The Executive's document Early Education and Childcare Plans 2001-2004: Guidance to Partnerships, published in January, says, 'Their achievements - your achievements - are real. Hard evidence is now emerging of major improvements in the amount and quality of service offered to children and parents.'
However, it goes on to acknowledge that the first two years of partnerships' existence have been difficult. 'There has been tension among members; difficulty in engaging members; doubt about whether partnerships could succeed, given the size of the task and the resources available; and doubt about whether the partnership model would survive. There has also been uncertainty - over what was expected of partnership members, over the status of partnerships and their relation to local government,' it says.
In an opening letter, Nicol Stephen, deputy minister for education, Europe and external affairs, stresses that the partnership model is here to stay. However, the guidance goes on to say that ministers intend to streamline partnerships generally, since there are a number of them attempting to deal with areas such as drugs, social inclusion and rural issues.
Mr Stephen's letter also stresses that parents need flexible childcare which fits in with their lives, including childminders, voluntary playgroups and private day nurseries as well as local authority nursery schools, classes and family centres.
The guidance says that wraparound care for three-to five-year-olds is one of the major care gaps identified by the assessments of demand in childcare plans. Other shortfalls were in out-of-school care for the over-eights and all-day care for nought to threes. While some local authorities have started to provide wraparound care in their own centres, if they teamed up with an independent or voluntary partner-provider it might meet some parents' needs more effectively, the document says.
For example, one option to consider was the way some partnerships in England have moved to make formal links between primary schools and networks of childminders or private day nurseries. The Executive wants to see the barriers between daycare and education broken down, so families could access properly integrated packages of care for children of different ages.
The guidance cites findings from an as-yet unpublished Stirling University study on successful models of all-day provision which suggests some local authorities were ambivalent about 'the acceptability of parents' needs for all-day childcare'.
However, it adds, ministers believe that research shows conclusively that childcare outside the family can support the development of young children, provided it is of high quality. 'They believe the role of policymakers is to develop the quality agenda, not to suggest that parents' needs are either improper or irrelevant,' it says.
Childcare partnerships are also advised to bear in mind the contribution that umbrella bodies such as the Scottish Childminding Association, Scottish Out-of-School Care Network, Scottish Pre-School Play Association and Scottish Independent Nurseries Association can make. Following a review earlier in the year, ministers have decided to continue to provide funding for these organisations where they can be shown to have a role across Scotland.
The guidance advises partnerships to ensure their childcare plans are compatible with their local authority's Children's Services Plan, of which they will now form an integral part. Local authorities are encouraged to use their plans to meet the previously separate planning requirements for children's services, Sure Start Scotland and childcare and early education.
The Executive has also introduced a national census form covering all categories of early education and childcare to make the collection of data on provision in different partnerships more consistent and reliable. Information for the first census was collected last month and results will be available in the autumn.
Early Education and Childcare Plans 2001-2004: Guidance to Partnerships is available on www.scotland.gov.uk
