Developing School Age Childcare - Department of Children and ...

7.4.3 The Working Group on School Age Childcare notes the relevance of each of these Britishstandards to the development of quality childcare in Ireland and their equal relevance forthe development of the school age childcare sector. Reference will be made later to someof the guidelines developed by OFSTED in relation to the implementation of theguidelines within the Out of School Hours setting.7.4.4 The Kid’s Clubs Network have established a Quality Assurance Scheme to help schoolage childcare services to achieve the best standards of provision for children, youngpeople, parents and the wider community. Accreditation can be awarded at threedifferent levels of quality following an evidence gathering and inspection process. Inrelation to quality for the after school sector, the Kid’s Clubs Network notes that“Quality can be identified in a number of factors: The environment of a scheme - in its premises and the way it uses them, in thematerials, displays, books and equipment to be found; and in the generalatmosphere of the scheme; The behaviour of the staff towards each other and towards the children andparents - in what the children, staff and volunteers actually do; in the way theysupport and supervise play; in how they care for the children; in how theywelcome and involve parents; The communication between managers, staff, volunteers, children and parents - inthe verbal contact that goes on in the scheme; in the handouts, letters and noticesby which children and parents get information; in the consultation with parentsand children; Its capability for maintaining and improving quality - through its staffing andprocedures; training; management arrangements; routines; meetings; financialsystems; Clear values which lead to quality. These will show in the scheme’s policies onequal opportunities, health, diet, behaviour; beliefs in the value of play and thedevelopment of children; importance attached to the views of parents and children;and in the commitment to quality itself .”387.5 European Commission Network Recommendations7.5.1 The work on School Age Childcare developed by the European Commission Network onChildcare (ECNC) also stresses the importance of developing and setting standards forthe sector, noting that“School age childcare services are by definition about the care of children when theirparents are absent. Caring means taking responsibility for children’s physical, emotionaland developmental well being. In many services this is for considerable lengths of time,perhaps for as long as ten hours per day during the long Summer holidays. School agechildcare services play an important role in the lives of the children who use them. It isessential that they meet children’s needs during the time they are used. This entailsproviding a setting where children feel they belong and where staff relate to them on anindividual level as well as collectively.” 397.5.2 The following table contains the ECNC recommendations in relation to theprovision of school age childcare by EU Member States. The content here is broaderthan the previous two examples, focusing in this instance not only on quality but alsomaking reference to a number of policy issues, the scope of which are broader than thechildcare sector, although all have an impact on the delivery of school age childcare.48 38 Kids’ Clubs Network : Aiming High Quality Assurance Programme : Page 539 ENSAC : Ibid. : page 74