Mark Gilleran is development team co-ordinator with Hammersmith and Fulham Early Years Service and is responsible for quality assurance and development as well as a local Sure Start programme. He reports that the CACHE level 4 Certificate in Managing Quality Standards in Children's Services (CMQS) piloted by Crechendo Training was a positive experience, particularly in terms of discovering ways to improve the current services he is involved in delivering. The course defines quality assurance as 'programmes for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a service, or facility, to ensure that standards of quality are being met'. It allows candidates to evaluate and compare various forms of quality assurance practice and decide upon the best practice for their individual needs.
Mark Gilleran is development team co-ordinator with Hammersmith and Fulham Early Years Service and is responsible for quality assurance and development as well as a local Sure Start programme. He reports that the CACHE level 4 Certificate in Managing Quality Standards in Children's Services (CMQS) piloted by Crechendo Training was a positive experience, particularly in terms of discovering ways to improve the current services he is involved in delivering.
The course defines quality assurance as 'programmes for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a service, or facility, to ensure that standards of quality are being met'. It allows candidates to evaluate and compare various forms of quality assurance practice and decide upon the best practice for their individual needs.
Mr Gilleran's previous roles during his 14 years of experience in early years and childcare include playworker, development and supervision of play services, private nursery assistant, pre-school development officer, nursery officer and youth worker. In his current position he felt the CMQS was an ideal way for him to improve his understanding of the quality aspect of working with children and children's services as a whole.
He says: 'The course has been extremely helpful in my current position. It has provided me with the knowledge, ideas and time to reflect on how best to develop our quality assurance scheme programme.'