Early years' provision and the Children act of 2004

Early Years’ Provision:

Early years’ provisions include:

Both PVI (Private, Voluntary, and Independent) and State (State Maintained) settings.

·      Nurseries (State and PVI)

·      Preschools (State and PVI)

·      Playgroups

·      Child Minders

·      Primary Schools (State and PVI)

In the independent and private sector, there are a range of provisions and usually tend to working and professional families. However, in voluntary settings, they do not usually make a profit. An example of a voluntary setting is the Playgroups Association.

In state maintained settings, parents have a lot more power in schools due to the PTA and there are clear Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) regulations.

The Children Act of 2004:

The Children Act of 2004 is a proposed changed in policy and legislation to maximise opportunities and minimise risks for all children. It focused on services more effectively around the needs of children, young people, and families. Alongside the act, the government published Every Child Matters: Next Steps which provides details of the consultation response and the wider, non-legislative elements of change that are being taken forward to promote the well-being of children. (Legislation, 2015). The 2004 act is an improvement on the 1998 children act. The safeguarding issues have been predominantly resolved in the 2004 act and will continue to be updated indefinitely. Safeguarding is now a priority and measures have been addressed within settings due to the legislation (Legislation, 2015). The children act 2004 also concentrates on the respect that “Every Child Matters”. Hence the alteration to the grants and the publication of the green paper. Practitioners must abide by the legislation in all appropriate settings.

Key messages and impact on practice in settings of the 2004 Children Act regarding safeguarding:

1)    The establishment of a Children’s commissioner to promote awareness of the views and interests of children in England (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005). This means that Commissioner can speak for the children and their specific needs in schools, child minding and fostering.

2)    The support of professionals in working together and sharing information to identify difficulties and to provide appropriate support. (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005). This allows the creation of a database that holds information on all children and young people. This allows safeguarding to be more accurate with the use of the database in schools.

3)    Better safeguarding of children as a priority. (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005). As a priority, safeguarding has more attention in all settings.

4)    To create clear accountability of children’s services (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005). This means that problems can be resolved more easily in schools.

5)    To enable better joint working. Information can be easily exchanged when safeguarding a child in schools.

6)    Have a shared approach across inspections (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005).

This means that inspections are more accurate and practitioners have a better understanding of what is expected in terms of safeguarding children in schools and other settings where children are present

7)    To strengthen the registration of existing notification arrangements for private fostering (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005). This means that fostering can be more accurately monitored.

8)    The clarification and simplification of the registration of child minders and providers of day care (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005). This means that practitioners are able to input more accurate information regarding safeguarding in childminding.

9)    To provide for the extension of existing intervention powers (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005). This means that safeguarding can be passed onto higher levels if necessary in schools, nurseries, fostering, playgroups and child minding.

10) To restrict the grounds on which the battery of a child may be justified as reasonable punishment (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005). This means that corporal punishment cannot be justified in any setting.

11) To allow grants to be paid across the range of children, young people and families’ services (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005). This means that children can have better safeguarding services in childminding, fostering, nurseries and schools

12) The removal of the power to make a care order at a lower threshold than would be usual under the Children Act 1989 (Hertfordshire County Council, 2005). This means that more of the power will be held by higher corporations with more professional staff in schools and nurseries.

References:

Hertfordshire County Council (2005) DFE Summary of Children. Available at: http://www.hertsdirect.org/infobase/docs/pdfstore/DfESsummaryofchildrenact.pdf (Accessed: November 29 2015).

Legislation (2015) Summary and Background. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/31/notes/division/1/1 (Accessed: November 28 2015).