Sure Start Nuneaton Evaluation of Early Years and Childcare Service Sure Start Nuneaton Janet Whitehead Independent Consultant

Research Question “ The study aims to evaluate the short term impact of the early years work and childcare services funded by the Sure Start Nuneaton Partnership to provide evidence for the sustainability of the work when Sure Start funding ceases.”

Hypotheses Ethos, values and culture Resourcing – human, physical and environmental Integrated service approach Relationships with parents - modelling learning through play

Methodology and Research Methods Small scale impact study Qualitative design To monitor and evaluate coverage of the “Every Child Matters” outcomes (using the criteria for inspection) Observation Analysis of documentation and statistics Interviews with Managerial staff and Clinicians Questionnaire and focus group interview with early years staff Interviews with receiving Nurseries Individual and group interviews with sample of parents

“Every Child Matters” Outcomes Stay Safe Be Healthy Enjoy and Achieve Make a Positive Contribution Achieve economic well-being

Inspection CriteriaPrimary source of Evidence Findings Parents are helped to ensure their children are healthy. Evidence collection/interviews with Manager, Health Visitor Planning – A Healthy Child/A Strong Child  Parents tips sheets e.g. Immunisation, weaning – leading to adult resource library  Health promotions e.g. Smile week, Child Safety via displays, packs for parents delivered through groups, curriculum Healthy lifestyles are promoted to children and young people. Observation of groupsHealthy snack  Hand washing before snack – routine firmly established  Informal discussions between staff and parents  Fruit and veg in play shop Be Healthy: Examples of evidence collection

Inspection CriteriaPrimary source of Evidence Findings Children and young people’s mental health is supported. Observation of groups  Evidence collection/interview with Manager/clinicians Positive management of children – praising and affirming  Children happy and confident  Parents informed if children are unsettled – children not left in distress/parents trust staff  Adult/child ratio enables children and parents to be given time and treated as individuals  Clinical development sessions for team - e.g. attachment/separation  Adult learning with childcare to support Be Healthy: Examples of evidence collection

Enjoy and Achieve: Visits to Receiving Nurseries Abundance of evidence through observation of sessions to support this outcome. Four receiving Nurseries visited – one interview with Head, three with nursery teachers. None of the Nurseries formally identified families who had accessed Sure Start services Two Nurseries were able to identify families using informal methods Through informal identification… Two Nurseries were confident Sure Start had impacted on children’s readiness for Nursery: e.g. independence, confidence One Nursery was confident Sure Start had impacted on parent’s partnership with school

Interim Findings The early years and childcare service has significant impact on the families who access the service. The service works in partnership with other service providers and clinicians, both within Sure Start, and within the mainstream - mainly through Health Visitors. The service both supports and is supported by the work of clinicians. The service delivers the requirements of four of the five Every Child Matters outcomes comprehensively. Further links with receiving Nurseries could be beneficial to ensure professional information can be shared and more families reached.