Richard Dorrance, chief executive of the Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE), said last week he welcomed comments made by the task force in its report, Local Delivery of Central Policy, published in July. Although the task force, an independent watchdog that advises the Government on regulation issues, endorsed the move to Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), to be led by employers, it expressed alarm at the way the existing processes were discarded.
The report observed that the Government's winding up of all the NTOs at the end of March had created a vacuum that would exist until the smaller number of larger, more powerful SSCs were in place. This, it said, was a problem for sectors that had not been included in the small handful granted trailblazer SSC status. Early years and playwork were among those that missed out.
Mr Dorrance said, 'There's a serious risk the momentum established by the Early Years NTO will be lost. However, there is also an opportunity to set up a single body covering all children's services including early years, playwork, care and health.'
The report said, 'A more considered change to SSCs could have avoided this problem. Trialling is right so long as sufficient time is allowed to learn and apply its lessons. The abolition of the NTOs makes this unlikely, as new arrangements need to be put in place rapidly. Communication about the changes has been inadequate.'
The report recommended that the Department for Education and Skills should allow sectors to address their urgent training needs, giving them time to apply the lessons learned from the trailblazer SSCs.
The report is available on the website www.brtf.gov.uk.
* The Sector Skills Development Agency has now made an offer of a grant to CACHE to cover some of the core functions of the Early Years NTO, but at a lower level than CACHE had requested, (News, 29 August). Further negotiations were under way as Nursery World went to press.
The basic functions covered by the SSDA grant include advice to employers, new entrants to the Government and Government agencies, revising the Modern Apprenticeships framework and keeping the national occupational standards under review. A question remains over the orientation programme, Making Choices, previoiusly administered by the Early Years NTO.
SPRITO, the former NTO for sport, recreation and playwork, last week secured SSDA funding to promote modern apprenticeships and the national occupational standards for playwork.
