Northern Ireland - Centre for Early Childhood Development ...

Chapter 8Northern Irelandconsists of an informal pre-school visit,followed by a formal visit, which results ina published report. Where areas areidentified that require improvement, theservice is requested to draw up an actionplan, detailing the way in which they willwork to bring about the necessaryimprovements. The inspectorate monitorsthe implementation of these action plans.When shortcomings are found in key areas,a follow up inspection is carried out four tosix months after the initial formalinspection.commitment to collaborative workingbetween the Education and TrainingInspectorate and those responsible forregistration and inspection under theChildren Order. In addition, it advocatesGood Practice Networks to provide modelsof quality integrated education andchildcare, a new training and qualificationsframework for childcare workers, moreopportunities to train as childcare workersand better support for parents and informalcarers.8.5.2 Sure Start8.5 Supporting Quality8.5.1 Children FirstChildren First, the Northern IrelandChildcare Strategy recognizes theimportance of ECCE in supporting parentsand families (DHSS in Association with theTraining and Employment Agency andDENI, 1999). Children First identifiesseveral problems currently facing thechildcare sector in Northern Ireland.Quality is variable in ECCE services, thereis no consistent definition of whatconstitutes quality, which is recognized andapplied across all childcare settings. Onlyhalf of all childcare workers in NorthernIreland have any relevant qualification.There are differences in regulation betweenthe education and care sectors. Theavailability of childcare is limited in someareas and is in many cases too expensivefor parents to afford. Parents' access tochildcare is also hampered by poorinformation and the quality and accuracy ofinformation on the availability of childcareis insufficient to allow parents makeinformed decisions about the care of theirchildren.Children First proposes action in a numberof areas. First of all, it proposes action toaddress the quality of provision, includingthe establishment of new regional and localco-ordinating structures, better integrationof early education and childcare and aThe Sure Start initiative was established toprovide early intervention supports fordisadvantaged families in an integratedfashion (Sure Start, Accessed at:http://www.surestart.gov.uk, 1st July,2004). Sure Start is a government initiativeto enhance services for children under fouryears of age and their families in areas ofgreatest need, through better access tofamily support, advice on parenting, healthservices and early learning. Each Sure Startproject is managed by a committee of localpartnerships including statutory, voluntaryand community groups and includes localparents in decision making. ChildcarePartnerships work with potential providersand identify priority areas for Sure StartProjects. Though the design and content ofSure Start programmes varies according tolocal needs, all programmes are expected toinclude a number of core servicesincluding:Outreach and home visiting;Support for families and parents;Support for good quality play, learningand childcare experiences for children;Primary and community health care;Support for children and parents withspecial needs (Accessed at: Sure Start,Accessed at: http://www.surestart.gov.uk, 1st July, 2004).Each Sure Start Programme also has a setof shared principles and is expected to:103