Nurtured Outcome Group Meeting
Committee Room 4, Town House, Broad Street, Aberdeen
Tuesday 24 November 2015, 9.30am-12.30pm
Present: Sheila Sansbury (Chair), Grace Brown (minutes), Stuart Patterson, Joyce Waddell, Gette Cobban, Karen Davidson, Hilary Young, Sue Thorburn, Fiona Lawrie, Cat Sim, Anna Garden, Shona Foreman, Robyn Kinniburgh-Clough, Catriona McDonald, Mary Crear, Helen Adair, Lyndsay Johnstone, Louise Beaton, Fiona Cameron, Maggie Cruickshank
Agenda Item / Discussion/ Recorded Information1. Welcome and introductions / Sheila welcomed everyone and a round of introductions took place
2. Apologies / Karen Robb, Job Centre Plus; May Fong, Pippa Robbie, Dr Elaine Allan, Lisa Buchan, Maggie Hepburn
3. Minute of previous meeting / Accuracy:
Agreed as an accurate record.
4. Matters Arising / The group had agreed to organise a celebratory event for Elaine Herron to mark her work in the city over the years. Elaine has recently had hip replacement surgery and will be in touch in due course.
From previous Matters Arising: Men in Childcare Update: Stuart has been in touch with Kenny Spence from Men in Childcare in Edinburgh. He did some work with us a few years ago at Aberdeen College (as it then was) to interest men in working in childcare and offered a qualification jointly with the college. Stuart has come back to this group to see if we want to resurrect this or something else in Aberdeen. We agreed that it would be useful to meet with Kenny as this ties in with the WDT SAG Career Guidance year. Year of the Dad will be one of our priorities in the coming year. Stuart will contact Kenny although dates for next year’s meetings have not yet been set.
Item 5 National Updates: Sheila noted that ChildSmile will now be delivered on a parental opt-out basis i.e. parents need to advise that they don’t want their child to participate in the programme.
Louise Beaton noted that she is completing the Early Years Change Fund return and had discovered that through the delivery of this programme there has been an increase from 48% to 72% of children without tooth decay in the city. Sheila will take this to the Head Teachers’ meeting.
Item 7 Sub Group Updates: Workforce Development and Training SAG: Sheila has not yet spoken to Derek Samson about the Skills for Work issues. Details this as a separate action for Sheila.
Mary should also contact Derek. We need to look at how this might be able to run in the future as it appears that vocational education is lower on the agenda than more academic qualifications. We need to look at all the work we do in the sector in terms of workforce and how we can give it a higher profile in the city.
Mary and Maggie will discuss a test of change.
Item 7 Sub Group Updates: Family Support Services: In terms of housing issues being raised by the Family Support Services we had thought that our training programme might be useful for Housing staff.
In connection with this Louise forwarded details of the Housing Rep (Alan Cowie, Senior Housing Officer) for GIRFEC.
Item 7 Sub Group Updates: Early Years Collaborative: Sue had forwarded the Play Driver Diagram for distribution. She advised that Juliet Robertson has circulated the document to Alison Motion, Director, Grounds for Learning. She would like this to be on the Grounds for Learning website; Natalie White, Education Scotland who would also like to use it; and to Margaret Westwood, Play Development Officer, Edinburgh Council. She would like to take it to the National Play Strategy Group for the Early Years Collaborative. Sue has explicitly advised that the Aberdeen Play Forum logo must remain.
Sheila acknowledged the work of Aberdeen Play Forum especially in relation to the ‘No Ball Games’ signs which will be removed over the coming months. Their input was not acknowledged in a recent press article! / GB/ EH
SP/ KS
ACTION: SS discuss SfW with DS.
MC/ DS
Mary C/ Maggie C
5. National Updates / Scottish Government
Graduates into settings in deprived areas: By 2018 there will be 2 non-teacher graduates in nurseries in deprived areas. We are on track with this with our new staffing structure, however partner providers will have issues.
Increase in hours to 1140: this seems set to be in place by 2020 with LAs being encouraged to start the process now. Around 20,000 people will be needed in the workforce to take this forward. For Aberdeen that equates to around 38 senior practitioners and a similar number of practitioners. Again this will impact on partner providers.
We will be expected to offer more flexible childcare to parents and may consider offering early learning and childcare over 48 weeks of the year. Currently flexibility comes from partner providers. Sheila plans to have proposals to all stakeholder groups by June. Parental consultation is also required.
Response to Workforce Review: this is due at the end of November.
Content of qualifications is being looked at.
New Childminders will have to undertake an Induction Programme as a requirement for registration with Care Inspectorate.
Sheila recently attended an ADES Early Years Group and they were disappointed in Scottish Government’s response to the review. The group feels that the response is very bland and have fed this back.
How Good is our Early Learning consultation: Outcome Group response: this aligns with Pre-birth to 3 and How Good is our School?
There will be no hard copies of the guidance but will be an online interactive resource.
Based on progress rather than attainment.
Needs to be user friendly for practitioners as well as managers.
A small group will meet next week to develop a Nurtured Outcome Group response to the consultation. / ST/ SF/ FL/ HA volunteered for this. GB will liaise & set a date. Meeting set for Thurs 3 December
6. Strategic Updates / Nurtured Outcome Group Action Plan: How do we demonstrate that we’re making a difference in the lives of children and families – Theme for the meeting and Planning Day preparation
This will be the focus of the Planning Day with this group and all development staff invited to attend.
Updates needed to go to Dave Bliss. / SP/ GB
LB to advise all OGs
6. Strategic Updates / Review of Early Learning and Childcare to offer Flexibility
The group is looking at proposals from the Commission for Childcare Reform with a suggestion that children should have 50 hours of childcare and learning and that this should cost no more than 10% of income.
We are working with Children in Scotland to look at how we can respond to this.
Kenny Forsyth is working towards a deadline of end of February. Initially this is a data gathering exercise and the majority of the required information has been submitted by those tasked with this. Kenny and Joan will then analyse the information in regard to national and local relationships.
A set of models/ recommendations to meet Scottish Government requirements and what might be coming next, will then be presented as to how we can take expansion forward with a focus on 3-4 year old provision.
Further information may be available for the Planning Day.
There will be implications for everyone at the table.
6. Strategic Updates / Centre of Excellence
This is the working title of the development centre for children with complex needs which is being built on Howes Road. The provision will include places for 2, 3 and 4 year olds.
Wraparound care will also be included in the provision and Elaine Michael, VSA is leading on this part of the school.
There is expected to be wider use of the Centre of Excellence as a community resource for families involved I.e. training centre, meeting space for parents, etc.
The provision should be open in August 2017.
The building will be handed over from the developers to the local authority in April 2017 to allow snagging work, etc. to take place so that the children and young people who will attend have time to make the transition to their new setting.
7. Sub Group Updates / Early Learning & Childcare Development Group (JDT)
Stuart updated on the Key Issues from the group:
Childminding: funding from NESCOL is very late leaving childminders out of pocket sometimes for a considerable time and for a significant amount of money. This is raised as an issue now and again but needs to be sorted out. Loraine and May are looking into this.
Evening Training: this is an issue for lone trainers. It would be much easier to have the current Emergency Exit which is closer to the Training Room, as an entrance for those attending training. This was always meant to be the door for training purposes.
Sheila advised that we urgently need a list of all those on the ground floor at Frederick Street.
External lighting is also an issue particularly in terms of health and safety. Sheila will take this forward.
WDEF for Postgrad Diploma in Childhood Practice delivered in Glasgow: this was raised at last week’s meeting and coincidentally a similar request was received today. Currently we offer funding for qualifications delivered in Aberdeen. Aberdeen University doesn’t deliver this as they feel that staff should have a childcare related qualification.
Sheila suggested that this should be taken to the WDT SAG and she would wish to be part of the meeting. Arrange soon??
Early Years Collaborative: Maggie Cruickshank had attended the meeting to update on the Early Years Collaborative and mentioned taster sessions. Maggie will update further later in this meeting.
Increase in number of children with ASN in Out of School Care: there are training needs for staff in connection to this issue. Parents receive SDS funding to arrange care for their children.
Karen advised that Unison is delivering Autism Awareness Training in February – out of school staff would be eligible to attend.
Aberdeen Learning Festival takes place during the February in-service days.
Sheila advised that this is becoming an issue in nurseries and she has advised that settings must either reduce their numbers or increase staff. Sheila has a budget for extra staff.
Issues are being picked up by FIS, Family Support Groups, Schools. Family Learning is looking to support school – staff, parents and children – needs to be inclusive for everyone.
Sue advised that Nurture Groups are for early intervention and not the above issues.
Sheila will pick this up with the Inclusion Team. / List of all accommodated on GF at Frederick Street.
External lighting – SS
SS/ Inclusion Team
7. Sub Group Updates / Workforce Development & Training Standing Action Group
Childcare Career Guidance: a small working group involving FIS and Aberlour staff initially is currently looking at Childcare Career Guidance.
They are redeveloping the career pack, a new leaflet, to go to schools and various other services.
Will also a Childcare Career Gateway via the FIS website with links to Skills Development Scotland, etc.
A Career Pack course will be developed to take into schools between February and April. The plan is to deliver this to pupils and staff.
Timeline and targets are in place and information will be circulated in due course.
Workplace Literacies: WEA provided a course at our request. There has been good feedback from attendees. WEA have secured more funding and will make another course available next year.
Childhood Practice Provider Group: Mary and Catriona McDonald attended. There was little steer on how courses are progressing.
PDA Childhood Practice: the first group of students are in their final year. They are in need of placements which need to be 40 hours in a setting different to their own.
Learning into Practice Plan: training providers have been trialling these standardised forms (which were circulated by Mary). The aim is to find out what difference training makes to outcomes for children.
Managers and Care Inspectorate seem to like the forms.
There is also a recording tool for training providers to get back in touch with a sample number of settings a month after training has taken place.
The group felt that instead of asking ‘why are you here?’ we should ask ‘what do you think you’ll get from this course?’
Helen noted that they use a similar document. The information goes back to the training provider who collates the details.
Sheila wondered how we will aggregate up the information.
Louise felt that the question ‘what will you do differently’ could be changed to a more positive statement.
We also need to add ‘impact on children’ back into the form.
Maggie and Mary will discuss a test of change for this.
Robyn wondered if Tribal could develop some sort of data collection for this which can then be aggregated up. / Mary C/ Maggie C
Mary C/ RK-C/ Tribal
7. Sub Group Updates / Early Learning and Childcare Board
Me2 Service: Cheryl was not present.
The service is delivered from Ashgrove and 3 Social Work Family Centres across the city.
Everything is in place including staffing.
An increase in the number of eligible children is expected and with this in mind we are negotiating with other services to offer Me2 places: a test of change is taking place with 6 Childminders and Community Childminders.
Some Partner Providers are also involved: Great Western, Middlefield Project and Treehouse Nursery.
Some parents have chosen not to take up the offer.
Provision needs to expand but we need to know what parents want.
Currently we are working with Early Years Scotland (EYS) and Care Inspectorate to register Stay and Play provision. EYS have met with Care Inspectorate and a positive outcome is anticipated. Sheila will meet with EYS CEO and Deputy CEO later this week.