Colin Maclean, head of the children and young people's group at the Scottish Executive, asked delegates at a conference organised by the Executive in Dundee last week to submit their comments on proposals in Integrated Strategy for the Early Years.
The draft strategy, published by the Executive in March (News, 10 April), suggested that it was necessary to look at partnerships again to ensure that a wider range of interests were being fully involved in planning. It said this could be achieved through the creation of an Early Years Planning Forum in each local authority area, formed through a 'refocusing of the remit and membership of childcare partnerships'. Alternatively, partnerships 'might continue in the current form, but operate as a subgroup of any future early years planning forum'.
Mr Maclean said that the strategy was the outcome of joint working across health, education and social justice, and set out practical steps towards working in a more joined-up way to deliver services to children aged nought to five and their families. Childcare partnerships already had extensive experience of joint planning, which would be vital to the success of this approach, he said. However, he added, 'Joint planning is not a static concept. The range of partners continues to evolve. Roles change.'
Integrated Strategy for the Early Years is available on www.scotland.gov.uk
and the deadline for responses is 13 June.
The conference also heard from Sheila Sansbury, principal development officer for social work and community development at Aberdeen City Council, who said the Aberdeen Childcare Partnership was still having recruitment problems. She said, 'We've been doing a lot of work to make childcare a positive career choice, but alongside that we have to improve the status and rewards for childcare workers.'
