Scotland is overhauling its early years regulation with the introduction of a grading system designed to promote parental involvement and a more targeted approach to inspection.
Instead of opting for one hotel star-type rating, from April it will be awarding four individual scores. National regulator the Care Commission believes this is a better way to reflect the true strengths - or weaknesses - of a provider and is more practical for users.
Currently, early years settings are inspected annually, and while detailed reports are available, there is no grading system. Under the new organisation, nurseries, playgroups and childminders will be marked on the areas of care and support, environment, staffing and management/leadership. Each mark will be on a scale of 1 - 6, with 6 representing 'excellent'.
Ronnie Hill, director of children's services regulation at the Care Commission, is confident that the new system will be dynamic - both in terms of encouraging managers themselves to be pro-active in improving their setting's service, and in giving parents more insight into how it rates.
He says, 'We've piloted the new system extensively over the last year. Each region has had a series of open meetings and made contact with local authorities and independent organisations. All believe that this is an effective and straightforward system, in which everyone will be able to see the direction of travel.'
Mr Hill confirms that feedback from parents has been strong.
'To achieve top grades in the individual areas, care services must be able to show that they have involved and consulted with children and their parents or guardians. It will not be possible to achieve good grades if people using the service have not been involved.
'We feel that assessing the service in four different areas will allow families to make more informed choices. So, if they feel that care and support is more important to them than quality of environment, they can choose a service that is stronger in those areas.'
Flexible approach
Self-assessment underpins the Scottish system and the pilots highlight how this is something that managers are embracing.
'All providers receive a self-assessment form which is available electronically, and they will be expected to update this on an ongoing basis,' says Mr Hill. 'Help with this is available as an online toolkit which can be accessed through a unique password. An up-to-date self-evaluation form will be submitted to inspectors prior to the inspection.'
Mr Hill believes that providers will engage actively with the self-assessment process and develop it over time. The toolkit provides a range of examples and cross-references to Government and local programmes to help nurseries understand the different kinds of evidence that they need to produce in order to support aspects of their good practice.
Since the establishment of the Care Commission in 2002, services for the under-threes have had a minimum inspection period of 12 months. However, the time period for services for three- to five-year-olds, including out-of-school clubs and playschemes, has recently been relaxed to 24 months.
Inspectors visit either unannounced or at short notice. However, where there are identifiable problems, inspections can be stepped up.
'If a setting has a grade 1 or 2, they are asked to submit an action plan and we go back to re-inspect by mutual arrangement,' Mr Hill says.
He stresses that the system needs to be flexible, focusing on those settings where there are identifiable problems. As he says, 'We need to spend more time on services that need to improve and less time on those who are performing well.'
He believes that the new system will enable him to do precisely that.
CASE STUDY
Nursery manager Ruth Dewar reports that both she and staff now have a real handle on self-evaluation, following their participation in one of the pilot projects last September. Everyone based at the 24-place nursery had been apprehensive about the idea of self-grading.
'When you're immersed in the day-to-day running of a service you are inevitably subjective,' she says. 'Having to be honest about areas you think need improving, as well as those where you feel you are doing really well, is a totally different experience.
'After self-grading you have to discuss the grades you've awarded yourself with the Care Commission Officer (CCO) and it must be agreed. This will not necessarily confirm your chosen grade - it could go up or down.'
Ms Dewar reports that in the end, the Care Commission did not wholly agree with the grades the nursery gave itself. 'They actually graded us higher in one area - they felt we were being too harsh on ourselves,' she says.
The views of the children themselves, as well as their parents, were sought when it came to awarding the grades. 'The children enjoyed it. The CCO made a separate visit specially to talk to the children and was really good with them.'
Feedback from parents was positive too. 'They seemed to value the fact that their contribution was needed and it gave them an opportunity to air their views.'
