The comments were made by Colette Kelleher, former director of the Daycare Trust who is now a member of the DfEE's advisory team on early years. She said Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships need to show they have secured resources for the 'retained functions' of providing support and advice, which will become their responsibility in September after Ofsted takes over the regulation of early years and childcare from local councils.
Mrs Kelleher said she believed the current emphasis on expansion was only a phase, and would shift to an emphasis on quality and sustainability once there was universal provision for three-year-olds. Partnerships needed to 'keep connected to children and parents', she said, and the issue of integrating services 'had not been cracked'.
'I think we have to think the best of our partners, not the worst,' Mrs Kelleher added. 'You can accuse me of being a Utopian, but I think we need to hold on to our ideals. Oscar Wilde said the map of the world without Utopia is not worth a second glance.'
After delegates voiced concern about recruitment problems, Mrs Kelleher said it was 'too early' to say the Government's recruitment campaign in England was not working. 'Training and qualifications, status, and pay and conditions also had a bearing - and I don't think we've sorted those.' Mrs Kelleher said she would take away from the conference concerns about a possible dearth of trainers in the sector, given that many local authority staff who currently carry out training will be transferring to Ofsted in the autumn and so will not be continuing this aspect of their work.
