Now, this report is rather hidden in its efforts to prove its reliability. It is the “Scoping study” from Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services http://www.c4eo.org.uk/themes/earlyyears/scopingstudy01.aspx
The points (p16-17) on effective practice are worth examining:
The ten studies highlight some effective features of integrated practice. The main areas of practice are professional development of staff, links with parents and the home environment, collaboration between partners, and the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders.
The first aspect of effective practice identified is training and ongoing professional development for staff. Some studies suggested that there is a link between the qualifications and training of staff and positive outcomes for children in early years’ settings (Sylva et al 2004). Some studies suggest that shared training involving different professionals helps to build a common language and way of working and that this helps build effective integrated teams (Schneider et al 2007). Training focused on the skills needed for integrated working also facilitates the development of effective teams (Bertram et al 2002). The opportunity that staff from different agencies have to interact and build relationships during such staff development activity is also important (Bertram et al 2002).
The studies also demonstrate the importance of links with home activities to support the early years’ approaches in settings. In general, the quality of the home learning environment is shown to have an impact on outcomes for children (Sylva et al 2004). More specifically, outcomes can be improved where centres work closely with parents and they share educational aims, as this enables parents to support children at home with activities or materials that complement their experiences in early years’ settings (Sylva et al 2004).
The selected studies also highlight the importance of the nature of collaboration in integrated settings, and there are several key elements of effective collaboration identified:
- Effective and frequent communication between different professionals is important, and there are indications that bringing different professional groups under the same roof can aid communication and collaboration (Schneider et al 2007).
- Integrated teams need to have common aims, a shared philosophy and agreed working practices, along with an understanding of the roles of all team members. Within this context, it is important that individuals act as team players and are flexible in their approach, taking note of the needs and expertise of others (Smith et al 2004).
- The leadership and management of integrated centres and teams play a key role in developing and sustaining an effective team (Bertram et al 2002).
- Finally, the studies demonstrate that it is important to involve a broad range of stakeholders/constituents in integrated centres and teams. Children and their families benefit from having a wide range of agencies involved, as this works towards a ‘one-stop shop’ to meet all their needs directly or through referral (Schneider et al 2007). The involvement of parents in integrated centres also benefits the parents themselves, but also the services offered, as parents often have a clear idea of what they and their children need (Schneider et al 2007).
And from this I’ll pick out – without comment for now – just some key words:
- Effective and frequent communication
- common aims, a shared philosophy and agreed working practices
- sustaining an effective team
nicktomjoe 