When the Birth to Three Matters framework was introduced in November 2002 it was greeted warmly by the early years sector. But concerns were voiced about how effectively the materials would be used in practice, with calls for training to support early years and childcare practitioners to make the most of the framework in their own settings.
In response, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) commissioned the team from the Institute of Education at Manchester Metropolitan University to design and deliver training to support the framework.
During January and February trainers from Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCPs) throughout England were invited to attend regional 'training the trainers' days.
Ann Langston, project manager of the Manchester Metropolitan team that produced Birth to Three Matters, says that although most partnerships have carried out awareness raising about the framework, the majority have been waiting for these events before setting up training programmes. Those partnerships that are more familiar with the materials will be able to add to what they already offer.
The training has been designed as 'a cascade model', so that representatives from EYDCPs will be able to go back to their partnerships and use the support materials to train 'additional trainers': professionals working with young children in health, education and social care. This could mean speech and language therapists, for example, as well as the more 'traditional' childcare workforce - nursery managers, National Childminding Association development workers and Pre-school Learning Alliance trainers.
Ms Langston says, 'The training has been well received and has helped with understanding of the framework. Obviously people had it for a year and perhaps trainers were grappling with it and now feel it has confirmed and supported them in their work.'
The framework in practice
From late April partnerships will start training practitioners in how to implement the framework in their own early years settings, using the childcare workforce materials distributed on CD-Rom.
Birmingham is one EYDCP that has already started to run training. Sam Monnex, the partnership's training adviser, says early years workers across the sector had been keen to use the Birth to Three Matters materials when they were first introduced, but many had felt they needed guidance. 'We took the initiative in Birmingham,' she says. 'We were so inspired by practitioners' enthusiasm that we started running conferences and training around the framework.'
Following the regional training in January, plans to train the partnership's workforce are underway with around 60 representatives from Sure Start, the Pre-school Learning Alliance, further education colleges, the National Childminding Association, area SENCO teams, support teachers, nursery heads and development workers, among others, identified as additional trainers. Ms Monnex says, 'The training day was fantastic. We thought it was beneficial and we're moving with that now. I do think that Birth to Three Matters has been a wonderful way of addressing the importance of all those working with children from birth to three and their families. But there is still considerable work to be undertaken to ensure that the profile and status of birth-to-three practitioners is firmly on the Government's agenda.'
The Sure Start Unit is funding the 'training the trainers' programme and the childcare workforce CD-Rom, but money for rolling out the training to practitioners is expected to come from EYDCPs' existing training budgets.
A spokesman from the DfES says, 'A key priority for local authorities, as set out in their delivery guidance for 2004-06, is to incorporate the Birth to Three Matters framework into their existing training and development programmes and to disseminate the framework to other services working with children in this age range.'
Local authorities have been allocated almost 130m to support workforce development for 2004-06.
But Ms Monnex is concerned. She says, 'To provide continuous training and support for the birth-to-three sector, there needs to be a financial commitment to raise the quality of provision.'
The way forward
So far, training in the framework has mainly taken place in the workplace, but Ms Langston hopes it will soon be part of the curriculum for a new generation of early years students.
'You couldn't talk now about children from birth to three without talking about the framework. What we're hoping is that as Birth to Three Matters becomes more embedded as a building block in terms of the way people work with children, this will be reflected in courses,' she says.
Northumbria University is already leading the way with the introduction of a module on Birth to Three Matters from this term, as an option for second year students studying a BA Hons degree in Care and Education (Early Years). The decision to introduce the option was made because of the impact the framework has already made on the sector.
Course leader Sue Miller, who is also chair of Newcastle's EYDCP, says, 'The students who have chosen this option have demonstrated a real commitment to this kind of approach.'
She says 20 per cent of the year group have chosen the option, which counts as a double module.
As part of the course students will visit two different early years settings to see how the framework has been put into practice.
They will be taught by two of the trainers from the national 'training the trainers' events, who were also involved in piloting the framework in the early stages of its development.
Ms Miller says, 'The framework was so obviously going to be an important development for early years and its philosophy fits with the degree we're offering. We want our students to be able to hit the ground running and be very employable.' NW
Further information
* For more information on Northumbria University's early years degree visit www. northumbria.ac.uk
