Dear task group members

EARLY YEARS FRAMEWORK – TASK GROUP CONTRIBUTION

Thank you once again for all your input to the task group reports submitted to the programme board at the end of June.Thank you too for your patience over the summer as the programme board and the policy team have been drawing together the reports, the research carried out with parents and children and the views of Ministers and COSLA Executive and Leaders’ Groups.

We are writing to you now to ask you to help us refine the draft that has been produced from this process. We would be grateful if you would take the time to read the draft and to consider the specific points set out below. At this stage we are not looking for detailed drafting comments as such. Instead, we are looking to get your and your colleagues’ impression of the document as a whole and the messages that it conveys.

It is important to note that this framework is the first to be jointly developed by COSLA and the Scottish Government in this way. It therefore takes a different approach to previous frameworks and strategies you may be used to. There is much less emphasis on national government setting out a list of prescribed tasks and actions for local government and their partners to fulfil across the country. The document is about setting the policy direction as a whole and creating a common framework within which local partners can make decisions that meet local needs.

Some of the task groups noted in their reports that there is a new mood in Scotland about getting the early years right. The framework seeks to build on that mood for change. However, in the likely absence of new resources or new legislation, the framework needs to convince local policy makers and service providers that the major shifts in policy and practice that it sets out are the right ones for their areas. To an extent, therefore, the draft is seeking to win hearts and minds and creating a powerful motivation for change. The draft frameworksets out some core elements of local early years policy that Ministers wouldwishto see reflected in future single outcome agreements across local authorities and community planning partnerships as well as the national actions that will be taken. These are set out in draft in the action plan at pages 42-46 of the document.

With that in mind

  • In reading the document do the first few pages give you a sense of the need for change?
  • Does the draft set out the right balance between explaining the strategic policy objectives and describing practical actions which might be taken by local partners?
  • Is the document as a whole clear about what we want to do?
  • Does it motivate you to get involved at whatever level you are able to ?
  • Does the document adequately reflect the substance and sense of the task group’s report as a whole?

We are conscious that in several areas the document still needs to be brought to life and connected more directly to the real life experiences of children and families. We would particularly welcome contributions which exemplify the themes of the framework from the real world or short pieces that describe what we want the experience of children and families to look and feel like in 10 years time.

The task groups helped us a great deal in defining what it is we need to do and we hope you recognise much of the work of the task groups in the draft. The focus is now shifting very much to the issues of implementation and resources and you will see that those sections remain something of a work in progress.We will be continuing to work on those sections but it would be very helpful if the task groups can help by suggesting ideas as to how we make the change articulated in the draft happen on the ground.

You will recall that our commitment is to publish the framework in the autumn and we remain committed to that. In order to achieve that, we need the task groups to move quickly once again, and to respond by 17 October 2008.

We envisage that each of the task groups will want to meet once to pull together their thoughts and the policy support teams from SG and COSLA will be in touch to arrange suitable dates.

With best wishes

DON MCGILLIVRAY, SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

JIM STEPHEN, COSLA