staff, work effectively to ensure staff have direction and support and demonstrate a strong commitment to improving the quality of children's experiences.

104. Implementing more active learning approaches and empowering children to take more responsibility for their own learning as described in the Curriculum for Excellence four capacities. In the area of citizenship schools are expected to involve children in taking more ownership of their actions and in turn shaping their thinking and learning. New approaches to teaching and learning have put the focus firmly on listening to children and involving them in their learning. Children are encouraged to set learning targets and to have discussions with their teacher about what it is they need to do to improve. Arrangements for transition need to be planned and designed to ensure this aspiration is met. Across the country there are education authorities who have made a very good start in this area. Almost all schools will have a pupil council where pupils have a say in the running of the school. Others have introduced formative assessment and cooperative learning strategies.

What we need to do to get there?

105. Finalise the early years and early intervention policy framework. Dissemination and participation: define the role of education authorities in ensuring the Early Years framework is communicated, shared and understood by all involved in its delivery. Identify funding streams and overcome shortfalls in resourcing and staffing. Identify, plan and deliver relevant training to key personnel. Design arrangements to monitor and evaluate the impact of the policy framework outcomes. Refine policy and practice in light of its implementation

How we need to do it?

106. Joint working practices will need to be developed. A greater focus on multi-agency working; responsiveness and relevance built-in, not a bolt on approach. A more flexible, open and participative culture will need to be developed with education professionals working more effectively with health and social work department colleagues. E.g. A greater emphasis on interventions in secondary school and further education providers making links to teenage pregnancy and motherhood. Building capacity in parents and families to develop resilience and confidence to seek solutions they can deliver for themselves. Make informed choices about universal or targeted interventions. Learn from research and literature of successful intervention from other countries and design interventions that will have positive outcomes for the range of communities which exist across the Scottish culture. Respond to the recommendations from reports such as the Kilbrandon Report on the benefits of early intervention. Build this intelligence into policy and practice. Cost effectiveness data supports the long term gains of such policy implementation.

Who needs to do what to ensure delivery?

107. Education authorities will have a role to play in working in partnership with other agencies at local and national level to deliver key themes. Developing local policies which ensure the hard to reach and vulnerable groups within communities are effectively and equitably involved and supported. Family centred programmes developed which include intensive home visiting programmes. Education authorities will need to identify sustainable funding streams which are flexible enough to respond to the demands of their stakeholders. External scrutiny bodies will need to take account of the impact of the framework on learners and their families. A more proportionate approach to inspection and moderation of services.

What are the resource implications are?

108. Funding deficits to retain and recruit appropriately qualified staff, particularly in the private and voluntary sector. Many take up appointments in EA establishments. Funding streams to deliver on the teacher involvement in pre-school recommendations. EAs have responded differently to the wording of the recommendations. Capital funding to improve estates management. History in many EAs of buildings not fit for purpose. Dedicated budgets for home visiting services-future proofed to maintain programme integrity. Transport costs for rural locations. Modern IT solutions to deliver effectively and efficiently.

How these resources will be secured?

109. Careful consideration at local level will need to be taken by senior officers with responsibility for devolved management of resources. Officers will not necessarily have access to additional funding to ensure effective transition arrangements. Some redirecting of funding streams will be necessary but may impact negatively on other services.

Barriers.

110. The above resource implications are in themselves barriers. Additionally in terms of staffing supply and demand issues persist with regard to population demographics. Very rural areas have high unit costs where a small number of children and families attend services. The status of early years workers and the public perception of the work they do is not generally high and undermine the importance of this sector. Funding questions remain with regard to individuals accessing training and qualifications in the drive to develop better qualified and a more professional early years workforce.

The role of inspection and regulatory bodies.

111. The Task Group noted the value which effective, proportionate and coordinated inspection and regulation can bring in terms of driving up quality of services and outcomes for childen and young people. Decisions on taking forward the response to the Crerar Report will have a fundamental impact on the future arrangements and structures for inspection and scrutiny. HMIE already play a key role in these processes and could also support changing practice in all schools to reduce the long tail back of attainment through ensuring inspections focus on this issue and its relationship with leadership and management in schools.

112. The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care, also known as the Care Commission, was set up under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 to regulate and inspect Scottish care services. All care services must be registered before they begin to offer services. Services include childminding, day care of children, child care agencies, care homes for children and young people, school care accommodation, secure accommodation services and adoption and fostering services. The Commission regulates services which are critical to early intervention. These include day care for children incorporating nurseries, playgroups, childminders and after school care; Women's Aid children's services and fostering and adoption services.

113. The Commission regulates services provided by the local authority, private and voluntary sectors, irrespective of whether these care services also provide education. As such, the Care Commission is in an excellent position to support the framework in driving up improvements with a focus on key areas which have been discussed in the task group.These key areas include: health promotion, nutrition, engagement with families and the community, play, dental hygiene, risk assessment, staff training and development, management and leadership. Inspections are underpinned by the National Care Standards (NCS) which were developed in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. The NCS for Early Education and Childcare up to the Age of 16 have specific standards for health (3), engagement with the community, family and other agencies (9-10) and staffing and management (12-14).

114. The new self assessment and grading method of inspection which began in April 2008 and is underpinned by principles of continuous improvement and service user involvement will support the principles of early intervention in policy, particularly in maintaining and improving quality of service through training and qualifications and developing leadership, improving engagement with service users and developing success measures and accountability structures. Quality themes which services will require to provide evidence of quality of care and support, quality of environment, quality of staffing and quality of management and leadership.

Reducing Class Sizes in P1-P3.

115. The Task Group is, of course, aware of the commitment in the Concordat to reducing class sizes in P1-P3 to a maximum of 18 pupils and delivery of this commitment is the subject of ongoing dialogue between the Scottish Government and local government. There were some concerns that a focus of effort and resources on reducing class sizes might divert attention from activities and actions which might arguably deliver better outcomes for children. We noted too that local authorities will make varying progress in delivering this commitment depending on local circumstances eg school rolls, teacher availability, resource availability, capacity of the school estate etc.

Free school meals.

116. There are two ongoing strands of work, based on Concordat commitments:

- For local authorities to provide free school meals to all P1-P3 pupils from August 2010 if the evaluation of the current trial of fre school meals in 5 council areas is positive and subject to the necessary legislation being passed by Parliament. This will extend entitlement to approx. 162,000 pupils.

- To extend entitltment to free school meals to all primary school children whose parents or carers are in receipt of both maximum child tax credit and maximum working tax credit from August 2009, also subject to successful passage of legislation. This will extend entitlement to approx. 44,000 pupils.

117. The Task Group supports this ongoing activity and hopes that there will be adequate resources available to ensure successful delivery, subject to the caveats set out above.

Curriculum for Excellence, improving literacy and numeracy skills and links to Early Years Framework.

Where are we now?

118. HMIE has highlighted in their 2006, Improving Scottish Education report, that key strengths in the pre-school sector include, secure, confident and motivated children who display an interest in learning, the effective organisation and use of learning environments in many centres to promote purposeful play and independent learning and, the range of interesting learning opportunities and activities available to children. Aspects for improvement in the pre-school sector include, the quality of leadership to focus more directly on the quality of children's learning and the skills of staff in promoting It, the need for staff to improve how they address the learning needs of individuals, particularly with regard to those who require additional support in their learning and, the use of information gathered on children's learning to promote their future progress. Within the primary sector, a key strength identified is the attainment of pupils from P1 to P4 in both mathematics and English language. An aspect for improvement is the achievement of lower-attaining pupils whose subsequent learning and life chances depend heavily on the quality of their learning and achievement in their primary years.

119. Curriculum for Excellence has established clear values, purposes and principles for education from 3 to 18 in Scotland. It sets out to enable children to develop their capacities as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.Curriculum for Excellence has identified entitlements for young people including, a curriculum which is coherent from 3 to 18; every child and young person is entitled to experience a broad general education; planned learning opportunities across all curriculum areas; every child and young person is entitled to personal support to enable them to gain as much as possible from the opportunities which Curriculum for Excellence can provide. There are powerful links with GIRFEC in respect of placing the child at the centre, holistic approach and early intervention, information sharing and teamwork between professionals and agencies.

120. Curriculum for Excellence has engaged teachers and early years practitioners in thinking about educational aims and values, and their own current practice. Depth of understanding within schools and centres is variable across education authorities.Curriculum for Excellence provides an opportunity to ensure that all children in pre-school and primary school settings experience stimulating, effective learning in ways that are appropriate to their needs and holistic in nature.

Where do we want to get to?

121. Single curriculum, 3-18 introduced. Experiences and outcomes in each of the 8 curriculum areas are finalised and implemented in pre-school and primary settings. Staff work collaboratively to ensure that the 4 capacities are developed in every child. Practitioner's planning and practice is altered to embrace the values, purposes and design principles. More informed communication is evident between staff in pre-school and primary settings, especially in learning and teaching approaches, to ensure that the Early level of the curriculum includes a continuous progression from pre-school to primary 1. Skills, knowledge and understanding of children will become deeper and broader as they progress.

122. Learning and Teaching is at the heart of the curriculum in every pre-school and primary setting. High quality learning experiences are offered to all children. Active Learning approaches should be evident more frequently in primary settings. Children are partners in their learning process, actively participating in the planning, shaping and directing of their own learning. Parents and carers are partners in their child's learning process, actively participating in the process. We need to engineer a reduction in the long tail back of underachievement for children from more disadvantaged families as outlined in the OECD report.

What do we need to get there?

123. Headteachers and heads of centres need to be clear about their vision, values and aims for curriculum change, to lead and support colleagues in identifying good practice, and to build on existing strengths to implement Curriculum for Excellence in their schools and pre-school centres. Practitioners need to engage in professional dialogue relating to pedagogy and learning. Some practitioners will require opportunities and support to develop their methodology and thinking in relation to active learning. Practitioners in pre-school and primary settings need to adopt a joint, collaborative approach to organising learning and to evaluation to ensure continuity and progression. Schools and centres need to engage with parents and carers, actively involving them in the learning process

How do we need to do it?

124. Production of new framework for learning and teaching released (Building the Curriculum 3) will provide contexts for change alongside new experiences and outcomes. Reinforcement by headteachers and heads of centres of the messages of Building the Curriculum 2 - active learning in the early years. Continuing Professional Development opportunities to be offered to all practitioners, as required, to develop understanding and good practice of active learning approaches and joint, collaborative planning. Engagement with parents and carers, sharing the values, purposes and principles of Curriculum for Excellence, and how parents and carers can become involved in their child's learning. We need to be confident about challenging practice if it is not delivering improved outcomes for children.

Who needs to do what to ensure delivery?

125. Heads of centres and headteachers need to take responsibility for promoting reflection on the new curriculum in the context of the needs of children in the early years. Heads of centres and headteachers need to examine changes needed in existing practice in learning and teaching and transition between pre-school and primary sectors. Education Authorities will have a major role in ensuring that educational settings have support necessary to deliver new curriculum. Continuing Professional Development providers (national & local) to consider need and provision to support Curriculum for Excellence.

Resource implications.

126. SG's view is that these changes should be assimilated withing existing resources in the relevant sectors.

Barriers.

127. Insufficient understanding of the desired changes on the part of headteachers, heads of centres and all staff. Effective leadership is required to support transformational change

Possible parental resistance to active learning in primary school.

Improving literacy and numeracy.

Where we are now?

128. The Curriculum for Excellence aims to equip children with high levels of literacy and numeracy skills. CfE has identified entitlements for young people that includes an entitlement to develop skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work, with a continuous focus on literacy and numeracy and health and well being. This chimes well with the findings of the OECD report.

Where do we want to get to?

129. Single curriculum, 3-18 introduced. Experiences and outcomes in literacy and numeracy are finalised and implemented in pre-school and primary settings. Staff work collaboratively to ensure that the 4 capacities are developed in every child. More informed communication is evident between staff in pre-school and primary settings, especially in learning and teaching approaches, to ensure that the Early level of the curriculum includes a continuous progression from pre-school to primary 1. Children's skills in literacy and numeracy will become deeper and broader as they progress. This will help to reduce the achievement gap between successful learners and those who have more difficulty in learning.

130. Learning and Teaching is at the heart of the curriculum in every pre-school and primary setting. High quality learning experiences are offered to all children. Active Learning approaches should be evident more frequently in primary settings.Teaching of literacy and numeracy should be embedded across all areas of the curriculum. Examples of good practice and role modelling are cascaded within schools and across education authorities. Children are partners in their learning process, actively participating in the planning, shaping and directing of their own learning. Parents and carers are partners in their child's learning process, actively participating in the process.

What do we need to do to get there?

131. Headteachers and heads of centres need to be clear about their vision, values and aims for curriculum change, to lead and support colleagues in identifying good practice, and to build on existing strengths to implement Curriculum for Excellence in their schools and pre-school centres. Some practitioners will require opportunities and support to develop their methodology and thinking in relation to active learning approaches to the teaching of literacy and numeracy and the teaching of literacy and numeracy across the curriculum. Practitioners in pre-school and primary settings need to adopt a joint, collaborative approach to organising learning and to evaluation to ensure continuity and progression. Schools and centres need to engage with parents and carers, actively involving them in the learning process.

How do we need to do it?

132. Embed the implications of papers on literacy/numeracy across the curriculum in practice from the early years onwards. Ensure that transition from pre-school to primary school builds on existing learning coherently. Continuing Professional Development opportunities to be offered to all practitioners, as required, to develop understanding of key themes

Engagement with parents and carers, sharing the values, purposes and principles of Curriculum for Excellence, and how parents and carers can become involved in their child's learning.

Who needs to do what to ensure delivery?

133. LTS will exemplify good existing practice and practice enabled by the new framework, including practice related to literacy/numeracy across the curriculum. Heads of centres and headteachers to collaborate on approaches to literacy and numeracy across sectors.Education Authorities will have a major role in ensuring that educational settings have support necessary to deliver new curriculum. Continuing Professional Development providers (national & local) to consider need and provision to support teaching of literacy and numeracy skills.

Barriers.

134. Poor communication between centres and primary schools about young people's progression in literacy and numeracy. Insufficient understanding/CPD about opportunities for demonstrating literacy and numeracy in the early level by teachers and staff. Time and focus on literacy and numeracy across the curriculum within school collegiate development time. Poor parental support for literacy and numeracy development.

135. Comments above on resources and links to GIFEC apply here too.