CACHE chief executive Richard Dorrance suggested that those present should write to Catherine Ashton, the minister for Sure Start, early years and childcare, to register their support for a strategic body to oversee training in the early years and related sectors. Eric Hardy, CACHE chair, said this would give the minister 'ammunition' in talks about the best way forward.
However, Baroness Ashton, who addressed the meeting and took questions on a variety of subjects, was non-committal about her own views. She said she was due to discuss the subject shortly in meetings with ministerial colleagues. 'There are two or three very strong differing views. I don't know enough to know which way we should go.'
She added that SPRITO, the former national training organisation for sport and leisure, which covers playwork, had given her its views, and others had given theirs. 'I don't yet know what would make most sense,' she said.
One of the options for early years is to enter in partnership with SPRITO or TOPSS, the training organisation for personal and social services in England, both of which have already submitted bids for Sector Skills Council status that are still in development. The TOPSS bid to create a UK-wide SSC for care has been made in partnership with the Northern Ireland Care Council, the Care Council for Wales and the Scottish Social Services Council, organisations which are closely linked to the regulation of early years services.
However, Rosemary Murphy, the chief executive of the National Day Nurseries' Association (NDNA), said that a consultation exercise with the early years sector led by the NDNA had found a strong consensus across the UK that the best way forward was to establish a children and young people's Sector Skills Council, reflecting the strategic importance of the National Childcare Strategy. This body could cover playwork, youth work and classroom assistants as well as early years.
This outcome raised a series of further questions, from clarifying boundaries to the timescale, funding and interim measures, Mrs Murphy said.
'What's the acceptable fallback position, and what happens if other sectors don't want to know?'
She added that discussions to develop the model were still going on and that one option was to set up a strategic holding company to deliver some of the functions of the early years national training organisation, which was disbanded in the spring alongside all other NTOs, until the SSC issue was resolved. In the meantime, CACHE has been given funding by the Department for Education and Skills to continue to operate some of these services.
