At this time of huge change for the sector, the National Children's Centre & Extended School Show will provide a platform for delegates to share experiences, listen to new ideas, gather practical advice, get involved in interactive workshops and network with others who can help them achieve their goals.
A wealth of exhibitors will be on site at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London on 26 and 27 June including IT suppliers, training and recruitment companies and equipment suppliers. They all share a common desire to engage in debate with delegates about the best way to address their centres' and schools' challenges and concerns.
Top of the list of hot topics is bound to be the subject of sustainability. One exhibitor keen on debating this theme is the London Development Agency. A key issue that the LDA's head of childcare Denise Burke will be talking about is that of childcare flexibility.
"A number of childcare providers often get upset when I say this, but I really believe that the key to sustainability is flexibility of childcare and the need for providers to start seeing themselves primarily as service providers, not early educationalists," she says. "They have to remember that parents are buying a service and any provider has to meet the customer's needs. At the moment it is a struggle for parents to find flexible childcare."
Burke knows her strong views might ruffle a few feathers at the show but she implores delegates to share their thoughts with the LDA. At its stand, the LDA will be able to reveal the results of its Childcare Affordability Pilot Programme - which provides evidence of the success of flexible childcare - as well as unveil the findings of research commissioned from the Daycare Trust on the subject of parents trying to access services for children with special needs and disabilities.
Another exhibitor hoping to enter a debate, and potentially change minds, is IT provider Tribal. According to Tony Baxter, children's services business development manager at the company, many professionals working in early years settings are using the free database Ichis, supplied by the Department for Education and Skills. He believes this is a recipe for disaster when, in a few years, integration with other services such as healthcare becomes more important.
"A lot of people are buying standalone systems, such as Ichis, and it isn't the right way forward," he explains. "People who use these will struggle to get continuity of data - they won't be able to share their data with other key professionals, such as those working in health and social services." Because Ichis is a standalone system, explains Baxter, it is not geared up to deal with the amount of information-sharing needed in this rapidly changing market.
Of course, Baxter argues that his company's software offers a solution to fully integrating data between different organisations so families can be cross-referenced and no child is "lost" in the childcare system. It can also link up with DfES child database ContactPoint, which will hold the name of every child in England.
Changing times
Another exhibitor using the show to release research findings is the Daycare Trust. On its stand, delegates can find out about its research into the views of lone parents, ethnic groups and parents with disabled children.
The trust's events and marketing officer Celia Joseph urges delegates to stop by the stand to share their views: "We'd like attendees to tell us their top three recommendations for what we should include in our 21st Anniversary Manifesto to achieve the Daycare Trust vision of childcare for all." Joseph says the trust's stand will offer information on childcare costs, outreach to parents, sustainability and integration.
Many exhibitors are focusing on showcasing real-life case studies of what strategies have worked (and which have failed) in children's centres and extended schools. Together For Children, for instance, will be giving visitors to its stand the opportunity to see practical examples of how it is supporting local authorities with initiatives such as tailored delivery support plans, workshops and its bespoke web-based project management tool for children's centre development.
Similarly, exhibitor Schoolfriendetc will talk to delegates about how it can provide after school/breakfast/holiday clubs to schools, how it can deliver training to staff at NVQ Level 2 and 3 in playwork, and its array of activity workshops in schools from art to drama to sport. Fiona Mortlock, head of childcare services at Schoolfriendetc, says: "We will be able to talk about how we recruit locally and how we eventually intend to set up a national recruitment network aimed specifically at extended schools and service providers, especially playworkers for after-school clubs."
Among the exhibitors, there will also be consultancies, such as Hempsall Consultancies. If you've never used consultants or are wary of what value they can add, this show offers an ideal opportunity to find out more with no strings attached. Sue Foreman, assistant director at Hempsall Consultancies, lists some of the key topics that she expects to be discussed, such as the national political situation and how that might impact on the sector; the outcome of the spending review; and marketing of children's services. "Our trainers, researchers and consultants will be available to offer information and discuss all these issues," she says.
As Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children says, there are so many "enormous" changes happening in childcare that delegates and exhibitors will not be short of conversation at the show. However, after sustainability, she believes integration and developing partnerships will be two of the most hotly debated topics. She lists a few of the major questions that 4Children, exhibitors and delegates alike, will be seeking to address: "How can we move our centres on from an aspiration to something that is grounded in practice, with health, schools and social services all packaged together for children? How can centres do more to develop partnerships, especially in secondary schools? How can centres develop partnerships with health and social care and the crucial voluntary sector? How can local authorities build and grow a vibrant sector?"
While there are no quick answers to these questions, this show is a step in the right direction to finding solutions that work for all parties involved.
WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND
It's free
The National Children's Centre & Extended School Show is the first exhibition that truly represents thenew integrated children's services profession, which brings together practitioners from childcare, health, education and social care. It's free to attend, if youregister online in advance (www.nccess.co.uk).
Offers clear advice
Launched by Children Now in partnership with ContinYou and 4Children, the National Children's Centre & Extended Schoo- Show will give those taskedwith providing children centres and extended schools clear, practical advice from key industry suppliers and fellow professionals onhow to go about implementing and developing this policy.
Workshops and speakers
Visitors will be able to interact with a wide range of exhibitors (see floorplan, page 30) and choose from more than 40 workshops to attend (see page 28).
Encourages debate
With the introduction of the Every Child Matters green paper and the investment of more than 900 million by the Government into this sector over the next four years, children's services are changing. Childcare, education, health and social care professionals will no longer work in isolation but together in order to provide an integrated, consistent and inclusive level of service.
PARENTS' THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S CENTRES
"I use the centre at weekends when I attend the dads' group with my children. We are made to feel very welcome. We have been on trips with the group where I can socialise with other dads" - Name withheld
"We felt supported at the centre and this was also mental support for me as I had post-natal depression" - Kristen Green
"The staff at the centre have nurtured my child's imagination, curiosity and enthusiasm for learning" - Mari Williams
"I was at the end of a 12-year relationship with an abusive partner. The group was very welcoming even though I hardly spoke. My son Stephen loved coming" - Fiona
Thanks to Pen Green
CHILDREN'S THOUGHTS ON EXTENDED SCHOOLS
"I'd like to go to the dad's group. I'd like something similar for a mum's group because my dad can't go" - Firas Ashraf, 9
"I like football and cricket. I like making new friends" - Zeeshan Mahmood, 11
"I like fitness club and computer club" - Shabaaz Ayaz, 8
"I like the cookery club and learning with my parents" - Saarah Basharat, 10
"I go to Spanish club, violin, breakfast club, computer club and the family literacy club. My favourite is the family learning club because I get to come with my mums" - Mohammed Abdullah, 8
"I go to the computer club and the chill-out club. We play games at the chill-out club" - Shahoora Butt, 9
Thanks to Marsden, Community Primary School, Nelson, Lancashire.
