Academy for Play and Playwork – logo competition
26/07/2010
Following various consultations with the playwork sector SkillsActive is working with playworkers, employers, and training providers across the UK to establish the ‘Academy for Play and Playwork’. The Academy for Play and Playwork will be the professional body for the sector and provide recognition and support for the ‘playwork profession'.
Get Involved!
The academy will need a logo which will be used on all marketing material, and would like you to create one for them.
To take part you will need to be:
A playworker
A child or young person
The competition winner will receive a prize:
A child or young person - £25 voucher
A playworker - £50 voucher
The setting will receive - £100 voucher
The Rules are Simple
SkillsActive need a logo created that will appeal to playworkers, people who are committed and working in play but not face to face, employers, students and volunteers who are committed to ensuring children and young people have opportunities to play in safe environments outside of formal education.
The following must feature in your logo somewhere
The colour orange be it on the words or your image, other than orange you can use any colour you wish
The following words to be displayed somewhere: Academy for Play and Playwork, Part of the SkillsActive Group
Next Steps:
Spread the word and get involved, make use of any opportunities you have working with children and young people, if you are running a Play Day event you could have some material available for children and young people to use.
1. Draw your designs on one piece of A4 paper.
2. Include bottom right of the paper your name, contact email address and phone number
3. Scan it in to a PC and email it to playwork@skillsactive.com or, if that is not possible post it to Playwork, Skills Active, Castlewood House, 77 – 91 New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1DG
4. Closing date for submissions is Thursday 12th August. Anything received after this date will not be considered.
The winner will be notified by Friday 20th August either by email or phone from one of the SkillsActive team.
National College Highlights
19/07/2010
Check out the latest news from the National College, including Michael Gove's speech to the annual conference.
Child Base staff share £500,000 bonus
21/04/2010
Employees of nursery group Child Base, the UK's sixth largest nursery group, have shared more than half a million pounds of a profit-related bonus.
The payout - the company's largest ever - was distributed among all the company's 1,200 staff and was equivalent to 20 per cent of the company's pre-tax profit for the year.
Child Base, which owns 38 nurseries across south-east England and has a £30m turnover, is the only private nursery operator to offer its staff this kind of employee share scheme.
Preventable epidemics are soaring, say children's doctors
21/04/2010
Preventable health conditions are reaching epidemic levels in children, which could lead to a generation dying before their parents, according to doctors at a leading children's hospital.
Staff at Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool, the busiest children's hospital in Europe, told reporters from the BBC's 'Panorama' programme that more than £1m and hundreds of hours of treatment time are being spent tackling conditions such as obesity, tooth decay, alcohol abuse and the problems caused by passive smoking.
Survey highlights parents' wish for longer paternity leave
20/04/2010
More than 80 per cent of parents think fathers should be entitled to more paternity leave in the first year after their baby's birth, according to a survey commissioned by the Fatherhood Institute.
The government's fatherhood think-tank funded ICM to poll 1,000 parents over their views on the parental responsibilities of fathers. More than three-quarters of families felt that responsibilities such as nappy-changing, reading with children and taking them to dentists and doctors should be shared. But little more than half of families actually felt they shared these responsibilities equally between parents.
Vulnerable mums project expands
20/04/2010
A pilot peer-support programme run by a charity for vulnerable pregnant women and mothers has been given £370,000 to expand.
The Big Lottery Fund awarded the money to Family Action after an evaluation of the pilot in Southwark showed improvements in the relationship and mental health outcomes of mothers and babies involved.
Children are on a roll in the park
14/04/2010
CHILDREN gathered in Barrow Park to take part in a popular annual egg roll.
The event held by The Furness Children’s Centre in association with Barrow dad’s group has taken place for the last seven years and has proved to be a family favourite.
The roll was scheduled to start at 1pm on Friday but the event was so popular organisers had to kick off the activities half an hour early.
Family Action calls for parties to pledge funding for early intervention services
13/04/2010
A leading charity for disadvantaged families is demanding all parties promise to secure funding for services that promote early intervention and social equality.
In its six-point manifesto, Family Action calls for better outreach services for socially isolated families, more support for women and children escaping an abusive home life, and a commitment to increased funding for children's centres and parenting support.
Surrey seeks to boost number of male childcare workers
13/04/2010
Surrey County Council has launched a campaign to drive up the numbers of men working in childcare settings.
The number of men working in childcare in the area currently stands at 3.5 per cent, only a fraction above the national average of two per cent, causing concern that children lack the presence of male role models in early life.
Child maintenance changes expected to lift children out of poverty
12/04/2010
Child maintenance payments will no longer be curtailed for parents receiving income support, under changes to the system.
Until now, parents on income support and jobseeker's allowance were only allowed to keep a maximum of £20 per week in child maintenance payments, regardless of what the other non-resident parent was contributing.
The £20 limit has led to reports of some parents being turned away from Jobcentre Plus because of their child maintenance payments.
Draft guidance on childminding networks published
09/04/2010
The government has published its draft guidance for local authorities on establishing or strengthening childminding networks, which will help more childminders to offer free childcare for three- and four-year-olds.
Under the Department for Children, Schools and Families' code of practice on the provision for free childcare, all local authorities are expected to establish a childminding network.
"A national scheme with standard criteria and principles will set consistent quality measures across the country," the report highlights.
Rise in number of fathers who give up work for childcare
07/04/2010
The number of stay at home dads in the UK has increased by ten fold over the last decade, a survey of 1,000 parents has found.
One in six couples that were surveyed on behalf of insurance company Aviva said that the main wage earner in their relationship was female. If applied to the whole of the UK population, the results suggest that more than 600,000 men in the UK regularly look after their children while their wife or girlfriend works, compared to just 60,000 ten years ago.
Study shows why talking to babies helps
07/04/2010
Babies learn more from hearing words than they do from listening to tones, according to new research.
A study at Northwestern University in Illinois in the United States found that at three months old, babies could already use language to help them understand the world around them.
Lead author Alissa Ferry said, 'This is the youngest we have found an impact of language on how infants group objects in their environment. In some ways it is unexpected, but recent research with infants keeps showing us they know far more than people expect.'
Consultation: Childminding quality improvement networks - Draft guidance
01/04/2010
This consultation seeks views on proposed guidance to help local authorities establish quality improvement networks and support and develop childminders and childminding in their areas.
'Granny guide’ launched to support grandparents
01/04/2010
A new guide for grandparents, ‘Family Life’, was launched today by charity Grandparents Plus with advice and guidance on how grandparents can balance work and care, support teenagers and help families through difficult times.
In support of the guide, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls said:
I know that grandparents play an invaluable role in supporting family life and it's right that they have access to information and advice designed for them. That's why we have funded this new guide, which includes ten top tips from agony aunt Denise Robertson, to give grandparents the information and advice they need to help support their families.
House husbands take part in Blokes' Big Breakfast at Children's Centre in March
29/03/2010
HOUSE husbands who look after the kids are to get extra childcare support.
Workers at Ormiston Children's Centre in March feel that dads who care for children at home are not always given the help they need. As a result the Blokes' Big Breakfast has been set up to give male parents a chance to talk about their experiences and get more information about fatherhood.
It is hoped the monthly group will put help for dads on a par with support for mothers and give fathers the opportunity to bond with their kids.
Nicky Sellars, from the children's centre, said: "There has been a lot of research into the impacts dads have on their children's lives. "The Blokes' Big Breakfast is about trying to find something appropriate to support fathers in childcare.
4Children manifesto calls for more family support
26/03/2010
Expanding children's centres to cater for children of all ages and giving families a right to support from a family group conference are among a raft of policies being called for in 4Children's latest manifesto.
Released ahead of the forthcoming general election, the manifesto, called A Vote for Families and Children 2010, wants to see more Sure Start centres link up with schools and offer broader youth and social care support.
Ofsted tightens voluntary childcare register checks
25/03/2010
Ofsted has tightened up its checks on nannies applying to join its voluntary childcare register, following a campaign by employment agencies.
Employment agency organisation the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) was concerned that the checks were flawed after agency checks revealed that a number of Ofsted approved nannies did not even have first aid certificates.
Sure Start Plaques
24/03/2010
TfC is no longer responsible for distributing Sure Start Plaques to children’s centres.
All requests must be emailed to dcsf@prolog.uk.com or by telephoning 0845 60 222 60.
Councils expected to consult three-year-olds on childcare
23/03/2010
Local authorities will be expected to regularly consult three- and four-year-olds to ensure that the offer of 15 hours of free childcare each week meets their needs.
The requirement was added to the original draft of the government's code of practice on the provision of free nursery education places for three and four-year-olds, published last week.
From September free childcare will be extended from 12.5 to 15 hours a week, and settings will be expected to deliver the hours flexibly to meet parents' needs.
Bristol get their own online help
22/03/2010
MOVE over mumsnet – now dads in Bristol have their own online support network.
Bristolfathers.net is aimed at providing information on local groups, access to advice on health, finance, birth and child development, tips on fatherhood and the sharing of personal stories.
It has been set up through the Redcliffe Fathers Group, based at Redcliffe Children's Centre.
Dads enjoy day out in Dorchester
19/03/2010
DADS took centre stage for a bit of fun with their children at a specially organised day.
They proved themselves dedicated dads, uncles, grandads and foster carers when they took on some unusual challenges for a Dads’ Fun Day at St Osmund’s Middle School in Dorchester.
The day, organised by Dorset County Council’s Sure Start unit, was designed to give dads and their children a chance to enjoy time out together while taking part in fun activities.
New guidance issued on using vetting and barring scheme
19/03/2010
The government has published new guidance to assist employers and voluntary groups in using the controversial vetting and barring scheme from July.
The guidance explains what actions employees and employers will have to take as part of the programme. New entrants to job roles will be expected to register from July, but existing staff will not be required to join until April 2011.
NCMA calls for increased government backing for childminding networks
19/03/2010
The next government has been urged to invest in more childminding networks and provide financial backing to promote the profession in a bid to halt declining numbers.
The call to action was made in the National Childminding Association's (NCMA's) manifesto, published yesterday. It also calls for more investment in training, qualifications and local childminding networks.
No regulation for unpaid childcare arrangements between friends
18/03/2010
Unpaid childcare arrangements between friends will be legally exempt from Ofsted registration and inspection under new legislation the Government announced today.
Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo welcomed the move which will mean that from April this year, friends caring for one another's children without payment are no longer included within the remit of Ofsted.
Rothbury Sure Start centre and fire station handed national innovation award
18/03/2010
A combined fire station and children's centre in Northumberland has been given a major national award for innovation from the government.
The community station and Sure Start centre at Rothbury was recognised in the new Local Innovation Awards scheme.
New guidance provides 15 hours of free childcare
17/03/2010
The government has published statutory guidance requiring local authorities to provide 15 hours of flexible free childcare each week to parents of three- and four-year-olds.
The new guidance, published yesterday, will take effect in September. As a result, free childcare provision for three- and four-year-olds will increase from 12.5 to 15 hours a week.
Parents will have more choice on when they can use the hours across the week, as providers must offer at least three five-hour sessions or five three-hour sessions per week.
3500 Sure Start Children's Centres now open - reaching families in every community
16/03/2010
- More support for parents and guarantee of a personal Sure Start contact for all expectant parents -
- Nutrition experts to advise Government on food standards in nurseries -
- Parents given right to ask for free childcare to fit around work and other commitments -
Every expectant parent will now get a personal introduction to their local Sure Start centre and their own Sure Start contact to give them advice throughout pregnancy and early years, the Government announced today.
The announcement comes on the day the Government reaches its target of 3500 Sure Start Children's Centres throughout the country - making them a universal service offering support to all parents, like schools and the NHS.
And as part of a package of measures to help young families and children, the Government also announced today:
improvements to maternity and early years services for families
the right of parents to ask for more flexible free childcare and
a review of standards of nursery food
Sure Start dubbed 'a great achievement'
16/03/2010
Charity 4Children has described Sure Start children's centres as "one of the greatest achievements of modern government" as the number of centres in England reached 3,500.
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said Sure Start centres had helped thousands of families to "become stronger and better able to cope with tough times".
She added: "The concern now is that there may be pressure for centres to become a service only for families in crisis as local budgets are reduced.
Families to be given personal introduction to Sure Start for advice during pregnancy and beyond
16/03/2010
All parents-to-be will get their own Sure Start contact, as part of new plans announced by the Government today to support families in the maternity and early years review.
Expectant parents will be invited to attend a children’s centre and assigned a personal contact to give them advice and support from before their child is born into their pre-school years.
Nutrition guidance for early years settings must improve
16/03/2010
Guidance for nursery schools, Sure Start centres and childminders on providing healthy food for children needs to be improved because food provided in such settings is too high in fat, sugar and salt, according to a report.
A study carried out by the School Food Trust concluded that early years food and nutrition guidance for England, published in 2005, is "out of date" and relates to 2001 standards - it noted that the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had updated its guidance more recently.
Plans to boost early years care announced
16/03/2010
The Prime Minister has hailed plans to boost childcare and maternity care as he visited a Sure Start centre in south London this morning.
Gordon Brown, Children’s Secretary Ed Balls and Health Secretary Andy Burnham met staff, parents and children at the Hitherfield Children’s Centre in Streatham.
The visit, which marked the Government reaching a target to provide 3,500 Sure Start centres, came as a raft of new measures to improve maternity and early years care were announced.
CWDC calls on volunteers and professionals to work together for children
16/03/2010
Parents believe that children and young people would benefit if all professionals and volunteers in children's services worked together more closely, a survey commissioned by the Children's Workforce Development (CWDC) has revealed.
Results from an ICM survey1 show that 77% of parents and 72% of the public think that children and young people would benefit if professionals and volunteers in all sectors delivering services to children, (from scout and guide leaders to play and youth workers, care workers and teachers), worked together in a more integrated way.
Putting poverty in the spotlight: Eagle launches year for combating poverty and social exclusion
16/03/2010
The UK launch of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion will take place today in Bristol. Under the banner ‘Stop Poverty Now’, the campaign aims to place the fight against poverty – which directly affects one in six Europeans – centre stage across the UK and EU throughout 2010.
Speaking at the event, Minister of State Angela Eagle will issue a call to action for everyone to get involved in the fight against poverty.
How gestures help babies born to poorer families
14/03/2010
Children's poor language skills can be remedied if parents use their hands.
Mothers who use hand gestures based on sign language can dramatically improve their baby's vocabulary, new research reveals today.
Academics spent two years teaching mothers from low-income families how to use baby sign, in which gestures represent objects and actions. They then compared them to another group that had not undergone the lessons and found that babies exposed to sign language had a significantly better vocabulary.
Patel Taylor Architects’ Lowther School Children’s Centre
12/03/2010
Patel Taylor’s Children’s Centre in Barnes, south-west London, is the first stage of a project that aims to boost the whole of the local community
Lowther School stands pretty much on the centre of a radius that defines the north end of Barnes, south-west London, taking in the Harrods Sports Ground on the west, St Paul’s School on the north and London Wetland Centre on the east. A shorter radius cutting inside these high-end facilities encompasses a dozen streets of two-storey Edwardian and interwar housing, the poorer and neglected area of Barnes. The area has evidently stagnated for years, and the very decent, formal Edwardian school building at the centre of the site has been attacked by let’s-just-get-it-built additions and surrounded by decades-old temporary structures that serve as dining halls and nurseries. Something of a dead end, where the euphemism for poverty is that “a high proportion of children receive free school meals” among a population “whose first language is not English”.
Read more: http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=428&storycode=3159671&channel=783&c=2#ixzz0iKYNqHpL
Child Poverty consultation event
12/03/2010
The Child Poverty Bill is going through the final stages in parliament before becoming law. In partnership with The Child Poverty Regional Advisory group Government Office for the North East hosted a consultation event for stakeholders on the Statutory Guidance which will accompany the Child Poverty Bill.
The event took place at The Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Wednesday 24 February. Every Local Authority in the region was represented as were many of our partners in Health, Job Centre Plus, the voluntary sector and elected members.
Presentations included a summary of the Regional Action Plan on Child Poverty by Jackie McHanwell, Head of Children and Learners Division, A motivational contribution from Councillor Chris McEwen from Darlington Borough Council on the potential value of A Regional Pledge on Child Poverty and a fascinating presentation from our Child Poverty Innovation Pilot, The Tyne Gateway Project.
All-party group to champion Sure Start Children's Centres
11/03/2010
An all-party group of MPs has been launched to champion the work of Sure Start Children's Centres within Parliament.
The move is part of a wider campaign by 4Children called Shout Out For A Sure Start, which is backed by Children & Young People Now and aims to promote the work of centres among families as well as share good practice.
The all-party group met for the first time this week and is chaired by Liberal Democrat MP Annette Brooke, with Labour's Caroline Flint MP and the Conservatives' family spokeswoman Maria Miller MP as vice-chairs.
Jobcentre Plus is putting Europe’s largest jobs database in to people’s pockets with the launch of the first UK Government Jobcentre app.
10/03/2010
The app is another tool for people looking for work, making it easier to search by location, save preferences and get information about vacancies, said Employment Minister Jim Knight.
Almost 1m people search for work through Jobcentre Plus every working day. Last month alone 60,000 people accessed the website from their mobile phones.
The app makes it easier for people to find jobs relevant to them, jobseekers will be able to enter their location, or select key areas where they are looking for work and see exactly where vacancies are with Google maps. Within a year, jobseekers will be able to use GPS to spot jobs around them, whether from home or on the move. The app will also be developed to automatically notify people of new vacancies matching their preferences.
Pamper sessions for parents-to-be
10/03/2010
MUMS-TO-BE and dads-to-be in Barrowcliff have got the chance to take part in special pamper sessions in a new scheme which has been set up at the Brierclffe Children's Centre.
Organisers estimated that 48 parents attended the first session and future events are planned to run quarterly.
Leone Pavlidou, the centre co-ordinator, said the first event had been a success and the parents were introduced to baby massage as well as getting manicures and facial treatments.
Observation is key to quality practice
10/03/2010
The best childcare settings closely observe children and identify their needs early on, suggests a new report from Ofsted.
The report, Children in need in childcare, says that settings that make the most important contribution to the lives of children in need identify their specific requirements at an early stage and help them to get the right support.
The study found that the best childcarers work closely with parents in new ways, welcoming their involvement and discussing their child's day in childcare, as well as working with other services such as health and social care to make life easier for parents.
Providers call for more flexible code of practice for free entitlement
10/03/2010
Nurseries and local authorities must be able to operate 'flexibly' within the revised Code of Practice, a policy group of nursery providers said this week.
Private and voluntary providers should to be able to charge 'realistic supplements' for education and care outside the free entitlement hours for three-and four-year-olds, the Day Nursery Policy Group said, ahead of this month's publication of the revised Code of Practice.
The new rules will cover the extension of the free entitlement to a flexible 15 hours a week.
Family services raise concerns
09/03/2010
Family information services are being forced to submit Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to Ofsted to get accurate information on childcare providers in their area.
The National Association of Family Information Services (Nafis) said concerns have arisen since government launched the Family Information Directory, an online hub of local childcare information, in January.
When asking for more information on local provision one team in Hampshire said: "We were told that Ofsted will not provide the information to us." Instead it was asked to submit an FOI request.
Interview: Sue Webster, co-ordinator of the Children's Centre Leaders' Network
09/03/2010
"The whole field of children's centre work is currently very politicised. Everybody's got a view on what should happen," says Sue Webster, co-ordinator of the Children's Centre Leaders' Network.
"I think that makes it difficult for centre leaders because there is sometimes an implication that centres are not achieving anything. That is not the case."
Since Webster first began leading a Sure Start centre in Coventry eight years ago, the government's children's centre programme has been open to criticism. It is often accused of failing to meet its original purpose of engaging with and supporting the most deprived families. And in the current economic climate, no party can commit to the funding levels the programme has been afforded for the past decade.
Flashlight Films Joins with Sure Start Celebrations in West Northumberland
09/03/2010
Sure Start is celebrating a triple this month as it continues its innovative approach in taking services for children to every corner of rural West Northumberland.
They have launched their Play Vans, banners and an information DVD about the services offered through the children's centres in the West of the county.
Bond girl brings a touch of glamour to Chippenham centre
04/03/2010
Bond girl Rosamund Pike brought a touch of glamour to Chippenham at the Redland Children’s Centre on Monday.
The actress, who became known for her role in the 007 film Die Another Day, spent the day at the centre in Brook Street to celebrate its success in transforming the lives of hundreds of families.
She met staff and families who use the Barnardo’s-run service.
The Barnardo’s ambassador, who is appearing at the Theatre Royal in Bath, said: “I passionately believe that all families deserve a positive and meaningful relationship with each other.
Government refuses to update overcrowded housing definition
04/03/2010
Shelter has accused the government of letting down children living in poor housing by refusing to overhaul its antiquated definition of overcrowding.
The housing charity presented a 2,000-signature petition to the government calling for it to update its legal definition of overcrowded housing that dates back to 1935.
Shelter says this is hopelessly out of date as it fails to count babies under the age of one as householders, counts children under 10 as a half a person and considers kitchens and living rooms as suitable places to sleep.
Level 2 qualifications enrolment extended until the end of the year
03/03/2010
College-based childcare students will be able to continue to enrol on current Level 2 courses until December, pending the launch of a new Level 2 Certificate.
The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) said this was a temporary measure for 16- to 19-year-olds studying full and relevant Level 2 vocationally related qualifications (VRQs) included in the qualifications list for those delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage.
A new Level 2 Certificate is likely to mirror the revised apprenticeship framework that will become available in the autumn as part of the Government’s 14-19 strategy.
Voucher payment 'loophole' could leave nurseries out of pocket
03/03/2010
A nursery owner has uncovered a loophole in the voucher payment system, which he claims could be exploited by parents and leave nursery businesses with hundreds of pounds in childcare fees unpaid.
Brian Cooper, who runs Meir Park Day Nursery in Stoke-on-Trent, said that on several occasions he had tried to redeem Busy Bees and Computershare paper vouchers but found they had already been cancelled.
Mr Cooper said the system was open to abuse and left nurseries having to chase debts.
'Nurseries that agree to accept vouchers are giving up other forms of guaranteed payment. We have not lost money, but that is more to do with the good relationship with the parents,' he told Nursery World. 'In the past 18 months vouchers worth almost £1,000 have been rejected by Computershare/Busy Bees.'
One in three families uses grandparents for childcare
03/03/2010
A third of families rely on grandparents to provide childcare, according to a damning report on the effect of high childcare costs on older relatives.
The report by Grandparents Plus and the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that single-parent families and those on low incomes are among the most reliant on grandparents due to the "prohibitively expensive" cost of childcare.
The report, called Protect, Support, Provide, estimates that half of all single-parent families rely on grandparents for childcare.
Grandparents in low-income families risk financial hardship to provide free childcare
02/03/2010
New report from Grandparents Plus and the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Grandparents who are filling the ‘care gap’ in some of Britain’s most vulnerable families are risking hardship themselves, a new report from Grandparents Plus and the Equality and Human Rights Commission reveals.
The report “Protect, Support, Provide” highlights that grandparents in families most at risk of poverty are under increasing pressure to take on a caring role. It shows that working age, working class grandmothers on low incomes are most likely to be providing childcare and to have given up work or reduced their hours to care for grandchildren. This has an impact on household income and may have an effect on a grandparent’s pension rights as well as their health.
Mentor scheme is a hit with fathers
02/03/2010
A peer mentoring programme for new fathers improves parental relationships and engages fathers in wider children's centre services, a formal evaluation has found.
The Fatherhood Institute's Hit the Ground Crawling pilots in Staffordshire resulted in 78 per cent of fathers on the programme feeling more confident about supporting the mother of their child.
The pilot involved small groups of fathers and a children's centre professional, discussing concerns with "veteran dads" who also brought their babies along.
Falmouth children's centre welcomes Duchess of Cornwall
02/03/2010
It was a special day at Falmouth's Park Children's Centre today as mums, parents and staff welcomed Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
The Duchess visited children, mums and staff at the centre to play with the children and see the work done for young parents at the WILD Young Children's Project.
The Duchess spoke to young mums while they made a collage about their emotions and told them all about her own family.
Screen star Brenda helps to open centre
26/02/2010
AWARD-winning actress Brenda Blethyn met Worcestershire families when she attended the official opening of a children’s centre.
The Golden Globe winner, best known for her roles in Little Voice and Secrets and Lies, was a special guest at the opening of Evergreen Children’s Centre’s new base in Worcester Road, Malvern, yesterday.
The centre, which is run by Barnardo’s, moved to its new home earlier in the month, having previously been based at the Prospect View health centre in Malvern.
Hazard House to open
26/02/2010
SCUNTHORPE's first house of hazards is opening its 'dangerous' doors to the public today to show people how household items can cost lives.
Scorching irons, electric cables and toxic household chemicals have been left lying around a secret house close to West Street Children's Centre in a bid to alert the public of the dangers in their home.
The 'Hazard House', which opened in August 2009, has been used train staff to spot signs of potential danger when they carry out home visits.
Ofsted picks two firms to inspect nurseries
25/02/2010
Ofsted has named the two firms that will take over the handling of early years inspections.
As widely expected, Tribal Group has been named to cover inspections of nurseries and childminders in the south of England. Tribal already handles school inspections for Ofsted.
The second contract, for the north and the Midlands, has been awarded to Prospects Services.
Earlier this month, Unison warned that privatising early years inspections could lead to a drop in standards. It warned that the move could lead to cuts and job losses.
Voluntary-sector consortium to lead national campaign to highlight children's speech and language
24/02/2010
The Communication Trust, a 38-strong consortium of private and voluntary-sector providers, will be spearheading a nationwide 'National Year' campaign in 2011 which will highlight the importance of children's communication skills.
The Trust, which raises awareness about speech, language and communication issues for all those working with children and young people, was set up by Afasic, BT Better World Campaign, the Council for Disabled Children and I CAN.
Children's centre leaders want help
23/02/2010
Children's centre leaders are calling for more government support and a mentoring programme to help them share best practice.
The Children's Centre Leaders Network (CCLN) is consulting with members about its future remit, based on issues raised by leaders during regional events. The network is run by Together for Children, the agency responsible for delivering the government's children's centre programme.
Children's Centre Wins Star Status
18/02/2010
The Children’s Centre has, for the first time, been granted star status accreditation in the 2010 ‘Best Companies to Work For’ award scheme.
The accreditation of ‘Two Star’ status reflects the outstanding levels of employee engagement that the charity has demonstrated.
‘Best Companies’ accreditation follows the elite ‘Michelin style’ star rating system, and participating organisations receive a ‘Best Companies’ index score which determines their star rating compared to a fixed standard. This accreditation is based on staff feedback which ‘Best Companies’ obtains through detailed, anonymous employee questionnaires.
New campaign to help adults lose their spare tyres
17/02/2010
More than one million mums already making healthier choices with Change4Life
One million mums say their families are eating better and being more active, and people are making positive changes to their shopping habits, thanks to Change4Life. This new data comes as the Government’s healthy living movement celebrates its first year of activity today.
Change4Life is an innovative, interactive healthy living campaign. It helps families to achieve and maintain a healthier lifestyle by promoting healthy habits that encourage them to eat well, move more and live longer.
Baby screening could highlight pre-school support needs
17/02/2010
Screening tests that monitor babies' development could help identify children who will need learning support in their pre-school years, it has been claimed.
As part of the Millennium Cohort Study, carried out by the Institute of Education at the University of London, 15,000 children born between 2000 and 2001 were tracked for the first five years of their lives.
CWDC to take over responsibility to support the parenting workforce
16/02/2010
From 20 March 2010 the CWDC will be taking over responsibility for support to those who work with parents from the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners (the parenting academy).
The Parenting Academy's work will be established as a new programme within our organisation - Support to Work with Parents and Families - and will have three distinct threads:
1. Qualifications and training development and delivery.
2. Communication and strategic change.
3. Promotion of evidence-based practice throughout the workforce.
Early Years education and childcare myth buster
15/02/2010
Where can I find information about the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)?
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is about setting the standards for learning and development through play, and care for children, from birth to five. The EYFS built on and replaced the statutory Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage, the non-statutory Birth to Three Matters framework, and elements of regulatory frameworks in the National Standards for Under 8s Day Care and Childminding. You can access the EYFS themes, principles and materials from http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/earlyyears. If this is not what you are looking for or if you want more information you can contact the Department by email at info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk or telephone on 0870 000 2288.
Ofsted set to outsource half of early years inspections
15/02/2010
Ofsted plans to outsource almost half of early years inspections to a private company in a five-year contract worth around £64m.
From September 2010, Tribal Group is expected to manage inspection services for 45 per cent of early years providers in England, including nurseries and childminders.
Tribal is already contracted by the watchdog to provide school and learning and skills inspection services for the south region under a six-year contract awarded in 2009, worth approximately £75m.
Children from poorer families almost a school-year behind
15/02/2010
Children who are among the poorest in the UK are nearly a year behind middle-class children in terms of their language abilities.
A report from the Sutton Trust, an educational charity, found children among the poorest fifth of UK families are 11.1 months behind other children, tested by vocabulary, by the time they reach the age of five.
The charity found good parenting and a supportive home environment emerged as the most important determinants of better test scores at age five, accounting for half of the explained gap between low-income and middle-income children.
The lowdown on the Happy Healthy Safe appeal
13/02/2010
THE Happy Healthy Safe appeal from The Children’s Foundation is building momentum. HANNAH DAVIES speaks to one mum about how one of their safety courses gave her the courage she needed for her child.
NOT many 18-year-old single mums would have the courage to stand up to doctors and insist their sick child receive a second opinion.
But that’s what Tori Haney did, thanks to the confidence given to her by attending a Whoops course run by The Children’s Foundation.
Ofsted praises South Tyneside safeguarding services
12/02/2010
South Tyneside Council's safeguarding children service has been praised by Ofsted inspectors.
Following an unannounced inspection of its contact, referral and assessments last month inspectors singled out the council's "well developed culture of teamwork and management support" for praise.
This has helped the children's social workers to feel stable and enthusiastic about the job, inspectors said.
Nursery costs in England rise above inflation rate
09/02/2010
Nursery costs in England have increased at almost double the rate of inflation, despite the recession.
The findings come from childcare charity Daycare Trust’s annual Childcare Costs Survey, compiled from figures submitted by Family Information Services in England, Scotland and Wales.
In England the cost of a nursery place has risen by 5.1 per cent, while all forms of childcare costs have seen an increase. In Scotland and Wales, however, the cost of out-of-school care has fallen.
Campaigners call for 'Robin Hood tax' to cut child poverty
09/02/2010
Barnardo's, Save the Children and the National Union of Teachers are among almost 50 organisations calling for a "Robin Hood tax" on banks' financial transactions.
The coalition wants the leaders of the UK’s political parties to support a global tax on transactions between financial institutions to protect public services, fight poverty, help foot the bill for climate change and repair the damage caused by the recession.
Boost childminders' influence in children's centres, urges charity
09/02/2010
The government has been urged to ensure childminders are more involved in the running of children's centres.
The call has been made by the National Childminding Association (NCMA) in response to a government consultation on new statutory guidance for children's centres.
The NCMA has criticised the guidance for not clearly referencing childminders as potential advisory board members and as stakeholders to be consulted on any key decisions.
New children's centre plans revealed
08/02/2010
Plans for a new £0.5 million children’s centre in Kingsway have been revealed.
The proposals, which have been submitted to planning officials, were shown to parents on Wednesday evening.
If it gets the go-ahead, the new centre could be opened by the end of the year.
It will be built in the grounds of Kingsway Primary School, but without fences and boundaries, to encourage joint use of the space.
Vetting and barring myth buster
08/02/2010
When you won't have to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority ISA: Personal and family arrangements and other exemptions from the new Vetting and Barring Scheme
This information appears in an annex to a letter from Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, to MPs in England and Wales.
Some people felt confused by media coverage in Autumn 2009 about when the Vetting and Barring Scheme will require people to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). We want to set the record straight. Also, we announced new exemptions on 14 December 2009.
Agencies team up to help families find financial support
04/02/2010
Child Poverty Action Group has teamed up with family support agencies to help families with children under five to find grants and benefits.
The new service also involves volunteer service Home-Start and Turn2Us, which offers advice and guidance to families seeking benefits and financial support.
The Maximising Income for Families project will be piloted from now until March 2011, with funding from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
We have all come so far
04/02/2010
A family worker came to see us and recommended we take Jacob to the local Sure Start Children’s Centre at St Thomas’. I’d heard about Sure Start before, when Elysia, now 10, was little. They sounded great and the only reason I didn’t take her at the time was that the children’s centre was quite far from where we lived and I didn’t drive.
Elysia loves the children’s centre as well. Two of the family workers invited Elysia to help out with the musical babies classes. It makes her feel involved in Jacob’s progress and important to the children’s centre. The people who work in these children’s centres really do go above and beyond the call of duty to help all the families they meet. They have had the biggest impact on me and my family and I feel we’re lucky to have them.
Extended services need more support to reach disadvantaged
29/01/2010
Schools need more support from government and councils to ensure their extended services are reaching their most disadvantaged pupils, according to a government review.
The Extended Services Evaluation – Reaching Disadvantaged Groups and Individuals: Thematic Review looked at the experiences of running extended services in 15 schools across the north-west and north-east of England.
The review praised schools for using a broad definition of disadvantage, looking beyond poverty to include a range of family situations such as bereavement, disability and mental health issues.
Disadvantaged families are failing to access childcare
29/01/2010
The most disadvantaged families in the UK are failing to access childcare even when it is offered to them for free, according to a government report.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families-commissioned report Families Experiencing Multiple Disadvantage: Their Use of and Views on Childcare Provision, found that just 60 per cent of pre-school age children living in the poorest families received some form of childcare.
This compares with a national average of 73 per cent. Among children from more affluent backgrounds the figure is 81 per cent.
CWDC launches training for children's centres outreach practitioners
28/01/2010
The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is launching a programme to enable Children's Centre outreach practitioners to access training opportunities.
CWDC, in partnership with the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners (NAPP), is offering outreach practitioners opportunities to access training from May 2010 until March 2011 to support this valuable work that helps to make a difference to the lives of children and families.
CAMPAIGNERS CALL FOR END TO CHILD POVERTY FOLLOWING EQUALITY REPORT
27/01/2010
Campaigners have highlighted the importance of ending child poverty, after a report revealed children on free school meals were 28% less likely to attain five A*-C GCSEs at 16 than their counterparts.
Child Poverty Action Group said it was vital that the Government met its target to end child poverty by 2020, following the report by the National Equality Panel, as early disadvantage continued to be an indicator of success in later life.
The panel, set up by ministers in 2008 to investigate inequalities, found that "deep seated" differences remained between social groups.
Learning how to be a dad
27/01/2010
EXPECTANT dads have the chance to learn baby skills at a series of ante-natal classes for men.
Staff from the Headland Future community group are running the courses as part of a wider programme across Hartlepool to help dads-to-be, and also those with children, become better parents.
The free ante-natal classes start next month and men can learn about hygiene, changing nappies, clothes and how to bond with their baby.
Professional register for playworkers on the cards
26/01/2010
The play sector is considering creating a register for professionals in an attempt to boost the status and quality of playwork.
Sector skills council for play, SkillsActive, told CYP Now it is keen to establish the register, as long as it has the backing of playwork practitioners.
Chris Martin, SkillsActive's national programme manager, said the register would be based on a similar model used for fitness instructors and PE teachers.
Toy libraries relieve child poverty
26/01/2010
POVERTY legislation will create a new statutory responsibility on local authorities to develop a needs assessment to reduce child poverty within local authority areas.
Children are poor because their parents and carers are poor - nearly 500,000 children in rural areas and one in three children living in London.
Poverty takes its toll on a parent's capacity to give loving support and boundaries when stress or depression caused by financial and other types of hardship decrease their coping abilities.
New members of the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services
26/01/2010
The Secretary of State Ed Balls today announced the appointment of four new members to the Board of the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services.
Schools Secretary Ed Balls, said:
“I am very pleased to announce the appointments of Dr Deborah Absalom, John Coughlan, Dr John Dunford and Glynn Lowth to the National College’s Governing Council.
“They will bring a wealth of experience to the council particularly in support of the extended remit of the National College which now includes the training and development of Directors of Children’s Services. I am confident that they will enable the National College to continue to progress in the future.”
Ella gets seal of approval
23/01/2010
CHILDREN and their favourite places will be the centrepiece of a bicentenary exhibition at Casula Powerhouse next month.
The Liverpool - My World exhibition will showcase art created by preschoolers from seven childcare centres.
Youngsters at Hinchinbrook Multi-Purpose Children’s Centre have been painting, drawing and creating collages ahead of the show.
Childcare: when play becomes work
23/01/2010
Spending his days surrounded by building blocks and overexcited toddlers wasn't exactly what David Yates had in mind while studying for his English degree. But the Sheffield University graduate says he hasn't looked back since deciding to work as an early years professional in a nursery.
"When I graduated, I was looking at regular office jobs and IT jobs – but none of them stood out," he says. "I'd done voluntary work with young children before in holidays, and thought I might as well do something I enjoy. And I have no regrets."
Royal Anne so proud of endeavour at children's centres
22/01/2010
NORTH East Lincolnshire's children's centres were given the Royal seal of approval by Princess Anne.
The first stop on the tour of the area was at the Sure Start Queensway Children's Centre in Grimsby.
After arriving by helicopter in Moody Lane, the princess was taken by car to the nearby centre on Binbrook Way to begin her visit.
Early years provision: playing with maths
20/01/2010
It looks like a giant child's eye view of the outside world, but the wall display at a Newcastle nursery school is actually the sum of the children's learning in maths for a term.
Every tree, worm and ladybird was observed, pondered over and created by four-year-olds, working with an artist in residence. The end result - a mural with magnetic, moveable features - is in daily use by the pupils at Newburn Manor nursery school as they play at ordering, counting and comparing the shapes.
Government sets out new package of measures to help the 21st century family
20/01/2010
Ed Balls is today announcing a new package of measures to support modern families in the 21st century.
‘Support for All – the Families and Relationships Green Paper’ sets out how the Government can support all families, help to prevent and resolve marriage and relationship breakdown, support and recognise dads and grandparents, improve flexible working for families, and give more targeted support to families in need.
As part of the Green Paper, Ed Balls and Justice Secretary Jack Straw are today launching a major review into the family justice system to reduce conflict and promote earlier resolution of problems.
Children's centres report more financial stability
20/01/2010
Children's centres are more financially stable than they were three years ago, according to a report by the National Audit Office.
The report, which was commissioned by a select committee of MPs as part of an inquiry into Sure Start, said 92 per cent of centres are close to breaking even or under budget, compared with 60 per cent in 2006. Some local authorities have improved finances by clustering centres under one manager.
However, there is still 'widespread concern' among centres about the long-term viability of childcare in centres.
Liverpool-based Little League Sports company is a big success
19/01/2010
TWO enterprising former Gateacre Comprehensive School pupils are enjoying great success developing a sporting project for youngsters across Liverpool.
It was in November 2008 when Jordan Wright and pal Joseph Mulhearn formed a community interest company called Little League Sports.
Within 12 months, Waves Enterprise selected the company as the most outstanding new business of the year.
The young entrepreneurs offer not only coaching but also alternative education and training provisions.
LLS are currently working in partnership and providing services for Sure Start children’s centres and youth services in the city.
Rural watchdog seeks to maximise value of economic well-being
18/01/2010
The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) believes that local authorities and other organisations should be making greater use of their ability to pursue policies and projects which increase the economic well-being of the communities they serve.
To encourage and help them, the CRC is today (Monday 18 January 2010) launching two reports which explain economic well-being and give guidance as to how the concept can be used. The reports are being launched at a seminar which aims to stimulate debate and highlight existing good practice. Representatives from local, regional and national government, the voluntary sector and other agencies will come together to hear about projects which have made a positive difference to people’s lives and explore how economic well-being can be better used at a local level.
Ethnic Minority Advisory Group invites applications for membership
18/01/2010
Those wanting to make a difference to the employment opportunities of ethnic minorities and influence Government policy are being urged to apply for membership of the Ethnic Minority Advisory Group (EMAG).
Whilst the ethnic minority employment gap has narrowed over recent years, it still stands at 13.8 percentage points and recent research shows that racial discrimination still exists in recruitment practices.
Hounslow mum tells how a Sure Start children's centre turned her life around
17/01/2010
When Karol Jacquin left her home in Lebanon to start a new life here 10 years ago, she had no family, knew nobody and struggled to adapt to a culture not her own.
Soon after Karol made the move and settled in Hounslow, she gave birth to her first and only child Karen. Despite the joy felt having become a mum for the first time, Karol began feeling increasingly lonely and like “she had nowhere to go”.
Redditch mum makes a sure start to new life, thanks to Redditch centre
15/01/2010
AS Sure Start’s Children’s Centres grow in popularity, a Redditch mother talks of how the scheme turned her life around.
Sure Start brings together childcare, early education, health and family-support services for families with children under five years old. It is the cornerstone of the Government’s drive to tackle child poverty and social exclusion working with parents-to-be, parents, carers and children to promote the physical, intellectual and social development of babies and young children so that they can flourish at home and when they get to school.
Sure Start Children’s Centres inquiry concludes
13/01/2010
The first part of the session focuses on the involvement of health agencies and professionals, while in the second part, the Committee will raise a range of issues with the Minister and the Chief Executive of the Department's delivery partner for Children's Centres, Together for Children.
Children's centre offers early days tips
12/01/2010
Jane Foley is outreach manager at the Crescent Children's Centre in Meir. The centre recently started a dads' group, aimed at providing information, advice and support to new dads.
She says: "One of the things we are very aware of is that dads often don't feel included with a new baby because the focus is on mum most of the time. On Saturdays we encourage dads to come into the centre, use our facilities and share information with them about the impact they can have on their baby's life. It's so important they bond with their baby early on.
"Children's centres and nurseries can often be female dominated environments, but we are working hard to change that and make men comfortable.
Sure Start Children's Centres And Early Years To Partner BBC's Dig In Campaign For 2010
11/01/2010
Dig In is a BBC Learning campaign to encourage audiences to grow their own vegetables in the space available at home. Building on the success of the 2009 campaign, in 2010 Dig In will continue to encourage novice gardeners to grow and cook their own food.
There is a focus on what can be done in small spaces: patios, balconies and window boxes. At harvest time, Dig In inspires growers to take their vegetables from plot to pot with easy to prepare, tasty recipes.
The Dig In campaign is targeted at first-time growers, with a particular emphasis on encouraging the shared experience of growing and cooking with families with young children. At the heart of the campaign are five new varieties of Dig In vegetables: salad, carrot, courgette, basil and French beans.
CWDC to survey graduates to explore impact of EYPS
11/01/2010
The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is to survey around 4,000 graduates working in the early years sector who have gained the Early Year Professional Status (EYPS) qualification.
The survey will explore to what extent the qualification and being a graduate helps them in their working life. Other questions will cover their aspirations and further career development needed.
The results will be fed into a three-year academic research study being carried out by Wolverhampton University on behalf of the CWDC. Researchers will also look at collecting case studies from responses.
Family Action service helps parents in Leicestershire
08/01/2010
Camilla Pemberton reports on a Family Action service that helps parents with learning disabilities gain the skills to enable them to look after their children successfully
More than half of parents with learning disabilities will have their children taken away at some stage, says Mencap head Mark Goldring, "often because of preconceived ideas that parents with a learning disability are unable to cope". This was highlighted last May when the Daily Telegraph reported a case where a three-year-old girl was to be adopted because, it claimed, social services had deemed her mother "too stupid" to look after her.
CWDC launches online survey into Early Years Professionals
07/01/2010
More than 4,000 early years professionals (EYPs) in England are being called on to take part in an online survey about the impact their graduate status is having on the quality of early years settings.
All practitioners who have achieved Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) are asked to complete the online survey which is live from 6 January to 19 February 2010. The survey takes no more than 30 minutes to complete and will contribute vital evidence on the impact that EYPS is having on improving outcomes for children.
EYPs can access the survey online and there are also options to complete the survey and return by email or by post. For further information about the survey, or to request a hard copy of the survey, please contact Julie on 01902 323006 or mailto:j.richmond@wlv.ac.uk.
Boys targeted in Government push for writing skills
06/01/2010
All nurseries and childminders will be sent Government guidance later this month advising them on how to encourage three and four-year-old boys to write.
Children's minister Dawn Primarolo said the gender gap in development between girls and boys was a 'worrying' problem.
In an interview in The Independent she said, 'There is a gap, and it is a worrying gap. What we can see is that boys, particularly on emotional development, lag behind girls.
Poor children suffer more injuries in informal childcare
06/01/2010
Children from deprived backgrounds are more likely to sustain accidental injuries while in informal childcare, a study has found.
Researchers from the UCL Institute of Child Health, the York and Humber Public Health Observatory and the University of York found that children aged three who were from poorer families and whose parents were less educated were more likely to sustain unintentional injuries in informal care than children from more affluent backgrounds.
The report's findings are based on the long-term health and wellbeing of almost 14,000 children born in the UK between 2000 and 2002 who are being tracked as part of the Millennium Cohort Study.
Childcare diploma changes will not affect enrolled students
05/01/2010
Students already enrolled on Level 3 diploma courses in childcare will not miss out when a replacement qualification for early year workers comes into force in September.
The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is developing a new Level 3 diploma for the children and young people's workforce, set to start in colleges this September, replacing existing Level 3 qualifications in early years, social care and learning development support services.
The qualification is part of the council's work to rationalise and clarify qualifications under the new Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF).
Raising the profile of families and family services: National Family Week 2010
05/01/2010
The UK’s second National Family Week takes place from 31 May - 6 June, and is an opportunity for practitioners working with children and young people to raise the profile of their work through a range of activities and events.
It offers a platform to promote new or existing services, to encourage parents to get involved with services or to give their views, and to address specific needs or concerns.
Support for those running events – including events packs – is available from the National Family Week website.
Prisons told to consult children on play
18/12/2009
Prisons are being urged to consult more with children over the type of play facilities they provide.
The Prison Advice & Care Trust (Pact) has created guidance for playworkers in prisons to engage more with children when planning play provision to ensure it better meets their needs.
Sandra Duhaney, Pact senior services manager, said that a lot of good work has been conducted by third sector organisations to make prisons more family and child-friendly. But she claimed there was still more work required in terms of listening to prisoners' children and thus improving their outcomes.
Sure Start inquiry questions Martin Narey of Barnardo’s
14/12/2009
The Sure Start inquiry is examining whether the Children's Centres model of integrated services for under-5s and their families promotes early childhood development and is an effective response to deprivation. It is also looking at how the policy is being delivered.
This session questions the voluntary sector organisations on the impact of the programme and the challenges in its implementation, and at the role of the voluntary sector as a provider of services and manager of Children's Centres.
Call to strengthen library and early years setting links
14/12/2009
Libraries should be integrated into national and local early years literacy and communication strategies, according to an evaluation of a successful £5m early years scheme.
Book Ahead, a government-funded programme aiming to strengthen links between libraries and early years settings has successfully engaged more than 16,000 settings, according to the report by the Museums and Libraries Association (MLA).
The evaluation found that 71 per cent of settings were from the private, voluntary and independent sector. Where details had been provided, researchers found that almost half of the settings were new contacts for libraries.
Childcare voucher U-turn widely welcomed
09/12/2009
Tax relief on childcare vouchers will not be scrapped, following the Prime Minister's decision to abandon plans to end the benefit.
Basic rate taxpayers will continue to be exempt from all tax and National Insurance Contributions on the value of their vouchers, but in future, higher-rate tax payers who currently receive tax relief at 40 per cent will have the benefit halved.
From April 2011, higher-rate tax payers joining a scheme will be entitled to income tax relief worth exactly the same as basic rate taxpayers.
Inquiry continues into Sure Start Children’s Centres
07/12/2009
The Children, Schools and Families Commitee holds an evidence session as part of its inquiry into Sure Start Children's Centres at 4pm.
This is the third oral evidence session in the Committee's inquiry, which is examining the strategic role of local authorities in the programme and the views of Centre leaders.
Sarah Brown hosts The Downing Tweet Christmas Party
07/12/2009
Sarah Brown met the faces behind the ‘tweets’ when she welcomed guests supporting the Million Mums campaign to Downing Street for a special Christmas party.
‘The Downing Tweet Christmas Party’ provided an opportunity for people from all walks of life, from student action groups to the entertainment industries, to come together and raise awareness for Million Mums.
The campaign’s aim is to sign up a million people to donate to the cause to stop preventable deaths in childbirth and through birth related complications because of poor access to healthcare.
Toolkit urges greater PCT role in children's centres
03/12/2009
Children's centres and health services will be issued with new guidance in a bid to improve the way they work together.
Together for Children (TfC), the agency responsible for delivering the government's children's centre programme, has created a toolkit to support training. It is aimed at planning and commissioning services within local authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs), as well as children's centre staff and their partner agencies.
Consultation launched on reciprocal childcare
02/12/2009
Reciprocal childcare arrangements for no reward are the subject of a newly-launched Government consultation.
The review stems from the case of two policewomen who were looking after each other's children - an arrangement, Ofsted said, which contravened the Childcare Act 2006 because it was for more than two hours a day and so constituted a 'reward'.
Children's secretary Ed Balls has already agreed with Ofsted that such arrangements should no longer require registration. The aim of the consultation is to clarify their legal position.
DCSF Speeches: Child Health - Speech by Dawn Primarolo
26/11/2009
This is a transcript of the speech by Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo in London on 26 November 2009. She talks about the delivery of children's health services.
Child action awards for duo
24/11/2009
TWO charity workers from Doncaster received top accolades from Action for Children in an award ceremony at the Waldorf Hotel, London.
Gill Walsh and Ursula Lane, who both work at Intake and Belle Vue Children's Centre, were honoured at the charity's annual Stephenson Awards, which recognise staff, volunteers and supporters and the vital role they play in supporting the UK's most vulnerable children and young people.
Ofsted finds school and childcare improvement is too slow
24/11/2009
Mediocre schools and childcare providers are failing to improve quickly enough, Ofsted's annual report has found.
The proportion of good and outstanding schools and childcare providers has increased since last year, but the report found "real concerns remain" about the quality of many services.
More than half of schools and childcare providers that were rated satisfactory previously failed to improve by their most recent inspection.
Lack of transport is main concern for poor rural families
24/11/2009
A lack of affordable and reliable transport is causing misery for low-income families living in the countryside, according to a report by Capacity for the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC).
The report, Peace and Quiet Disadvantage: Insights from Users and Providers of Children's Centres in Rural Communities, found that poor transport links were the main concern among families on low incomes or out of work.
Large distances involved in accessing basic healthcare and dental services and the high cost of train and bus travel means many families miss out. Those living in the smallest villages were the hardest hit, the report found.
Pre-school support could cut crime by half, says charity
23/11/2009
Support for parents of pre-school children could help to cut crime by more than a half, according to a study published by Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health.
The Chance of a Lifetime: Preventing Early Conduct Problems and Reducing Crime suggests that action to prevent conduct problems in young children, such as lying, disobedience, fighting and stealing can dramatically reduce their chances of offending later in life.
According to the study one child in 20 has a conduct disorder, the most serious form of conduct problems. Those children go on to commit 30 per cent of crime, at a cost to society of over £22bn a year. Another 45 per cent of children have mild or moderate conduct problems. They go on to commit half of all crime at an annual cost of some £37bn.
Children’s Minister launches action plan to address children’s rights
20/11/2009
Children’s Minister Delyth Morgan will today set out the UK’s long term vision for promoting children’s rights and improving outcomes for young people, making them a clear priority for the Government.
In recent years the Government has made big steps in improving the outcomes for children and young people, including:
- Opening more than 3,000 children's centres, benefiting over 2.4 million 0-5 year olds;
- Increasing school funding by 74% or by £37 billion since 1997;
- Investing over £900m in positive activities and opening more than 600 play areas to give children and young people somewhere to enjoy their free time;
- Lifting over 500,000 children out of poverty; and
- Developing the Children's Plan which reflects the Government’s aspirations for children's services to promote the wellbeing of every child.
Government reveals measures to support service families
19/11/2009
The government has unveiled a package of measures to help the families of servicemen and women, including a review of their childcare and employment support.
Under the measures, announced by equality minister Harriet Harman and Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth, the government will carry out a review of how well councils are supporting service families with childcare.
Development wheel charts care for parents
18/11/2009
Parents are being guided through the different stages of a child's development with the help of a printed device designed by early years practitioners for a London local authority.
The Birth to Five Wheel, from Harrow council, is themed around keeping a young child healthy and safe. The centre rivet in the wheel allows the parent or carer to twist it around to the age bracket they are interested in. This contains advice like 'Play with me outside each day' and milestones such as 'Use trial and error and start to say "no" often', for two-year-olds.
Later school entry age is backed by leading academic
18/11/2009
The recommendation in the Cambridge Review that children should not start school until age six has been endorsed by another leading academic.
Professor Greg Brooks, an emeritus professor of education at the University of Sheffield, spoke at a Literacy Interventions meeting held by the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. Professor Brooks said, 'I think we induct children into formal school too young in this country. I think there is a case for having a much more play-based pre-school phase that would last from age three to age six, in which there would be very little or no formal teaching of literacy. That would start at age six.'
Queen's speech 2009: child poverty bill
18/11/2009
The bill will impose a new legal duty on the government to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
The aim, ministers say, is to ensure low-income families do not lose out on opportunities, for example for children to go on school trips, and to help create a fairer society. Campaigners say that 4 million children, or three in 10 of all children, live in poverty.
Family lunch program brings Brighton stay-at-home parents together
17/11/2009
The Brighton Children's Centre, with support from the Hennessy Foundation and the Clothing Depot, is hosting the Family Lunch Program again this year. Open to parents and caregivers with children under the age of six, the lunch program provides an opportunity for fellowship, fun and nutritious feasting.
Located at Trinity St. Andrews United Church each Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the program offers a play area with activities and crafts for children, an opportunity for parents to socialize, and a delicious buffet style lunch. Following lunch, copies of the recipes are available, sharing how to prepare healthy, cost-effective meals.
Government listens to grandparents’ opinions
12/11/2009
Grandparents and their representative organisations will today attend a cross-Government summit to explore the changing role of grandparents in society and talk to Ministers about how the Government can support them.
Topics for discussion include how families and childcare services can adapt to better meet the needs of grandparents, the impact of combining employment with care of their grandchildren, and ways to provide more information to grandparents more effectively.
The findings from the summit will inform the forthcoming Families and Relationships Green Paper. The Green Paper will look at how government can better support all family members, including grandparents, and how services can cater for their differing needs.
MPs launch inquiry into Early Years Single Funding Formula
11/11/2009
MPs are holding an inquiry into the Early Years Single Funding Formula amid concerns about its impact on early years providers.
Last week the cross-party Commons children, schools and families committee heard from campaigners that children in deprived areas could be hit hardest with a loss of funding to maintained nursery schools.
Their concerns have prompted the committee to hold an official inquiry into early years funding. A report is expected early next year.
Dawn Primarolo: Both parents to have the right to register their child’s birth
10/11/2009
Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo today launched a consultation on new rules aimed at ensuring that wherever possible births are registered by both parents.
Current arrangements mean unmarried mothers can choose whether or not to register the name of a baby’s father on their birth certificate. Currently around 7% of births – on average 45,000 a year – are registered with only one parent .The new regulations, made under the Welfare Reform Bill, will mean that in most cases, both unmarried parents will be required to register their names on their child’s birth certificate.
Ofsted confirms EYFS does not clash with play principles
09/11/2009
Ofsted has published guidance confirming that play providers can comply with the early years curriculum without compromising their professional principles.
The inspectorate has published a factsheet for the play sector called Regulating Play-based Provision.
Positive relationships: Key Person System - Pick your own
05/11/2009
Some nurseries are letting the children choose who they want to be their main carer, which can help to ensure they are matched according to their needs, finds Annette Rawstrone.
It is now mandatory that nurseries have a key person system where a practitioner is responsible for a small group of children and does the main caring. Some settings are now waiting for a child to choose their own key person instead of allocating one.
Food Safety Advice for Childminders
03/11/2009
The Food Standards Agency has launched a ‘Safer food, better business’ (SFBB) pack especially for childminders. The pack gives simple, straightforward advice on food safety.
Many childminders are now covered by food safety regulations and the pack has been designed to help them comply with these regulations with as little paperwork as possible.
To order a copy, telephone 0845 606 0667 or email: foodstandards@ecgroup.co.uk.
Family ties kept strong by prison play scheme
28/10/2009
A three-year scheme is aiming to help fathers in prison bond with their children through play.
'Play in Prisons', led by the Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact), and funded by the Big Lottery, will involve family days at prisons, with football games, storytelling and the chance for families to eat meals together.
The scheme, running in three Devon prisons, is intended to make visiting prison less confusing for children and keep their fathers from re-offending.
Manchester City Council Takes Steps To Transform Special Needs Education In the City
22/10/2009
Proposals that will further transform special education teaching and learning in Manchester and give more choice and better outcomes for young people have been agreed by the Council's Executive earlier this week.
The city wide proposals will see a continuum of provision developed for children and young people who have special educational needs from pre-school through to school leaving age and beyond.
The £28 million package of proposals includes early assessment through designated Sure Start centres and associated early years providers, and specially resourced provision at six mainstream primary schools and three mainstream high schools.
Private children's centres receive less funds
22/10/2009
Some children's centres are pricing poor families out of childcare because they are not receiving enough funding support from local authorities.
The findings have come to light in evidence submitted to the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee, which is currently inquiring into the performance of children's centres.
According to government figures released last month, children's centres receive an average of £181,000 from local authorities to support childcare provision. This makes up 53 per cent of the their nursery income, with the rest coming from fees.
Nurseries given cuts support kit
22/10/2009
Council-run nurseries will be issued with guidance this week to help fend off cuts in government funding.
Childcare charity Early Education has created a support kit for nurseries that may be affected by the new funding model for free childcare, the Early Years Single Funding Formula.
It includes methods of measuring the impact of the formula and ways to raise awareness of problems.
New children's commissioner for England announced
21/10/2009
The Children’s Secretary, Ed Balls has confirmed the appointment of Dr Maggie Atkinson as the new Children’s Commissioner.
Dr Maggie Atkinson has been Director of Children’s Services in Gateshead since 2003 and held the post of president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) in 2008/09. She will take up the new post on 1st March 2010, replacing Sir Al Aynsley-Green when his five year appointment ends.
Confirming the appointment, Children’s Secretary Ed Balls said:
“I am delighted that Maggie Atkinson has accepted the role of Children’s Commissioner for England. She will be a strong and independent voice for the children and young people of our country, which is what they need and deserve.
MPs debate progress of Sure Start programme
16/10/2009
Dawn Primarolo, the Minister for Children, Young People and Families, opened a debate in Westminster Hall on the progress of Sure Start, the Government’s programme to deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support.
See the publication link for:
* Commons Hansard: Progress of the Sure Start programme
* Video and audio: Progress of the Sure Start programme
* About Parliament: Adjournment debates
* Parliamentary News: Committee launch Sure Start Children's Centres inquiry
Councils revise child trusts
15/10/2009
Councils are reviewing their strategies on children’s trusts in anticipation of their increased statutory role as financial pressures loom.
The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, expected to receive royal assent later this autumn, gives children’s trust boards a statutory role and clarifies the relationship between local safeguarding children boards and trusts.
But the new responsibilities come at a time when children’s trusts face increasing financial challenges, leading to questions over whether the work of their member organisations has been adequately defined.
Single parents who want training denied childcare
15/10/2009
Jobless single parents are being denied funding for childcare, which is excluding them from training opportunities, according to two leading charities.
Childcare charity Daycare Trust and lone-parent charity Gingerbread have written a joint letter to Children's Secretary Ed Balls, Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper and Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, voicing their concerns following a large increase in calls from distressed parents.
Improved safeguarding arrangements go live
12/10/2009
Children and vulnerable adults are to be better protected from today with the start of the new Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS).
The new scheme will be delivered by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). Its tighter regulations are at the heart of the Government’s strategy for increasing the protection of vulnerable members of our society.
Balls tells Ofsted to end reciprocal childcare regulation
12/10/2009
Children's Secretary Ed Balls has written to Ofsted to call for an immediate end to the regulation of reciprocal childcare arrangements between friends.
Balls wrote to Ofsted chief inspector Christine Gilbert today after the government's chief adviser on the safety of children, Roger Singleton, advised that where no payments were made parents who looked after each others children should not have to register as childminders.
Balls wrote: "From now on and with immediate effect I would ask that Ofsted always treats such situations as beyond the scope of the childcare arrangements that you regulate under the Childcare Act 2006."
Free childcare code published
09/10/2009
The government has published a draft code of practice for providers offering free childcare to three and four-year-olds.
The code sets out what is required from local authorities and childcare providers in order to ensure that every three- and four-year-old receives 15 hours of free childcare each week, for 38 weeks each year, from September 2010. Currently three- and four-year-olds receive 12.5 hours a week.
It is the product of a two month consultation which took place between May and July this year, and will now be open for further consultation until January 2010.
Play England offers guidance for local strategy
08/10/2009
Local authorities have been issued with guidance to help them implement the government's play strategy across a range of services.
Play England's Embedding the Play Strategy recommends how children's trusts should plan and commission services based on a local play strategy.
The document is open for consultation until the end of October, with responses requested from directors of children's services, children's trusts and those working in the voluntary and play sectors, as well as members of wider strategic partnerships such as commissioning, planning, transport, health, housing, schools, police, leisure and landscape architects.
Children's centre staff earn the most, DCSF survey finds
07/10/2009
Early years staff in children's centres earn more and have a higher level of qualifications than staff in sessional and full daycare settings, a Government survey has found.
The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2008, carried out for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, found that higher proportions of staff in full daycare and on-site full daycare in children's centres had achieved a level 3 qualification compared with staff working in other types of childcare provision.
Early education project improves joint working
06/10/2009
A government-funded project to improve early education in vulnerable families has had a positive effect on the way voluntary organisations work together, according to a report from the Family and Parenting Institute.
The £6m Early Learning Partnership Project (ELPP), set up by the government to narrow the gap in educational achievement between children from disadvantaged and more advantaged backgrounds, aimed to get parents of one- to three-year-olds more involved in the learning process.
But a report published by The Family and Parenting Institute, which led the work, has revealed that practitioners also benefited from the project's approach, with "unexpected benefits such as joint training, shared learning and problem solving".
Labour conference: Mixed reception for childcare announcement
02/10/2009
Gordon Brown's announcement on increased free childcare for two year-olds at the expense of employer-supported childcare has received a mixed response from the early years sector.
In his speech to the Labour Party Conference earlier this week the Prime Minister promised to extend free childcare to 250,000 two-year-olds by phasing out tax relief provided though childcare vouchers.
The government claimed that current tax relief measures are largely benefitting middle and high-income families, and this move will re-direct support to those who need it most.
Practitioners advised to check jabs status of new children
30/09/2009
Childcare practitioners and teaching staff should check the immunisation status of children when they start nursery or school, according to official guidance published last week.
A report by the the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends that checks on immunisation status are carried out by teams led by health visitors in conjunction with childcare or education staff and parents.
If children are found to be behind with their vaccinations, nursery or school staff should, in conjunction with health practitioners, explain to parents why immunisation is important, the report advises.
Row over ban on shared care prompts review of Childcare Act interpretation
29/09/2009
The Government is to review the meaning of childcare for 'reward' in the Childcare Act 2006 following Ofsted's ban on two working mothers from taking turns to look after each other's children.
Nursery World broke the story last week of how the two friends who went back to work part-time in a jobshare when their daughters were both one year old had been visited by Ofsted inspectors after a tip-off from a member of the public who believed they were running an illegal childminding business.
A petition was started on the Number 10 website in support of the women, calling for a change in the law to allow reciprocal childcare arrangements. By Monday it had been signed by 9,770 people.
Ofsted calls on ministers for babysitting clarification
28/09/2009
Ofsted has asked ministers for clarification of childcare laws after two police officers who regularly babysit for each other were told they had to register as child minders.
The regulator has made the move after it emerged that detective constables Leanne Shepherd and Lucy Jarrett's arrangement to babysit each other's children during shifts contravened the 2006 Childcare Act.
Because the children were looked after by each other for more than two hours and not in their own home, the arrangement is considered childminding not babysitting under the act.
Ofsted moves closer to outsourcing early years
17/09/2009
Ofsted will decide whether or not to outsource early years inspections in February next year and has shortlisted five suppliers to take on the task.
An Ofsted spokeswoman said: "Ofsted is continuing to discuss the possible outsourcing of early years work. Five potential contractors are involved in discussions: Cambridge Education, CfBT Education Trust, Prospects, Serco Education and Children's Services and Tribal Group."
Immunity to allergies from going to nursery is 'a myth', says study
16/09/2009
The belief that going to nursery helps children build up immunity to asthma and allergies later in life is wrong, new research suggests.
A study published in this month's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, a journal of the American Thoracic Society, found that children who start nursery before the age of two are twice as likely to experience wheezing in the first year of life.
Review of vetting and barring scheme won't delay start date
15/09/2009
A government review of the new vetting and barring scheme will not affect next month's start date, the Department for children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has confirmed.
Yesterday Children's Secretary Ed Balls announced a review held into the degree of contact with children that triggers the requirement to register.
Led by Sir Roger Singleton, head of the Independent Safeguarding Authority, the review will report by the beginning of December.
Interest-free loans needed to cover cost of childcare
15/09/2009
The government should help parents cover advance childcare costs with interest-free loans, according to childcare charity Daycare Trust.
The charity, which surveyed 202 parents in England, found 58 per cent of parents struggle to pay for the fees required to secure a place in a childcare setting, or even a place on that setting's waiting list. Costs can include advance fees, deposits, retainers and administration fees.
According to the report Childcare Advance, with typical weekly childcare costs currently at £167 per week, four weeks' fees in advance would mean that parents had to pay £668 when they took up a place.
Balls pledges £26m for free books for children
14/09/2009
Millions of children in England are set to benefit from £26m of government funding for free books over the next three years, Children's Secretary Ed Balls announced today.
The funding includes £18m for the government's Bookstart programme, which will provide around 12 million books for children aged three and under. The books will be given out through GP surgeries, libraries and children's nurseries, including Sure Start children's centres. Balls said: "The support given to children and families during those all important early years can have a lasting impact on a child's development.
DCSF Letter on Vetting and Barring Scheme
14/09/2009
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, has today written to the Chair of the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee, Barry Sheerman, about the new vetting and barring scheme.
A copy of his letter to Mr Sheerman is at the publication link.
Just Learning buys up Nunu nursery group
09/09/2009
Just Learning, the fourth largest nursery group in the UK, is set to buy the Nunu group of nurseries, in a deal worth more than £7m.
The acquisition will be seen as a positive sign that despite economic uncertainty banks and other investors are willing to back the nursery sector.
Nunu's board has recommended that the company be sold to Just Learning at the agreed price of £7,202,084. Shareholders will vote on the deal at a meeting on 28 September, with the sale expected to complete on or around 20 October.
EYFS may be leading childminders to more training, NCMA finds
09/09/2009
More childminders are undertaking training than ever before, according to research published by the National Childminding Association.
The annual survey of more than 1,000 NCMA members found that 86 per cent had undertaken training in the past 12 months, an increase from 73 per cent since 2008, which the report said could be attributed to the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
The number of NCMA members holding a level three qualification has also increased.
Early years staff need more guidance on EYFS
13/08/2009
More guidance is required for practitioners to fully understand the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), according to a government quango.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA), which develops and assesses the curriculum, has been seeking the views of practitioners from across the early years sector on how the first year of the EYFS has gone.
Childcare Affordability Programme pilots launched
07/08/2009
The second phase of the Childcare Affordability Programme will provide £12m to boost the take-up of childcare among low-income families in London.
The London Development Agency will fund two pilots, offering parenting support and a subsidy for childcare fees to 2,000 parents across ten boroughs.
Children’s Minister: Over 300,000 more children have access to improved play areas this summer
05/08/2009
Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo said today that over 300,000 children will have access to new and improved play areas this summer, as thousands of children across the country celebrate national Playday.
Funds for two-year-olds only for top-rated settings
05/08/2009
Only settings which are deemed good or outstanding by Ofsted or local authorities will be able to offer the free entitlement to two-year-olds, the Government confirmed last week.
National Academy of Parenting Practitioners appoints chair
31/07/2009
The chief executive of Christian charity, Care for the Family, has been appointed as chair of the National Academy of Parenting Practitioners.
Ofsted changes inspection phrasing after DCS backlash
30/07/2009
Ofsted has dropped the term "serious concerns" from its no-notice safeguarding inspection findings, after a backlash from directors of children's services (DCS).
Implementing the Early Years Single Funding Formula
20/07/2009
Updated practice guidance for local authorities (LAs) on implementing the Early Years Single Funding Formula.
Nursery quality to determine funding for free places
20/07/2009
Nurseries that deliver high-quality, flexible childcare will get more funding for free places for three- and four-year-olds, according to new government guidance.
The government has published guidelines for local authorities to ensure that funding for free early years provision is distributed fairly and transparently.
It is intended to help authorities implement the Early Years Single Funding Formula, which every local authority should be using from next April.
Parents should be paid to promote childcare
16/07/2009
Local authorities should pay more parents to promote the take-up of formal childcare in hard-to-reach communities, says a government-funded report.
DCSF's Affordable Childcare Promotion
25/06/2009
The Department for Children Schools and Families will be running an advertising campaign to promote and raise awareness of the range of affordable childcare options and services available to parents and their children during the summer holiday period.
Starting on 22 June the campaign will involve 30 second adverts on local radio and adverts in regional press and women’s magazines such as Take a Break, OK! and Woman’s Own. Parents will be able to get further advice by contacting the national helpline on 0800 2 346 346.
A further burst of PR using case studies of holiday clubs provided through extended schools is likely to run in late July.
An affordable childcare communications toolkit is also available from DCSF at the publication link.
Call for central childcare fund
25/06/2009
Childcare specialists have called for a central fund for local authorities to draw on if childcare places are at risk.
Daycare Trust, the national childcare campaign, also wants specially trained taskforces of caseworkers at local authority level to step in and give parents direct assistance if they lose their childcare place.
The proposals are among several in a briefing paper from the charity ‘Childcare and the recession’.
Childcarers invited to test treasure baskets
24/06/2009
Researchers investigating how children can benefit from investigating everyday sensory objects are asking for practitioners to tell of their experiences by completing a questionnaire.
The study is funded by the East of England Development Agency and developed by Play to Z, a company that produces learning resources and develops training courses about children's sensory experiences. It focuses on how children from the age of eight months to five years play with treasure baskets, as an example of a multi-sensory resource.
Play to Z makes treasure baskets containing 50 natural or household items such as stones, brushes, jam jars and plugs.
Practitioners who would like to complete the questionnaire or participate in the next series of observations can download the information at www.playtoz.co.uk. The deadline for completed questionnaires is 6 July
Nearly all four-year-olds in free childcare scheme
16/06/2009
Government statistics released today show that families of almost every four-year-old in the country are taking advantage of free entitlement to childcare.
All four-year-olds have been entitled to a free early education place since 1998, an offer that was extended to three-year-olds in April 2004.
Research conducted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families earlier this year shows that 98 per cent of all four-year-olds are accessing the free offer. Figures have risen since 2008 from 578,000 to 593,400, although the percentage has not changed.
Families rely on word-of-mouth for childcare information
12/06/2009
Just 17 per cent of families use local authority information services to plan childcare for their children, a National Childminding Association (NCMA) survey has found.
The charity's annual childcare awareness survey, which questioned more than 1,000 people, is designed to measure how much parents know about the different types of childcare on offer.
It found that childminders and nannies are the most recognised form of childcare, ahead of nurseries, creches and au pairs.
See publication link for full article
Government urged to give guidance on childcare vouchers
01/06/2009
The Daycare Trust has urged the government to provide reassurance to employers considering withdrawing from the childcare vouchers scheme over concerns about a European court ruling.
The childcare charity said there was no evidence of employers pulling out "en masse" from the scheme, after a ruling last October that companies should continue to make payments for vouchers when female workers take maternity leave without their salary.
But the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is advising employers to stop offering the benefit if they are worried about becoming liable for costs in such cases.
Annual Playday 5th August 2009
28/05/2009
On Playday and throughout the summer of 2009, thousands of children, young people and communities will get out to play at hundreds of locally organised events across the UK.
The 2009 campaign theme, Make time! calls for everyone to make time for play. From parents, carers and teachers, to policy makers and planners - everyone should make time to support children’s right to play in whatever way they can.
Over 500 events took place across the country last year, making Playday 2008 the biggest on record! Whether you’re new to Playday or a Playday pro, get involved this year and support children’s play opportunities in your local area.
See publication link for more information.
Early Years Professionals celebrated at CWDC event
27/05/2009
The first national Early Years Professional Status event to celebrate the successes of EYPs is to be held on 14th July by the Children's Workforce Development Council, supported by Nursery World.
The free conference in Birmingham is open to all Early Years Professionals and anyone interested in finding out more. Keynote speakers will include Minister for Children, Young People and Families Beverley Hughes and clinical psychologist Professor Tanya Byron.
The conference aims to give those who have achieved EYP Status a chance to share their achievements, give advice on best practice and provide feedback to policymakers.
See the publication link for more information and how to register.
Councils embrace risky play
26/05/2009
Councils are ignoring the so called "compensation culture" and investing in more adventurous play equipment as part of the £235m England wide revamp of play facilities.
Latest research by the Local Government Association (LGA) has found councils are keen that new playgrounds focus on fun and excitement rather than "wrap children in cotton wool."
The government is looking to see 3,500 new or revamped facilities built by 2011 as part of the investment.
Consultation on free entitlement Code of Practice ducks funding questions
20/05/2009
Details of the revised Code of Practice for the free early years entitlement have been published at the start an eight-week consultation with early years providers.
The entitlement is to be extended to 15 hours and offered more flexibly over 38 weeks from September 2010 (News, 7 May and 14 May). The consultation reinforces a commitment to delivering it through a mixed economy of private, voluntary, independent and maintained provision, but does not include specific questions about levels of funding.
However, it highlights new requirements for 'transparent and equitable' funding, with the intention that all local authorities will by April 2010 implement a Single Funding Formula, to apply across all PVI settings and schools.
See the publication link for proposals.
Steiner setting closes rather than implement EYFS
20/05/2009
A private school that operates on Steiner principles has said it will close its nursery at the end of term because its teachings are incompatible with the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Graeme Whiting, head of Acorn School in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, told the Times Educational Supplement, 'I'm not prepared to struggle on month after month hoping a petty bureaucrat will say that this school can continue as it is. I'm not going to kowtow and have children on computers. I'm passionate about education and I believe if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'...
Janni Nicol, early childhood representative for the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, said, 'There is no reason for a setting to close because of the EYFS. Exemptions can be applied for, and if they are not granted there is still no reason to close, provided the Ofsted inspector takes into account that we are schools of a different philosophy.'
Government consulting on free childcare delivery
15/05/2009
The Department for Children, Schools and Families is consulting parents and the early years sector on how the free childcare entitlement for three and four year-olds should be delivered.
In a discussion paper the government sets out its vision for a more flexible free entitlement, based on the findings of pilot authorities.
It also poses a number of questions in a bid to explore the best way to meet parental demand for free and flexible childcare, without compromising providers' capacity to deliver. Parents, providers and members of the early years sector have until July 6 to respond to the consultation. Responses will be used to inform a Code of Practice for all authorities on how the free entitlement should be delivered.
Ofsted questions accuracy of its own childminding figures
13/05/2009
Ofsted has warned about possible inaccuracies in its childcare figures as the number of childminders in England has again fallen to an all-time low, while the number of childcare places seem to have risen dramatically.
The watchdog's latest quarterly statistics show that the number of childminders registered in England had fallen to 60,915 at the end of March - a drop of over a thousand since December last year.
But the accuracy of the figures have been brought into question as the number of childcare places appears to have increased by over 30,000 in the same time period.
£75m scheme launched to help parents train for work
12/05/2009
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is committing to help parents from low-income families with a new £75m initiative. The Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work scheme offers 50,000 eligible parents real help now through vital childcare support, while they train or learn, to support them into employment.
The nationwide scheme is open to half a million families in England with:
* One partner in work
* An annual household income of £20,000 or less per year
* A child or children aged 14 or under
* A child or children aged 18 or under with disabilities
Eligible parents can choose which course is going to give them the right skills to get back into work. Courses could range from a short refresher in maths or a more formal qualification in a range of subjects from social care to teaching. An advisor will help parents to enrol for their chosen course and will advise parents on the childcare options available to them. Parents have the choice from a range of Ofsted childcare, with the LSC paying up to £175 per child per week, or £215 in London. This ensures that parents have the means to make the best childcare choice for their family's needs.
Tower Hamlets offers 350 free nursery places
08/05/2009
Families in Tower Hamlets are to benefit from 350 free nursery places, as part of the London borough's new child poverty strategy.
The places will go to children from the most disadvantaged homes, in a bid to get parents and carers into work.
The child poverty plan sets a target to lift more than 1,000 children out of poverty by 2011.
The borough council hopes to achieve this by investing in early years and children's centres and programmes designed to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
Balls mulls proposal to widen appeal of DCS role
07/05/2009
Children's Secretary Ed Balls is considering plans to launch a talent management scheme to identify and train potential directors of children's services (DCSs) from outside councils.
The proposal was presented to him by the National College for School Leadership (NCSL), which wants to see the pool of applicants widened to avert a recruitment crisis. A report by NCSL and the Children's Workforce Development Council has found that half of the current crop of 150 DCSs will quit or retire in the next three years.
The majority were recruited from within councils. However, with only half of senior managers surveyed keen to replace them, the NCSL wants to see more applicants from charities and other organisations. Maggie Farrar, the NCSL's strategic director for policy, research and development, said: "There is quality and leadership skills right across the children's professions outside councils that we need to identify and support."
Inclusion Development Programme (IDP): Supporting pupils on the autism spectrum
07/05/2009
Phase two of the IDP has been developed by the National Strategies in partnership with the Autism Centre for Education and Research (ACER) at the University of Birmingham.
This resource aims to secure improved educational outcomes for pupils on the autism spectrum in all schools and early years settings.
The materials will support classroom teachers, teaching assistants and those in initial teacher training, to further develop quality first teaching, while enabling school leaders to adopt a strategic approach to personalised learning and to narrow the gaps for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
The IDP supports the evaluation of skills and provides opportunities for collaborative professional development to help ensure that quality first teaching means quality for all.
The materials are available online from the DCSF website (see publication link) and DVDs were distributed to schools and settings via local authorities from April.
Early learning goals for literacy to stay in EYFS
06/05/2009
The two literacy Early Learning Goals from the Early Years Foundation Stage that have been at the centre of controversy will stay in the EYFS, Sir Jim Rose has confirmed in his final report for the Primary Curriculum Review.
Sir Jim also recommended extending play-based learning from the EYFS into the primary curriculum to ease the transition for young children, particularly for summer-born children and those still working towards the Early Learning Goals.
Literacy, numeracy, ICT and personal development will be at the heart of the new primary curriculum, to be introduced from September 2011, with a new focus on developing children's speaking and listening skills.
Stephen Crowne, chief executive of BECTA, the Government's technology agency, said that without the right emphasis on technology in schools from an early age there was 'a risk of a digital underclass developing'.
Sustainability is biggest worry for PVI providers
06/05/2009
Private and voluntary nurseries have overwhelmingly singled out sustainability as their most common cause of concern, in the Pre-School Learning Alliance's third annual membership survey.
The Alliance said that in initial findings from the 1,500 responses received so far, 86 per cent said that keeping their business sustainable over the next 12 months was a major issue for them, followed by workforce development and nutrition.
Last year, members highlighted the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage as their biggest worry.
It's all in the sharing of resources and accountability – Comment from Dawn Primarolo
18/01/2009
To give children the best start in the life and the opportunity to achieve their potential, you have to put families at the centre of everything you do. That means understanding families' needs and wrapping services around them. Having put families at the heart of government policy, we've made significant progress in this area. The development of children's trusts, since 2004, has encouraged a joined-up approach to improving outcomes for children and young people.
Professionals from education, health, early years and other relevant services, who have been used to operating in silos, are being encouraged to work in partnership. Working in this way, they can think much more strategically, planning for children's long-term needs and early intervention, where necessary.
For full comment see publication link
Childcare champions project a success
04/09/2008
A project using "childcare champions" to promote childcare for hard-to-reach families has been tentatively declared a success.
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) has been carrying out a project with the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to look at the impact of childcare champions in communities. Networks were set up in five local authority areas comprising of local authorities, children's centres, parents, daycare providers and Jobcentre Plus. The networks recruited and trained childcare champions to promote childcare and make people aware of the financial help available to families not using childcare or hard-to-reach families.
Nursery training in cyberspace
04/09/2008
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) has launched a series of online training courses in response to feedback from children's professionals.
FREE CHILDCARE FOR MORE FAMILIES – 10 LOCAL AREAS ANNOUNCED AS PILOTS
11/07/2008
Children’s Minister Beverley Hughes today announced local authority allocations to give thousands more families access to free childcare and early years support. The whole package will total £819 million over the next three years.
She also announced the ten local areas that will offer the £10million 0-7 Partnership Pilot as - Blackpool, Derby City, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kingston upon Thames, North Tyneside, Rotherham, Somerset, Staffordshire, and Sunderland.
NDNA launch PVI guidebook
03/06/2008
The NDNA in cooperation with the DCSF, has released a guide to advise settings on the best practice for formulating positive partnerships between PVIs and local authorities.