Chamber and committees

An analysis of the consultation findings and the Scottish Government’s response will be published in Spring 2017.

Early Learning and Childcare Strategic Forum

The Early Leaning and Childcare Strategic Forum is chaired by me and has met three times since its inception. It's remit is to help develop the strategy for a high quality and flexible early learning and childcare sector – independent with out of school care - that is affordable and accessible for all. It is scheduled to next meet on 17 November.

 Workforce and Quality Group

The Workforce and Quality group was established in January 2016 to consider a range of issues around ensuring quality of early learning and childcare. The group was formerly the Core Reference Group for Professor Siraj’s independent review of early learning and out of school care workforce, and since January 2016, has discussed and provided advice on issues arising from the recommendations of the review, including the training and qualifications of the workforce and the challenges around expanding the workforce significantly to deliver the 1140 hours expansion from 2020.

 Strategic Evidence Group

The Strategic Evidence Group has completed a mapping of the current evidence landscape to identify current evidence, research and gaps; inform future monitoring and evaluation; and, to commission further research. It has also had input to or oversight of a number of specific projects such as the Financial Review; 2 year olds research; and the ELC Census Development Advisory Group; as well as research undertaken by member organisations.

Developing the new good design guidance will involve looking at leading practice in Scotland and further afield. It is too early to say which specific countries will be looked at in developing the guidance, although this is likely to encompass countries both within and beyond Europe. Direct input from both the Care Inspectorate, based on latest inspection evidence, and the Scottish Futures Trust, based on their experiences of overseeing development of the ‘Scotland’s Schools of the Future’ programme, will ensure that the guidance developed is of high quality.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to publish another financial review of early learning and childcare, but will continue to monitor local authority expenditure and financial performance.

The Self Build Loan Fund was launched in February 2016 and is currently operating as a two year pilot project in the Highland Council area. We will undertake a review over the Fund period to establish if it has delivered against its objectives. This will inform the decision on whether the expand the Fund nationally.

Work is on-going to scope a learning and development pathway for childminders, to provide support and promote high quality from induction onwards. Whilst there are no plans to make training compulsory, we believe that childminders should be encouraged and supported to undertake career long learning, as do practitioners working with children within nurseries. Scottish Government is funding a post within the Care Inspectorate to scope what this might look like and to make recommendations, which will be delivered in April 2017, and which will inform the development of a quality framework for childminders later in 2017.

More broadly, we will continue to ensure that Early Learning and Childcare provision is underpinned by national quality standards which focus on delivering positive experiences for children and are directed at achieving positive outcomes. As part of this we seeking views through our consultation, A Blueprint for 2020: The Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland, on how we can build on the excellent work that the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland have undertaken in recent years to create a more streamlined and holistic system to support quality improvement in ELC.

Through our consultation, A Blueprint for 2020: The Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland, we are seeking views on which funding model would best support our vision for high quality and flexible Early Learning and Childcare provision, which is accessible and affordable for all.

We will publish our response to the consultation in Spring 2017.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-03854 on 3 November 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-03855 on 3 November 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-03882 on 3 November 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.