The services task group is chaired by Julia Swan, Director of Education, Falkirk Council and includes representation from the Scottish Government, local government, the voluntary sector and the NHS. As well as the overarching tasks already identified, this task group is also looking at:
- Implementing existing pre-school commitments and examining targeted additional services for vulnerable 0-3s.
- Refreshing the direction in 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 partenrships in the new strategic context.
- Joining up the education experience for children, managing more effectively the transitions from pre-school to school, including the wider applicability of approaches such as nurture groups.
- Implementing the planned reduction in class sizes to 18 in P1-3 in a way that has the greatest impact on outcomes for children.
- Optimising health protection and health promotion for children 0-5 and school children, including the proposed phased introduction of free school meals.
- Developing a sense of how to sustain the intervention beyong early years and how the early years framework will cinnect to 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 e.g., children's centres, networks or partnerships, etc. Considering the practicalty of a holistic family support service approach and the role of advice and information services.
- Securing the place of Gaelic within early years services.
- A continuing focus on equipping children with good literacy and numeracy skills.
The following people are representatives on the Services task group:
Scottish Government representation
- Rod Burns - Support for Children and Families
- Robin McKendrick- Support for Learning
- Susan Neilands - Positive Futures
- Robert Stevenson - Child and Maternal Health
- Tim Wallace - Curriculum for Excellence
- Peter Willman - Getting it Right for Every Child
- Jane Walker - Primary Care
- Keira Oliver - SG analyst
Voluntary Sector representation
- Irene Audain - SOSCN
- Ann Brady - Care and Learning Alliance
- Andrew Girvan/ Anne Darlington - NCH
- Ian Turner - Aberlour
- Isobel Lawson - Stepping Stones for Families
COSLA representation
- Kay Gilmour - East Ayrshire Council (ADES)
- Kenny Lang - Inverclyde Council (Child Care Partnership Officer Network)
- Alison MacKenzie - Argyll and Bute Council (ADSW)
- Helen Turley - Perth and Kinross (ALACHO)
- John Butcher - Glasgow Council
NHS representation
- Dr Derek Cox, Director of Public Health
- Dawn Moss, Consultant Children's Nurse, NHS Borders
Other representation
- Jacqueline Drinkwater - NDNA
- Alison Ryan - Care Commission
- Caroline Day - Job Centre Plus
- Alison Campbell - Job Centre Plus
- Caron Currie - Job Centre Plus
- Marion Burns - HMIe
Contacts
To give your views to the Services task group, please contact Robert Nicol or Jim Stephen from COSLA who will be able to put you in touch with the relevant task group member.