In an open letter to Nursery World readers, minister Margaret Hodge responds to concerns about the proposed national care standards
Consultation on our draft national standards for the regulation of day care and childminding is in full swing. Thank you to everyone who has responded to our proposals so far. We welcome further comments throughout the consultation period.
We have already received many positive comments. People say the standards are clear, concise and easy to follow and that they will go a long way towards providing a consistent approach and so benefit childcare. However, criticism has centred on three issues: training and qualifications; whether childminders should be able to enter specific agreements with parents over smacking or smoking; and the position of independent schools. In each of these areas concerns have been expressed that in some way the Government is either advocating a lowering of present standards, or not doing enough to safeguard the safety and well-being of children. This is simply not true.
First, we are proposing that the person in charge of daycare in settings outside the home should be qualified to at least NVQ level 3 or equivalent.
Also, 50 per cent of staff should be trained to NVQ level 2 or equivalent, and all staff should have the appropriate experience, skills and ability to do their jobs. This is not a 'dumbing down' of standards set by the local authorities at present. In fact, our recent analysis of current local authority standards shows that only 20 per cent explicitly require a NVQ level 3 qualification or equivalent for members of staff. Also, we are proposing minimum standards, not best practice, and these minimum standards are in line with current Children Act guidance.
I believe that, as with the rest of our proposals, the standards should be both realistic and ambitious. At present one in six of young people leave work-based training with a level 3 qualification or above, but there are still 5.8 million (16 per cent of total) adults of working age in the UK with no qualifications.
Currently in the childcare sector, 44 per cent of workers have no relevant qualification. We want to increase the numbers of qualified staff in the sector, but we have to start from where we find ourselves. That is why we are making these proposals and why we are seeking views on whether to raise the proportion of qualified staff in all settings from 50 per cent to 75 per cent over the next few years.
Second, the standards for childminders are less prescriptive because it is a more informal type of childcare setting. There is always a difficult balance to be struck between what is and is not appropriate for state regulation. We are suggesting that smacking and smoking should be prohibited in all settings outside the home. We also say that childminders should not smack or smoke in the presence of children - unless there is a prior written agreement for alternative arrangements between the childminder and the child's parents. The Government's view is that these are primarily matters of parental choice. And of course, every childminder can decide whether or not they wish to enter into an agreement to look after a child in a particular way; their agreement to be allowed to smack will be required under our proposals.
Finally, independent schools with nursery provision are currently exempt from the registration and inspection requirements which apply to other daycare settings. We consulted generally on this in 1998 and that led to new legislation - the Care Standards Act 2000. This gives us the power to remove the independent schools exemption. We are now considering exactly what registration and inspection arrangements would be appropriate for independent schools, including those with nursery provision, and will be consulting with them on specific proposals before the end of this year.
I would like to reassure both those who work in the daycare sector, and parents who use daycare services, that we remain committed to the promotion of good quality childcare that meets the needs of parents and children. I am sure that our proposals for new national standards will help us to achieve this.
What do you think?
Consultation packs on the national care standards can be obtained from the DfEE publication line (0845 60 222 60) or on the DfEE website (www.dfee.gov.uk/daycare). The closing date for responses is 31 October.
