Quality scheme 'can offset scare stories'

SINA director Mairi Maciver Clark said she envisaged that such a scheme would be similar to Investors in People status, but apply to all early years care and education providers, whether in the voluntary, private or local authority sectors.

Ms Maciver Clark said, 'The time is right for a quality assurance scheme accredited by the United Kingdom Accredited Services.' UKAS is the only national body recognised by the Government to assess organisations against international standards.

Ms Maciver Clark suggested that such a scheme would not be mandatory, but would act as a 'kitemark' to reassure parents and help them choose the right nursery for their child.

'It would tell parents that the nursery has been independently audited, not just inspected, and would demonstrate compliance across the board for all regulations.'

She added that the upside of the recent media attention highlighting bad practice in the sector, in particular following the BBC documentary 'Nurseries Undercover', was that parents had become more vigilant and were more aware of what they needed to look for in a nursery.

'Parents are asking questions, for example about staff ratios and qualifications, in a way that they haven't asked before.'

Ms Maciver Clark stressed that there was still a place for regulatory bodies such as HMIE and the Care Commission.

The Care Commission has hit back at accusations made last week in the Scotsman newspaper, which claimed that it was understaffed and that its inspectors were unqualified to carry out inspections in daycare. The Commission said such allegations were 'a gross distortion of the facts' and 'unsubstantiated rumour and assertion'.

The Scotsman, which quoted unnamed childcare sources as critical of the inspection process, said it had obtained figures that revealed that only a third of the Commission's inspectors had a background in early years and they were expected to carry out inspections in areas in which they had no formal training, including care homes and health care units.

Speaking on behalf of SINA, Ms Maciver Clark said, 'We feel that as an organisation, inspections are rigorous. What this highlights is the role the Care Commission plays, which is to regulate against minimum national standards. But it doesn't assure quality.'

Drew McCanney, early years trainer and former senior inspector for Fife Council, said, 'I understand that there were difficulties when the Care Commission was established, but there are indications that they are tackling these difficulties and the regulatory service is improving.'

He also welcomed a wider approach to inspection. 'An independent regulatory body that covers all care services, including local authorities, is the right one,' he said.

A spokesman for the Care Commission said that in 2003 to 2004 it had around 5,000 registered daycare services for children and during that time the Commission carried out just under 4,000 standard inspections, and just over 1,500 concise inspections.

'Therefore, every service was inspected at least once, and around 500 were inspected twice,' the spokesman said. 'We no longer distinguish between concise and standard inspections, having moved to a more flexible system of tailoring inspections according to assessed risk.'

He added, 'Five months into the year since April, we have completed or are in progress with more than 2,000 inspection processes.'