Early Learning and Childcare Joint Delivery Board minutes: September 2018

Attendees and apologies

Attendees:

• Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Children and Young People (Co-Chair)
• Councillor Stephen McCabe, COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People (Co-Chair)
• Laura Caven, COSLA
• Alison Cumming, Scottish Government ELC Programme
• Joe Griffin, Scottish Government ELC Programme (SRO)
• Angela Leitch, SOLACE
• Laura Mason, ADES

Apologies:

• Laura Friel, Directors of Finance
• John O’Donnell, COSLA
• John Nicholson, Scottish Government Finance
• Roy Brannen, Non-Executive Member

Secretariat:

• Sarah Duncan, Scottish Government ELC Programme

Items and actions

1. Welcome and introductions

The Co-Chairs welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made.

2. ELC Progress Reporting & Dashboard

It was noted that the Progress Dashboard had been constructed following engagement with local authorities over the summer, with the work led by the Improvement Service.  This has led to the creation of a refined and proportionate set of indicators, which local authorities will be asked to submit to the Improvement Service twice a year and this progress data will form a key part of the basis for this Board to assess progress in building the capacity and capability required to support the expansion.

It was noted that supporting qualitative data would be provided by a new Head of Delivery Assurance who would provide linkage between the national programme and local delivery programmes. It was noted that the first set of data will be collected and analysed in time for the next meeting of this Board.

The ELC Joint Delivery Board [O] had reviewed the ELC Progress Reporting & Dashboard & Guidance Notes and recommended that Ms Todd and Cllr McCabe issue a joint covering letter to launch the first data collection and guidance for the progress dashboard, to demonstrate the significance of this data, explain how it will be used, and seek authorities’ support in providing robust and timely data to the Improvement Service.  The co-chairs agreed to this proposal.

It was noted that high level strategic data was would be key to the programme and local reporting in the same format could support local assurance. It was agreed that national data should be routinely published alongside meeting minutes.

Action 01/01: SG and COSLA to draft a letter for issue by the Co-Chairs.

3. Items for discussion escalated from ELC Joint Delivery Board [O] 

Realising Change Funding

•      A proposal was put forward to support local authorities with £4 million realising change funding for the ELC expansion, to be paid as a specific grant to ensure it is applied in support of the ELC expansion. It was noted that the funding would be used to provide additional change and programme management capacity to deliver the expansion of funded ELC and realise the vision of the Funding Follows the Child service model. The proposal was welcomed and agreed

•      Ms Todd and Cllr McCabe agreed to the proposal

4. ELC Advisory Forums

It was noted that the Strategic Forum was to continue in a more interactive format with wide representation from the sector.

It was confirmed that the Leaders’ Forum had proposed establishing a Partnership Forum to help promote more positive and meaningful partnership working across the country. The purpose of the Forum would be to recognise common partnership challenges and agree actions to resolve issues. The Forum would bring together a core membership of local authority representation from each Regional Improvement Collaborative and representative bodies (NDNA, EYS, CALA and SCMA). There would also be a membership pool of individual providers who would be rotated at each meeting. The Forum would be supported by SG and COSLA officers and the first meeting was scheduled for 23 October 2018.

Ms Todd and Cllr McCabe were supportive of this approach and content to attend either Forum as required.

It was noted that future JDB meetings will receive written updates from the latest meetings of the ELC Strategic and Partnership Forums to enable escalation of any significant issues and highlight key stakeholder viewpoints and concerns.

5. AOB

The next meeting was scheduled for the morning of Wednesday 31 October 2018. Councillor McCabe offered to host the meeting in Inverclyde to allow Board members to visit ELC services and meet those at the frontline of delivering the expansion.

ELC Joint Delivery Board minutes: September 2018

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