Embedded Files
New and Current Information
New and Current Information
January 2025
January 2025
Quality improvement framework for early learning and childcare sectors
Quality improvement framework for early learning and childcare sectors
Education Scotland and Care Inspectorate joint framework to support quality improvement in Early Learning and Childcare settings.
Bringing together and replacing How Good is Our Early Learning and Childcare and the Care Inspectorate Quality Framework, this document will support Early Learning and Childcare settings to self-evaluate and improve their practice. In addition to the illustrations to support nursery settings, each quality indicator has sections specifically for childminders and school-aged childcare. The document, published 14/1/25, is available for all staff to begin to engage with now but full implementation will not be until Sept 2025 when it will be used as the framework to support inspections by both Education Scotland and Care Inspectorate.
Explore the new framework on the Education Scotland Website by clicking here
April 2024
April 2024
Me, My Family and My Childcare Setting
Me, My Family and My Childcare Setting
This practice note from Care Inspectorate shares best practice information on building stronger connections and meaningful relationships with families.
Care Inspectorate writes:
Meaningful relationships and strong connections begin with families accessing their childcare setting. During the pandemic, restrictions disrupted family access to childcare settings and the usual practices designed to support children and families to transition into their settings. Since the end of covid restrictions, we have found from our inspection activity that restrictions previously in place during the pandemic have not been fully reviewed by some settings to enable unrestricted access to families.
It is important to foster a family-centred culture, which invites the opportunity to build strong relationships with the child and their family
Me, my family and my childcare setting.pdfMarch 2024
March 2024
Health protection guidance for children and young people settings (March 2024)
Health protection guidance for children and young people settings (March 2024)
This guidance covers a broad range of health protection issues and replaces the COVID-19 specific education settings guidance produced and maintained by Scottish Government during the pandemic.
This guidance has been produced through the Scottish Health Protection Network (SHPN) and is adapted from the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance.
The SHPN health protection guidance for children and young people settings provides advice on:
Infections: transmission and those at higher risk
Preventing and controlling infections
Supporting immunisation programmes
Managing specific infectious diseases (A to Z)
Responding to outbreaks and incidents
Additional health protection considerations for specific settings and population
Posters for display in settings
health-protection-in-children-and-young-people-settings-including-education-version-1.pdfThe guidance was produced with input from a wide range of partners. This included health protection professionals, education colleagues representing early years, primary and secondary, trade unions and Scottish Government. It was also issued for consultation to seek feedback from a wider audience to further improve the guidance.
elc-safe-staffing-poster-aug-23.pdfAre you ready for the implementation of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 in April 2024?
Are you ready for the implementation of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 in April 2024?
February 2024
February 2024
SVQ2 SSCYP PWE Group 1 Flyer.pdfSVQ2 Social Services Children and Young People (SCQF Level 6) qualification
Applications are now open for next sessions paid work experience opportunities in our EL&CC settings
Applications are now open for next sessions paid work experience opportunities in our EL&CC settings
Share with any volunteers or families you have within your settings
January 2024
January 2024
Care Inspectorate writes:
Care Inspectorate writes:
Supporting healthy smiles
Supporting healthy smiles
Toothbrushing experiences within early learning and childcare (ELC) settings, including childminders, are a vital way of ensuring all children are given opportunities to develop their oral hygiene skills.
Our new practice note, Supporting healthy smiles: Childsmile practice note for early learning and childcare, has been written, in collaboration with colleagues at Childsmile, to help celebrate the excellent work in improving children’s dental health and oral hygiene across the country, as well as to support ongoing development of this initiative across ELC settings. It is designed to act as a tool to prompt reflection and develop approaches to toothbrushing, supporting good oral hygiene throughout life.
Childsmile is a national programme designed to improve the oral health of children in Scotland and reduce inequalities both in dental health and access to dental services. The programme delivers a range of preventive care for children in nursery and primary school.
Training Opportunities from Staff Development
Training Opportunities from Staff Development
Here are the training opportunities from staff development and some may be beneficial to those working in Early Learning and Childcare. Click the blue links in the document to sign up. Remember to discuss with a member of your leadership team before sign up.
Tuesday 20th February 16.pdfBecome a Childminder Pathway.docxNew!
New!
Step by step guide to help you on your Childminder journey
Step by step guide to help you on your Childminder journey
Placement Handbook CHILDHOOD PRACTICE 23-24.pdfNew
New
Building the Workforce Placement Handbooks added for HNC, Foundation Apprenticeship & Paid Work Experience Placements
December 2023
December 2023
In December, 2023 the Scottish Government published updated Funding Follows the Child and National Standard Operating Guidance - Funding Follows The Child and The National Standard for Early Learning and Childcare Providers: Operating Guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).
In December, 2023 the Scottish Government published updated Funding Follows the Child and National Standard Operating Guidance - Funding Follows The Child and The National Standard for Early Learning and Childcare Providers: Operating Guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).
As you will be aware, Funding Follows the Child and the National Standard is the policy framework for the provision of funded early learning and childcare (ELC).
Operating Guidance was originally published in 2018 ahead of the 1140 expansion, however Interim Guidance was created in 2021 and 2022 to take into account the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and to afford some necessary flexibilities in the system.
Following engagement with stakeholders, the Operating Guidance has now been updated, as was the commitment within the 2022 Interim Guidance.
November 2023
November 2023
FROEBEL IN NATURE: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURES
What affordances in our past, present and future can spur us on to go further and deeper with children in outdoor play and learning? Debby Hunter (Annan Froebel School), Kirsten Leask (Learning for Sustainability) and Henry Mathias (The Care Inspectorate) explore... Watch now.
The Care Inspectorate have developed a dedicated ELC quality improvement hub which can be accessed at any time and all resources are universally available to watch or download.
What is available online?
- 13 Bitesize clips, focussing on key ELC thematic areas and Quality Improvement available to view.
- An Open Badge is available online to complete after viewing the four Quality Improvement resources.
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