A Strategic Assessment of the Children's Services Industry

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STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT OF THE CHILDREN’S SERVICES INDUSTRY1 Principles and Strategies1.1 A national vision for Australian early childhood education and careAustralian children’s services must be based upon an agreed vision of ECEC which has thewellbeing and development of children at its core. Given its primacy in policy-making andfunding, the Commonwealth government should take the lead in developing such a vision. Togain acceptance and credibility across the sector, this must be done in consultation with otherlevels of government and the broader community, including parents, providers, staff, unions,researchers and others with specialist knowledge. An appropriate starting point for Australiandiscussion about an overarching framework would be the principles that the OECD hasencouraged national governments to incorporate into their planning, namely:• A systemic and integrated approach to policy development and implementation• A strong and equal partnership with the education system• A universal approach to access, with particular attention to children in need of specialsupport• Substantial public investment in services and infrastructure• A participatory approach to quality improvement and assurance• Appropriate training and working conditions for staff in all forms of provision• Systemic attention to monitoring data collection• A stable framework and long term agenda for research and evaluation.A child-focused system requires a continuum of services and supports for families.Considerable attention is currently being paid to the early months of life (exemplified indebates about maternity/paternity/parental leave) and to extending preschool education tochildren in the year or two before school. Without this, there is potential for a policy vacuumto develop between a short period of paid maternity/parental leave and entry to preschool inthe year or two before school. While these are both critical ‘moments’ in the lives of youngchildren, a comprehensive vision should address the whole period from birth to the start ofschool. It should embrace measures to support and enhance the health of mothers during (andeven before) pregnancy and extend into the early years of school.1.2 Public investment in quality servicesExpenditure on high quality children’s services represents an investment in the future. TheOECD notes that “Only the regular funding that state investment brings is able to guaranteeaccess and quality on a fairly equitable basis for all groups.” The current level of expenditureon early childhood education and care in Australia is below that of most other OECDcountries. Implementation of a system of integrated, universal, high quality services,supplemented by targeted initiatives, will require additional resources. For example, currentregulations for most types of ECEC do not reflect international evidence about what isrequired to achieve positive outcomes for children. Moving towards regulations and standardsthat better reflect evidence and best practice will inevitably involve costs. Well-focusedexpenditure will result in tangible benefits that will enable ECEC services to connect with thebroad public policy goals of government.1.3 Collaborative policy and programme developmentA coherent national vision for early childhood requires co-ordinated and cohesive serviceprovision. The current policy focus on early childhood coincides with the emergence ofinnovative ways of thinking about Commonwealth/State financial relations and a focus onoutcomes rather than tied grants. These developments are particularly appropriate for thev
STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT OF THE CHILDREN’S SERVICES INDUSTRYexpanded vision of ECEC currently being explored. They open up the possibility of agreedgoals being implemented within individual jurisdictions in ways that best fit the distinctivetraditions of individual States and Territories, allowing for innovation and experimentation atState and local levels.The successful models of integration, rural and remote service provision, partnership withstakeholders and parental and community engagement that already exist around the countrycould flourish and be extended within a framework that supports jurisdictions to find theirown path towards agreed goals and outcomes.1.4 Planning processes to ensure fair and equitable access to servicesEquitable access to early childhood education and care requires local planning within thecontext of national goals. Such planning will require mechanisms at State/Territory and,where appropriate, local government or regional levels. Effective planning depends uponaccurate, up-to-date and comprehensive data and the insights of knowledgeable and wellresourcedpolicy makers. The involvement of other ECEC stakeholders including parents,providers, staff and ECEC experts will strengthen the planning process and allow for the inputof local knowledge about community needs.Australia’s reliance upon market mechanisms to develop new child care places has resulted ina rapid expansion of some service types, but it has not led to equitable access to servicesacross geographical areas or population groups. Indigenous children, children with specialneeds, children in rural and remote areas and those from culturally and linguistically diversebackgrounds do not access formal services at the same level as other children.1.5 Efficient deployment of resourcesEvery dollar of public and private expenditure on ECEC should be spent in the most effectiveway. Encouraging and resourcing small and independent ECEC providers to bring togethersome service functions would encourage greater efficiency at the local level. Depending uponthe context, economies of scale could be achieved in the procurement of equipment, IThardware and software and in some areas of human resource management (e.g. reliefstaffing). Aggregating services could create new employment opportunities and longer careerladders – both potentially useful strategies for recruitment and retention of staff. Savingsgenerated through such measures could be used to build service quality and enhanceprofessional development.Similar ideas (derived from other industries) could, potentially, be considered in relation tostaff training. In some jurisdictions, levies are imposed to create a pool of funds to supportupgrading the skills of workers. Measures of this type, perhaps funded from licensing fees,could be considered in relation to children’s services. Another example comes from the UK,where a government-funded initiative, the Graduate Leader Fund, supports training andcontinuous professional development within private, voluntary and independent early yearsservices.1.6 Support for parental engagementECEC services and programmes need to respect and acknowledge the role that parents play intheir children’s development. Opportunities for parent engagement in service provision mustreflect the realities of the 21st century. Not all families seek, or value, direct input into themanagement of services. Nevertheless, parents should have opportunities for engagement in,and partnership with, ECEC services. Such opportunities should not be about compulsoryparticipation in management, but, rather, genuine opportunities to engage as partners in thevi
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