Professional development

The Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE) offers a variety of management units within its Level 4 NVQ in early years care and education programme, including the following:

* Carrying out management responsibilities in child health, safety and protection.

* Managing the curriculum.

* Managing the observation and assessment of children's development and behaviour.

* Managing relationships with parents.

* Managing activities to meet requirements.

* Contributing to improvements at work.

* Managing the use of physical resources.

* Managing the performance of teams and individuals.

* Assisting the organisation to develop and implement policies.

* Promoting services.

CACHE also offers units covering Advanced practice, and Enhancing quality and quality control. In addition it offers professional development management units within its other courses, including:

* Management in childcare and education settings.

* Management of early years services.

* Management of early years settings.

* Management of early years practice.

Child Care Plus is a specialist daycare development consultancy based in east London. It works with clients from public, private and voluntary sectors to develop bespoke solutions for the creation and expansion of childcare facilities. It also provides regular training programmes for those seeking to set up or develop childcare services and runs workshops on such topics as preparing for Ofsted registration, finding premises and raising finance, business and operational planning, and marketing and managing childcare facilities. Courses are for newcomers and childcare professionals.

Common Threads Consultancy runs courses on:

* Essential management skills.

* Supervision skills.

* Good recruitment practice.

* Improving practice through evaluation.

* Policy development.

* Developing skills in staff appraisal.

* Leadership skills.

Crechendo Training runs a course in Wandsworth, south London, on:

* Management. CACHE has developed this 60-hour certificate in professional development to enhance management skills with Crechendo Training validated to run it. The course will teach participants about appraisal systems, the planning of Early Learning Goals, effective communication, how to involve parents, and all the other essential skills needed to manage a quality provision and get the best out of staff. To obtain the award participants must complete the 60 hours of teaching and tutorial time, and an integrated assignment that is externally verified by CACHE. Certificates are awarded on completion. The course will be held on every Monday evening from 16 September until 2 December and on the following Saturdays - 28 September, 19 October, 16 November and 7 December.

Derby Tertiary College offers:

* The NVQ 4 in Early Years Care and Education. This course is for those in management positions or a senior role in a childcare or education setting. It provides a route to higher education and will also raise the professional standing of candidates. Two strands are available - the advanced practitioner strand and the management strand.

The Devon-based Direction Training and Management runs a full range of sector-specific business, professional and managerial day courses and seminars at various locations throughout the UK. Its training courses include:

* Introductory certificate in management, a 40-hour course specifically for the managers of childcare settings.

* Certificate in management (240 hours).

* Introductory team leader (20 hours).

* Team leader (60 hours).

* Introductory first line manager (34 hours).

* First line manager (160 hours).

* Introductory management diploma (60 hours).

* Diploma in management (240 hours).

All of the above courses are nationally and internationally accredited by NEBS Management.

Direction Training and Management also offers a sector-specific consultancy on topics including management development, business planning, recruitment and selection, and distance learning programmes, as well as a range of tailor-made IT training programmes.

The Directory of Social Change has a wide range of courses and training appropriate for people working in the voluntary sector. Relevant courses for existing managers and those aspiring to management include:

* Team building, in Leeds on 2 July. This day course looks at the time and thought needed to make a team into a coherent unit rather than a group of individuals. It will examine leadership and team roles, and the conditions which help or hinder team development.

* Managing for managers, in London on 15 to 17 July and Manchester on 11 to 13 November. This three-day course aims to help existing managers improve their skills and expertise.

* Moving into management, in Leeds on 3 September and London on 17 September and 18 November. This day course is for staff promoted into management posts and will cover the process of management, guidelines on structures, managing people and tasks.

* Recruitment, selection and induction, in London on 24 and 25 September. This two-day workshop will help participants to identify and reinforce good practice in all stages of the recruitment process, which includes the often-missed stage of effectively inducting staff into the organisation.

* Introduction to management in the voluntary sector, in London on 7 to 9 October and Birmingham on 15 to 17 October. This three-day course is aimed at those with less than two years' managerial experience or who are moving from a supervisory to a management role.

* Managing for managers, in London on 15 to 17 July and Manchester on 11 to 13 November. This three-day course aims to help existing managers improve their skills and expertise.

Godalming College offers:

* NVQs in management at Levels 3 and 4.

The Institute of Education has a course in London on:

* Developing an early years unit, on 7 November. This course is for early years practitioners, including headteachers, currently working in an early years setting or planning to develop an early years unit or integrated foundation setting.

The Montessori Centre International runs seminars in London on:

* Effective planning and assessment. It explores the most appropriate ways of planning for nursery schools, and takes into account Ofsted requirements and Montessori practice. It will also look at appropriate methods of assessment and record-keeping.

* Starting your own nursery. Areas covered are finding premises, dealing with Ofsted, finding the right equipment for your nursery, and preparing publicity materials and a business plan.

The National Day Nurseries (NDNA) has courses on:

* Recruitment and selection, in Bradford on 18 September. This day course offers advice on best practice in staff recruitment, selection and retention.

* Nursery management, in Cambridge on 26 to 28 June, Stockport on 11 to 13 September and in Bradford on a date to be confirmed. This three-day course will focus on staff management and employment issues.

* Room supervisor training, in Bradford on 8 and 9 July. This two-day course plus a one-day follow up will give participants confidence to take more responsibility and prepares them for progression into management.

* Policies and procedures. This day course covers the implementation and management of nursery policy and procedures.

* Operational plan, in Bolton on 27 and 28 June, south Gloucestershire on 8 July and Stoke-on-Trent on 20 September. This day course covers writing your operational plan as required by Ofsted.

* Preparing for accreditation. This day course prepares those managing group day care to undertake a quality assurance scheme.

* Quality Counts assessor training. A two-day residential course focusing on the NDNA's 'Quality Counts' assurance scheme.

* 'Quality Counts' mentor training. A two-day residential course focusing on the NDNA's 'Quality Counts' quality assurance scheme.

The NDNA's training programme is delivered via Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCPs). To find out if an NDNA course is running in your area or to ask for it be run, contact your local EYDCP.

The National Early Years Network offers the following training workshops in early years management:

* Staff motivation and performance: Service implications. This workshop for managers and deputies of childcare provision or staff in supervisory positions explores the process of monitoring and evaluating the performance of the staff team. It also focuses on measuring quality and considers the appraisal process.

* Understanding and developing management techniques. This workshop for managers and supervisory staff in any early years setting, especially new and junior managers, will help practitioners develop new skills to manage everyday situations. Participants will develop management techniques and examine communication strategies.

* Inspections: Understanding the process. In this workshop for managers, teachers and workers providing daycare, participants will consider the legal framework and process of inspection, learn how to plan for inspection, explore the purpose and structure of an action plan and understand the process of continuing improvement and developing good practice.

* Effective teamwork, for managers and practitioners in all settings. Participants will learn how to develop their problem-solving, communication and organisational skills.

* Running a successful family drop-in centre. This workshop for managers and staff in family centres or nurseries will look at the core principles and practical requirements involved in setting up a drop-in centre.

* Developing successful inter-agency partnerships in early years work. This workshop is for managers representing their agency on inter-agency partnerships.

NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation has been approved to offer in Northern Ireland:

* NEBS management courses for the childcare sector, from this autumn.

The Pre-School Learning Alliance runs these courses:

* Growing your pre-school. This course is designed for staff and volunteers in pre-schools wishing to expand and diversify their services for families. It has four elements - discovering the needs of the families of young children; planning for expansion; costing business plans and finding funding; and making sure that everyone involved knows what to do and how to do it.

* Behind the scenes. This series of 10 three-hour workshops will teach participants about the management of pre-schools, and how parents can be involved and take responsibility in pre-schools and parent and toddler groups. The workshops, which can be taken individually or in any combination to meet your needs, include 'A charity or a small business? - The legal status of pre-school settings', Money Matters - Looking after the finances', 'How to run successful meetings' and 'Managing staff in a pre-school setting'.

Training Leaders in Childcare is running:

* Bespoke management training, for early years professionals across the UK, often delivered through local EYDCPs. Training days include:

* Leading a high-performance team.

* Recruitment and selection.

* Appraisals and staff development.

* Nursery marketing.

* Customer care.

* Facilitating effective meetings.

* Developing management competencies.

TLC is also an approved centre for NVQ Level 4 Early Years Care and Education and will be starting a second cohort of management strand candidates in January 2003.

The Wales Pre-School Playgroups Association runs a course on:

* Business and management of the group. Delivered either in one day or three two-hour sessions, this course is for committee members, group managers or staff. It covers registration and inspection requirements and procedures, the legal status of private and community-run groups and employment legislation.