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EarlyChildhoodResearchCentre

ReviewofOccupationalRoleProfilesinIrelandinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare

MathiasUrbanSueRobson

ValeriaScacchiUniversityofRoehampton

EarlyChildhoodResearchCentre(ECRC)RoehamptonLane|London|SW155PJ

UnitedKingdom

mathias.urban@roehampton.ac.uk

London,April2017

TableofContents

1. AcoreprofilefortheearlychildhoodprofessioninIreland.............................5

2. NoteonTerminology.....................................................................................10

3. Introductionandbackground........................................................................103.1. AconstantlychangingEarlyChildhoodpolicycontext......................................................103.2. Progressinkeyareas.........................................................................................................................113.3. Systemicchallenges...........................................................................................................................113.4. Internationalpolicycontext...........................................................................................................12

3. Methodologyanddatasources.....................................................................133.1. Datasources..........................................................................................................................................133.2. Dataanalysis.........................................................................................................................................143.3. Ethicalconsiderations.......................................................................................................................14

4. Literaturereview...........................................................................................144.1. SystemicapproachestodevelopingEarlyChildhoodEducationandCaresystems 14CoReProjectRationaleandResearchApproach...............................................................................16DefinitionofKeyTerms.................................................................................................................................16

4.2. GovernanceandtheEarlyChildhoodProfession..................................................................18Governance.........................................................................................................................................................19Governanceinthecontextofeducation.................................................................................................19GovernanceinECEC........................................................................................................................................19Professionalism.................................................................................................................................................20ProfessionalIdentity.......................................................................................................................................21Teacheridentity...............................................................................................................................................23SocialIdentity....................................................................................................................................................23Leadership..........................................................................................................................................................24ProfessionalQualifications..........................................................................................................................25ProfessionalDevelopment............................................................................................................................26

5. PolicyReview................................................................................................305.1. Thecurrentplan..................................................................................................................................305.1.1. Whatismeantbyquality?...........................................................................................................305.1.2. Howcanaqualityworkforcebedevelopedandsustained?Whoisinvolved?.....31

5.2. Policymessagessince2010............................................................................................................325.2.1. Whatismeantbyquality?...........................................................................................................325.2.2. Howcanaqualityworkforcebedevelopedandsustained?Whoisinvolved?.....34

6. Stakeholderinterviews..................................................................................376.1. Analysisofinterviews.......................................................................................................................376.2. WhatismeantbyqualityinanIrishEarlyChildhoodcontext?......................................38

6.2.1. Askilledworkforce..........................................................................................................................386.2.2. AistearandSíoltaframeworks...................................................................................................396.2.3. Investment..........................................................................................................................................406.2.4. OccupationalRoleProfiles............................................................................................................40

6.3. Howcanaqualityworkforcebedevelopedandsustained?Whoisinvolved?...............416.3.1. Collectiveviews.................................................................................................................................416.3.2. Careerpathsandprogressionroutes.......................................................................................426.3.3. Individualandcollectiveactivity................................................................................................436.3.4. Barrierstotraining..........................................................................................................................43

6.4. Systemicchallengesandopportunities.........................................................................................44

7. Consultationandfeedback............................................................................46

8. Consolidatedfindings:towardsarevisedframeworkofOccupationalRoleProfiles.................................................................................................................478.1. Consolidatedfindings........................................................................................................................478.1.1. Professionalism,professionalisationandprofessionalidentity..................................478.1.2. Evaluation,monitoringandinspection.................................................................................48

8.2. KeyareasforrevisedOccupationalRoleProfiles.................................................................498.2.1. GenericcharacteristicsoftheECECworkforce..................................................................498.2.1.1. Overcomingthetensionbetweenformalqualificationandexperience..............49

8.2.2. Coreknowledgeareas...................................................................................................................508.2.3. Pathwaystoprofessionalisationandsystemicdevelopment......................................528.3. OccupationalRoleProfiles:towardsarevisedframework..............................................53

9. Towardsacompetentsystem:furtherconsiderations...................................549.1. Leadershipandcoordinationatgovernmentlevel..............................................................549.2. Leadershipandcoordinationatprofessionallevel..............................................................549.3. Monitoring,evaluationandqualityassurance.......................................................................559.4. Comprehensivereviewofrecent,current,andplannedinitiatives..............................559.5. Investmentinresearchinfrastructure.......................................................................................559.6. Supportforprofessionalidentity.................................................................................................56

TheEarlyChildhoodResearchCentre(ECRC)........................................................57Theresearchteam...........................................................................................................................................57MathiasUrban..................................................................................................................................................58SueRobson..........................................................................................................................................................58ValeriaScacchi..................................................................................................................................................59

Appendices..........................................................................................................60Appendix1–Programme,ConsultationeventatDublinCastle,19thNovember2016.....60Appendix2–Feedbackfromdiscussion,Consultationevent19thNovember2016..........61

References...........................................................................................................65

1. AcoreprofilefortheearlychildhoodprofessioninIreland

Acommonprofileforallmembersoftheprofession

TheaimistodeveloptheIrishearlychildhoodcareandeducationsectorintoagenuineCompetentSystem.Acentralrequirementforachievingthisgoalisasharedorientationforallpractitionersworkingwithchildrenfrombirthtoeightyears,regardlessofoccupa-tionalstatus,jobtitleandlevelofformalqualification.

TheconceptofCompetentSystemsinearlychildhoodhasbeendevelopedbytheCoReproject–aninternationalstudythatinvestigatedCompetenceRequirementsinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCareonbehalfoftheEuropeanCommission(Urban,Vandenbroeck,VanLaere,Lazzari,&Peeters,2011).

Centraltoacompetentsystemisthatsharedorientationsarenotonlyrequiredofpracti-tioners‘ontheground’butofallprofessionalsandinstitutionsthattogetherconstitutetheearlychildhoodsystem:earlychildhoodsettings,trainingandprofessionalprepara-tion,research,regulationandgovernance,inspectionandevaluation.

Agenericratherthanprescriptiveprofile

Professionalcompetenceunfoldsininteractionsandrelationshipsbetweenpractitionerscarryingoutdifferentrolesinthesystem.Therefore,accordingtoCoRedata,professionalprofilesshouldbeframedingeneralterms,ratherthanindetailedlistsordescriptions(Urbanetal.,2011).

Knowledge(s),PracticesandValues:thethreedimensionsoftheprofessionalprofile

Thesethreeaspectsareinseparableandmutuallyinformandsupporteachother.Theyareusedhereinpluraltoemphasisethatinworkingwithyoungchildren,familiesandcom-munitiesindiversecontextstherewillalwaysbemorethanonewayofunderstanding(knowing)oracting(professionalpractice).Itisaparticularcharacteristicoftheearlychildhoodprofessionthateachpractitionerwillbeabletocriticallyreflectontheirprac-tice.Thequestiontoaskourselvesonanongoingbasisis:

AmI(arewe)doingtherightthing?Thisisfundamentallydifferenttoasking

AmI(arewe)doingthingsright?

Whatkindofknowledge?

Thefoundationforallprofessionalpracticeinearlychildhood,regardlessofthesettingoroccupationalroleissoundknowledgerelatingto

Workingwithchildren

Workingwithfamilies

Workingwithotherprofessionals

Earlychildhoodinthewiderlocal,na-tionalandinterna-

tionalcontext

Holisticunderstandingofchildren’sdevelopmentandlearningfrombirthindi-verseandchangingcontextsandinallitsphysical,emotional,social,cognitiveandspiritualdimensions

Criticalunderstandingofthesocial,culturalandpoliticalcontextofgrowingupinIrelandandglobally–includingdiversityand(in)equality,povertyandmarginalisa-tion

Athoroughunderstandingofchildren’srights

Acriticalunderstandingofone’sownroleasaprofessional,teamworker,criticallyreflectivepractitioner,andcontinuouslearner(regardlessofone’slevelofformalqualification,experience,oroccupationalrole)

AcriticalunderstandingoftheIrishearlychildhoodeducationandcaresystemanditsinstitutions,includingtheirpolicies,regulationandevaluation,administrationandmanagement

Awarenessofearlychildhoodeducationandcareinothercountries

Whatpractices?

Workingwithchildren,familiesanddiversecommunitiesnotonlyrequiresabodyofknowledgebuttheabilitytotranslatethatknowledgeintoaction.Practicesandskillsthatcharacteriseacompetentearlychildhoodpractitionerfocuson

Workingwithchildren

Workingwithfamiliesandcommunities

Workingwithotherprofes-sionalsandinstitutions

Anti-discriminatoryandAnti-biaspracticeswithchildren,familiesandlocalcom-munities,andco-workers

Democraticandparticipatorypracticeswithchildren,families,localcommunitiesandco-workers

Pedagogicalpracticesthatareappropriateforworkingwithchildrenfrombirth:caring,empathetic,child-led,andplay-andexploration-based

Practicesthatareopen-endedandexplorative(therealwaysismorethanonewayofdoingthings)

Practicesthatarecriticallyreflectiveandappropriateforworkinginhighlycom-plex,unpredictable,constantlychanginganddiversecontexts

Whichvalues?

Professionalandpersonalvaluesarethelensthroughwhichweinterpretprofessionalknowledge.Theyorientourmakingsenseoftheworldandunderpinourpractices.Valuesthatunderpincompetentprofessionalpracticewithyoungchildren,familiesandcommu-nitiesaregroundedin

Children’sandhumanrightstoorienttowardsright’s-basedpedagogiesandprac-ticeswithallchildren,familiesandcommunities

Democracyasthebasisformeaningfulparticipationofallchildren,familiesandcommunities

Respectfordiversityasthebasisforworkingtowardssocialjusticeandmoreequi-tableoutcomesforallchildren

Empathy

Earlychildhoodasapublicgoodandpublicresponsibility

IntheIrishearlychildhoodeducationandcarecontext,thesegenericareas

Knowledge(s),PracticesandValues

arespecificallyshapedthroughthethreeinterrelatedguidingframeworkdocuments

Aistear–SíoltaDiversity,EqualityandInclusionCharterandGuidelines

Professionalpractice

Aistear

Knowledge(s)

Síolta

Practices

Diversity,EqualityandInclusionCharter

Values

2. NoteonTerminologyIntheIrishcontext,theacronymsECECandECCEarebothusedtorefertotheearlychild-hoodsector,sometimesinterchangeably.Thiscanbeconfusing,asECCEisalsousedtorefertotheso-called‘freepreschoolyears’or‘ECCEscheme’.Inaninternationalcontext,howev-er,itiswidelyacceptedthatearlychildhoodservicesshouldbeconceivedfor‘allyoungchil-drenatbirthandthroughoutinfancy,duringtheirpre-schoolyears,aswellasduringthetransitiontoschool(below8years)’(EuropeanNetworkofNationalObservatoriesonChild-hood,2008).Thatmeanstheearlychildhoodsectorcatersforallchildrenfrombirth,thefreepreschool/ECCEschemedoesnot.Intheinterestofdevelopingacoherentearlychild-hoodsectorthatintegrateseducationandcareforallchildrenfrombirth,thisconfusionshouldbeavoided.ExceptfordirectquotationsfromIrishdocumentsweusethetermECECinthisdocumenttoemphasisetheneedforsuchanintegratedsystem.

3. Introductionandbackground

3.1. AconstantlychangingEarlyChildhoodpolicycontextFromJohnCoolahan’s1998ReportontheNationalForumforEarlyChildhoodEducation(Coolahan,1998),whichledtothepublicationofthewhitepaperReadytoLearn(Depart-mentofEducationandScience,1999)andtheNationalChildcareStrategy(DepartmentofJusticeEqualityandLawReform,1999)tothereviewofnationaleducationandtrainingpro-visioninEarlyChildhoodCareandEducationplannedfor2017,theEarlyChildhoodsectorinIrelandhasbeensubjecttoconstantandsubstantialpolicychangesforalmosttwodecades1.Likeinothercountries,earlychildhoodpolicydevelopmentsinIrelandhaverespondedto,andreflect,widersocietalandsocio-economicprocessesbothinthenationalandinterna-tional(e.g.EuropeanUnion)context.InIreland,thesehavebeentwodecadesofunprece-dentedeffortstodevelop,expandandsustainbetterqualityforchildrenandfamiliesinahighlyfragmentedsectorwithamultitudeofactorsfollowingdiversepracticeandpolicyagendas,andpursuingoftencontradictoryinterests.Asrecentlyas2004theOrganisationforEconomicDevelopmentandCooperation(OECD)foundthat‘NationalpolicyfortheearlyeducationandcareofyoungchildreninIrelandisstillinitsinitialstages’(OECD,2004).Notsurprisingly,theOECDreportconcludesthatmuchneededtobedone:

Significantenergiesandfundingwillneedtobeinvestedinthefieldtocreateasys-temintunewiththeneedsofafullemploymenteconomyandwithnewunderstand-ingsofhowyoungchildrendevelopandlearn.(OECD,2004)

1Policymilestonessince1998include:NationalForumforEarlyChildhoodEducation(1998);WhitePaperReadytoLearn(1999);NationalChildcareStrategy(1999);NationalChildren’sStrategy(2000),ModelFrameworkforEducation,TrainingandProfessionalDevelopment(2002);Síolta.NationalFrameworkforQuality(2004);Nation-alEconomicandSocialForumEarlyChildhoodCareandEducationreport(2005);DiversityandEqualityandInclu-sionGuidelinesforEarlyChildhoodCareandEducation(2006,revised2016);Aistear.EarlyChildhoodCurriculumFramework(2009).

ThechallengesathandareconfirmedbyinternalexpertswhotookpartintheinternationalstudyStrategiesforChangein2004/2005(Urban,2006,2007).Togivejustoneexample:

The‘EarlyChildhoodCareandEducation’(ECCE)SectorinIrelandisasinterestingasitisbewilderinginitsevolution,structure,diversity,quality,inequality,keyplayersandcontrollinginterests.(Murray,2006)

In2015,aEuropeanCommissionreportonthemacroeconomiccontextinIrelandstillpaintsapictureofmajorchallenges,especiallyfromtheperspectiveofworkingparentstryingtoaccesschildcareservicesofacceptablequalityintheprivateandvoluntarysector:

Thescatteredprovisionsforchildcaresupportarecomplicatedanddifficulttonavi-gate.Theshortcomingsofcurrentprovisionsrelatemainlytoacombinationoflowpaymentratesforchildcareproviders,limitedknowledgeoftheschemeandpracticalobstaclestoaccessingafter-schoolcare(geographicaloradministrative).Inanat-tempttoincreasethequalityofservices,anewNationalQualitySupportServicewillcommencein2015withalimitedbudgetandsmallstaff.Nobudgetwasallocatedtoup-skillchildcarestaffbeyondminimumqualifications.Childcareprogrammesgen-erallyfailtohaveasignificantimpactonincreasingaccesstoaffordableandqualitychildcare,particularlyforlow-incomefamilies.Therecentlysetupinter-departmentalgrouponchildcaremightbeseenasaplatformtodevelopmorecom-prehensivesolutionstothisproblem.(EuropeanCommission,2015,pp.60-61)

3.2. ProgressinkeyareasDespitethisratherbleakanalysisconsiderableprogresshasbeenmadeinsomekeyareas:thegeneralregulationofthesector(OfficeoftheMinisterforChildren,2006),theframingofqualityofprovision(CentreforEarlyChildhoodDevelopmentandEducation,2006),con-tent(NationalCouncilforCurriculumandAssessment,2009)andmorerecentlyinrelationtoqualityassurance(BetterStart,DCYA,2015,EarlyYearsEducationInspectors,DES2016)andthedevelopmentoftheworkforceaslaidoutinthecallforproposalsforthisproject.How-ever,asanotherinformedviewfromwithintheIrishsectorargues,rapidchangedoesnotnecessarilyresultinsustainabletransformation(Wolfe,O’Donoghue-Hynes,&Hayes,2013).

3.3. SystemicchallengesAnyrevisionofprofessionalrolesandprofilesinearlychildhoodcanonlybemeaningfulifundertakenfromaperspectivethattakestheentireearlychildhoodsystemintoaccount(EuropeanCommission,2011)andinterrogatestheabilityandwillingnessofthatsystemtotransformitselfintoacompetentsystem(Urban,Vandenbroeck,VanLaere,Lazzari,&Peeters,2012).ThereforeitispertinenttokeepinmindthecentralsystemicchallengestheIrishEarlyChildhoodSystemwillhavetoaddress.Allofthemhaveimmediateimpactontherole,professionalidentityand(self)perceptionoftheearlychildworkforce:

Governance:TheCoReproject(CompetenceRequirementsinEarlyChildhoodEdu-cationandCare)hasshownthatcompetentprofessionalpracticecanonlyunfoldinanenvironmentwhereknowledge,practicesandvaluesarecoherentacrossalllev-

elsofthesystem,includinggovernanceandadministration.Itischallengingtoseehowthiscanbeachievedinacontextwhere‘amyriadofinstitutions’(Murray,forthcoming,withreferencetoDrThomasWalsh,NationalUniversityofIreland,Maynooth)–i.e.tendifferentgovernmentDepartments-shareresponsibility,inonewayoranother,fortheearlychildhoodsector2.

Resourcing:Despiteincreasesingovernmentspending,theIrishearlychildhoodsec-torremainsunderresourcedandinthepasttherehasbeenatendencytoprioritiseshort-termincentivesforparentsoverstructuralinvestmentinservices.Thishasleadtounsustainableworkingconditionsandlevelsofpayforstaff,aswellastoservicesthatareunaffordableforusers.

Fragmentationofservices:Despiteattemptstodevelopcoherenceacrossserviceprovisionforchildrenandfamilies,thesectorremainsdividedbetweenchildcareandearlyeducationservices.Theyfollowdifferentlogicsandinterestsandmakeitdifficulttodevelopindividualandcollectiveprofessionalidentityandrepresentationacrossthesector.

Marketisationofservices:therelianceonprivate-for-profitproviders,especiallyintheso-calledchildcarepartofthesectorputssignificantstrainonpublicfinanceswithoutdeliveringqualityforall(Lloyd&Penn,2012;OECD,2001,2006).Italsomaintainsafundamentaldilemmafortheformationoftherolesandidentitiesofserviceproviders,manyofthemowner-managersofsmallservices:Childcare–BusinessorProfession?(StartStrong,2014).

3.4. InternationalpolicycontextInternally,policydevelopmentsintheIrishEarlyChildhoodsectorhaverespondedtorapidlyanddramaticallychangingdemographicsinIrishsocietyincludingmuchmorevisiblediversi-ty(McGreil,1997;Murray&Urban,2012),andashiftfromeconomicboomtobustandslowrecoveryinthewakeoftheCelticTigerfollowedbythecollapseofpublicfinances(bankingcrisis).However,thereisanexternaldimension,too.ThedevelopmentofIrishearlychild-hoodpoliciescanonlybeunderstoodinthecontextofadevelopingEuropeanUnion,OECDandwiderinternationalearlychildhoodpolicycontext.AtEUlevel,keydocumentsandiniti-ativesthathaveinfluenced(andcontinuetoinfluence)Irishdevelopmentsinclude(amongothers)theCouncilRecommendationsonChildcare(CounciloftheEuropeanCommunities,1992),the2004Barcelonatargets,the1996QualityTargetsinServicesforyoungChildren(EuropeanCommissionNetworkonChildcareandOtherMeasurestoReconcileEmploymentandFamilyResponsibilities,1996),theEUCommunicationonEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare(EuropeanCommission,2011)andtherecentEuropeanQualityFrameworkforEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare(WorkingGrouponEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare,2014).

2DepartmentofChildrenandYouthAffairs;DepartmentofEducation;DepartmentofFinance;DepartmentofPublicExpenditureandReform;DepartmentofHealth;DepartmentofJustice,EqualityandLawReform;HealthServiceExecutive;DepartmentofArts,HeritageandtheGaeltacht;DepartmentoftheEnvironmentCommunityandLocalGovernment;andDepartmentofSocialProtection

Thelasttwodocumentsareofparticularrelevancefortheproposedreviewofoccupationalroleprofilesbecausetheyexplicitlystatethatprofessionalisingtheearlychildhoodwork-forcerequiressystemicapproachestoprofessionalisation.Bothdocumentsdrawontheconceptofcompetentsystem,developedbytheauthorofthisproposalbasedonthefind-ingsofaninternationalresearchprojectfundedbytheEuropeanCommission:CompetenceRequirementsinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare(CoRe)(Urban,Vandenbroeck,VanLaere,Lazzari,&Peeters,2011a;Urbanetal.,2012).Thedimensionsofprofessionalcompe-tencedevelopedinthisproject–knowledge,practicesandvalues–willserveasastartingpointfortheproposedreview.

TheconceptofacompetentsystemdevelopedintheCoReprojecthasbeenmetwithfa-vourablereceptionandinterestinawiderangeofinternationalcontexts.Ithasinformedlocal(e.g.CityofUtrecht,TheNetherlands)aswellasnational(e.g.Germany,Colombia)Ear-lyChildhoodpolicydevelopments.TheEarlyChildhoodResearchCentre(ECRC)attheUni-versityofRoehampton,London,incollaborationwitharesearchteambasedatUniversidadNacionaldeColombia,Bogotá,hasrecentlyconductedCoRe-Colombia:areviewofprofes-sionalprofilesforanintegratedworkforceinColombia(FlorézRomeroetal.,2013).

We(ECRC)arecurrentlyconductinganinternational,11-countryresearchprojecton‘com-petentsystemsinearlychildhood’thatinvestigatesaspectsofgovernanceandprofessionalcompetenceinearlychildhoodsystemsincountriesindifferentregionsoftheworld:Co-lombia,Chile,Uruguay,Mongolia,Italy,TheNetherlands,Bulgaria,Switzerland,UnitedKing-dom,Germany,NewZealand.

WeenvisagethatthereviewoftheIrishoccupationalroleprofileswillbenefitfrombeingcarriedoutinthewidercontextoftheseprojects.

3. Methodologyanddatasources

3.1. DatasourcesThereviewofOccupationalRoleProfilesinthisreportisbasedonseveralsourcesofinfor-mation:

1. Areviewofrelevantinternationalliterature.ThereviewdrawsonsourcesidentifiedintheoriginalCoReproject(Urbanetal.,2011a;Urban,Vandenbroeck,VanLaere,Lazzari,&Peeters,2011b).Inaddition,ittakesintoconsiderationsourcesrelatingmorebroadlytotopicsliketherelationshipbetweenprofessionalism,professionalqualifications,professionaldevelopmentandgovernanceinearlychildhoodsys-tems.ThisfacilitatesaframingofthereviewandrevisionofIrishOccupationalPro-fileRolesinthecontextofrecentandongoingresearch,andtodrawconclusionsfortheIrishsectorbasedonup-to-dateinternationalexperiences.

2. AcontentanalysisofpertinentIrishpolicydocuments.Thefocusoftheanalysisisinparticularonwhateachdocumenthastocontributetothedebateonworkforcede-velopment.Themesandcategoriesderivedfromtheanalysishavebeenusedtocodetheinterviewtranscriptions(seebelow)inordertosupportcross-referencing.

3. Conversationswithkeystakeholders.Weconductedinterviewswithanumberofse-lectedactorsintheIrishECECsector,inordertocollectanddocumentdifferentpro-fessionalperspectivesontheECECworkforce.

4. Feedbackgatheredat(preliminary)consultationevent.OnSaturday,19thNovember2016theDepartmentforEducationandSkills,EarlyYearsPolicyUnit,hostedacon-sultationeventinDublinCastle.Approximately100participantstookpartintheevent.ParticipantsrepresentedabroaddiversityofactorsintheIrishECECsector:practitioners,provider-owners,provider-andprofessionalassociations,educationandtraining,policy.

3.2. DataanalysisWegathereddatafromfoursources(seeabove),whichweanalysedinoverlappingstages:

1. ThereviewofinternationalliteratureprovidedalensfortheanalysisoftheIrishpolicycontext

2. TheanalysisofIrishpolicydocumentsresultedinthemesandcategoriesthatweresub-sequentlyappliedtotheinterviewtranscripts

3. Feedbackgatheredfromroundtablediscussionsattheconsultationeventprovidedad-ditionalinformationthatsupportedtheidentificationofkeyaspectsoftheOccupationalRoleProfilesthatwesuggestrequirerevision.

3.3. EthicalconsiderationsEthicalclearancehavebeensoughtfromtheUniversityofRoehampton’sethicscommittee,andallactivitiesoftheprojecthavebeencarriedoutinaccordancewiththeUniversity’sethicspoliciesandproceduresavailableonhttp://www.roehampton.ac.uk/Research/Ethics/.

4. Literaturereview

4.1. SystemicapproachestodevelopingEarlyChildhoodEducationandCaresystems3

In2011theEuropeanCommission’sDirectorateGeneralforEducationandCulturepub-lishedadocumentthataimedatbringingtogetherkeyargumentsandevidenceaboutthebenefitsofEarlyChildhoodEducationandCareservicesforchildren,familiesandwidersoci-etyforEuropeanUnionmemberstates–provideditidof‘highquality’.TheEUCommunica-tionEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare:Providingallourchildrenwiththebeststartfortheworldoftomorrow(EuropeanCommission,2011)addsonecrucialperspectivetoanestab-lishedinternationaldebate:Inthelightofthecomplexdemandsandrequirementsarisingin

3ThefollowingsectionisbasedinpartsonanarticlepublishedbytheauthorintheEuropeanJournalofEduca-tion(Urban,M.,Vandenbroeck,M.,VanLaere,K.,Lazzari,A.,&Peeters,J.(2012).TowardsCompetentSystemsinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare.ImplicationsforPolicyandPractice.EuropeanJournalofEducation,47(4),508-526)

earlychildhoodeducationandcarethereis,thedocumentstates,aneedfora‘systemicap-proachtoprofessionalisation’(ibid,p.6).ThepositiontakenbyDGEducationinthisdocu-menthasbeenendorsedbytheEuropeanCouncil(i.e.thegovernmentsofallEUmemberstates)(CounciloftheEuropeanUnion,2011).Thisresonateswiththefindingsofaninterna-tionalresearchprojectthatexploredCompetenceRequirementsinEarlyChildhoodEduca-tionandCare(Urbanetal.,2011a).TheCoReproject4concludedthatinordertoachievesustainablechange(Urban,2007)inearlychildhoodeducationandcaresystemsashiftoffocusisneeded,fromtheindividualpractitionertothesystemicrelationshipsbetweenallactorsandinstitutions.Inconsequence,theCoReprojectreferstothepossibilityofbuildingandmaintainingaCompetentSystem(Urbanetal.,2011a,2012).

Thereisabroadconsensusamongresearchers,practitioners,andpolicymakersthatthequalityofearlychildhoodservices–andultimatelytheoutcomesforchildrenandfamilies–dependsonwell-educated,experiencedand‘competent’staff.Butwhatexactlymakesacompetentearlychildhoodpractitioner?Howcancompetencebeunderstood,anditsdevel-opmentsupported,inthehighlycomplexanddemandingfieldofworkingprofessionallywithyoungchildren,familiesandcommunities?Whatapproachesdodifferentcountriestake,andwhatlessonscanbelearntfrompracticesdevelopedbypractitioners,trainingin-stitutionsandpolicymakersacrossEurope?

Thestudyon‘CompetenceRequirementsinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare’(CoRe)ex-ploredconceptualisationsof‘competence’andprofessionalisminearlychildhoodpracticeandidentifiedsystemicconditionsfordeveloping,supportingandmaintainingcompetenceatalllayersoftheearlychildhoodsystem.TheEuropeanCommissionDirectorate-GeneralforEducationandCulturecommissionedtheresearchconductedbetweenJanuary2010andMay2011.InthelightofthefindingsandintensiveconsultationwithkeystakeholdersinECECinEurope,CoRehasdevelopedpolicyrecommendations.TheCoReresearchteamwassupportedbyaninternationalexpertadvisoryteamandcollaboratedcloselywiththreeEu-ropeanandinternationalprofessionalnetworks:DiversityinEarlyChildhoodEducationandTraining(DECET),InternationalStepbyStepAssociation(ISSA)andChildreninEurope(CiE).ThesenetworksrepresentthefieldofECECinallEU27MemberStatesandcandidatecoun-tries.Inaddition,afourthinternationalprofessionalnetwork(EducationInternational)broughtitsstrongworkforceandteachingunions'perspective.Locally-basedbutinterna-tionallyrenownedresearcherscontributedtotheprojectbyprovidingcriticalinsightsintothepoliciesoftheircountriesandthroughcasestudiesofpracticesindifferentEuropeanlocations.TheaimofCoRewastoprovidepolicy-relevantinformation,adviceandcasestud-ieswithregardtothecompetencesrequiredfortheECECworkforce,andsupportcompe-tencedevelopmentfromasystemicperspective.

4CompetenceRequirementsinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare(CoRe)wasjointlyconductedbytheUniversi-tyofEastLondon,UK(leadinstitution)andtheUniversityofGent,Belgium.ItwasfundedbytheEuropeanCommission,DirectorateGeneralforEducationandCulture.MathiasUrbanwasthecoordinator/PrincipalIn-vestigatoroftheprojectfortheUniversityofEastLondon.HehassincemovedtotheUniversityofRoehampton,London,UK.

CoReProjectRationaleandResearchApproachTheCoReteamconductedanoriginalstudygroundedininternationalresearchonquality,competencesandprofessionalisminearlychildhood.AtEuropeanlevel,14MemberStatesandonecandidatecountrywereincludedinasurvey,andsevendetailedcasestudieswereconducted.Recommendationsforactionatthevariouslayersoftheearlychildhoodsystem,includingthelevelofEuropeanpolicy,weredeveloped.Theanalysisoftheliterature,to-getherwithexperiencesgatheredinthecasestudiesandthesurveyofcompetenceprofilesfortheECECworkforceacrossEuropeenabledusto‘map’areasofpolicyandpracticewhereactioncanandshouldbetaken.Thesewerediscussedwithkeyactorsinthefield(asrepresentedbythecollaboratorsofthisproject)andhaveledtorecommendationsforpoli-cyandpracticeto:

• promoteprofessionalisminearlychildhoodacrossalllayersoftheprofessionalsys-tem,includingpractice,management,qualificationandtraining,andresearch

• improvepre-andin-servicetrainingoftheECECworkforce• developanunderstandingofqualificationrequirementsfortheECECworkforcethat

sharescommonvaluesandrespectsthediversityofapproachestorealisethemacrossEurope.

CoReadoptedamulti-methodapproach(Creswell&PlanoClark,2007)inthreeprojectstagesthatmutuallyinformedeachother:aliteraturereviewofinternationalpolicydocu-mentsandacademicpublications,asurveyamongexpertsinthisfieldin15EUcountries,andsevenin-depthcasestudies.

DefinitionofKeyTermsExploringtherelationshipbetweenprofessionalisationandqualityinearlychildhood,COREinevitablydealswithtermsandconceptsthatarekeytotheacademicandpolicydebateinthefield,buthighlycontested.Howtounderstand,define,developandevaluatethequalityofprovisioniscertainlyoneofthesecontestedterms(Dahlberg,Moss,&Pence,2007).Simi-larly,professionalism–morespecificallywhotheprofessionalsareandhowtheyacquiretheirprofessionalism–hasdifferentmeaningsaccordingtoone’sbackgroundandperspec-tive(andvestedinterest)inthedebate(Urban,2010).Itisnecessary,therefore,toprovidesomeworkingdefinitionsofhowquality,beingandbecomingprofessionalareunderstoodinthecontextofthisstudy:

Qualityofprovision–systemic,dynamicandprocessual

CurrentEUearlychildhoodeducationandcarepoliciesrecognisethattheprovisionmustbeofhighqualitytobeeffective(EuropeanCommission,2011;Eurydice,2009).Butwhatcon-stituteshighqualityinECECisacomplex,andoftencontradictorymatter(Penn,2009).Arichbodyofliteratureprovidesevidenceofanongoinginternationaldebatethat,sincethe1990s,hasarguedaboutwhattheaspectsofthequalityconstructare,howtheyarerelated,andhowtheycanbestbeevaluatedanddeveloped(Dahlberg,Moss,&Pence,1999;Dahl-bergetal.,2007;Pence&Moss,1994;Penn,2011).AnydiscussionaboutqualityinECECshouldencompasstheregularreviewofunderstandingsandpracticesfortheimprovementofservicesinever-changingsocietalconditions(Penn,2009).Hence,qualityneedstobe

consideredasacontinuousprocess.Internationally,theOECDhasbeenamainactorindrawingattentiontotheimportanceofqualityearlychildhoodservicesandsystems.TheStartingStrongreports(OECD,2001,2006)placethequestionofqualityinthecontextofdemocraticECECgovernanceandsuggestsamulti-dimensionalapproachtounderstanding,developingandassessingqualitythattakesintoaccounttheperspectiveofallstakeholders(OECD,2006,pp.127-129).

TheCoReworkingdefinitionofqualitystronglysupportsthisview.Fromanexplicitsys-temicperspectivetheauthorsarguethattheacknowledgementoftheimportanceoftheactors(practitioners,children,familiesetc.)andtheirinteractionsforestablishingqualityonadaytodaybasisrequiresemphasisontherelationalandprocessualaspectsofquality.Hence,theyconsiderqualitytobeamulti-dimensionalandgenericconstruct.Itunfolds–andhastobeproactivelydeveloped–inatleastfivedimensions:

- experiencesofandoutcomesforchildren(e.g.ofbelonging,involvement,well-being,meaning-making,achievement)

- experiencesofparentsandcarers(e.g.ofbelonging,involvement,well-beingandmeaning-making,butalsoaccessibilityandaffordability)

- interactions(e.g.betweenadultsandchildren,betweenchildren,betweenpracti-tionersandparents,betweenteammembers,butalsobetweeninstitutions,ECECandlocalcommunities,professions,practice,research,professionalpreparationandgovernance)

- structuralconditions(adult/childratio,groupsize,space,environment,playmateri-als,butalsopaid‘non-contact’time,continuousprofessionaldevelopment,supportforpractitionerresearchandcriticallyreflectivepractice)

- systemsofevaluation,monitoringandqualityimprovement(e.g.internalandexter-nalevaluation,systematicallyincludingtheviewsofallstakeholders,initiatedandsupportedbyserviceprovidersandlocalorcentralauthorities.

Asystemic,dynamicandprocessualdefinitionofqualityandanemphasisondialogueandnegotiationdonotopenthewaytounconditionalrelativism(‘anythinggoes’)norlosesightof‘outcomes’.Onthecontrary,theCoReauthorsinsistthatoutcomes(forchildren,families,communitiesandthebroadersociety)arecrucial;theywillbefoundineachofthedimen-sionsoutlinedabove.Theyneedtobesystematicallyevaluatedanddocumented,butcannotbepredeterminedwithoutnegotiationwithallstakeholders.

Thisconceptualisationofqualityencompasses‘values,implicitideologies,subjectiveperceptionsandsocialconstructionsreflectingdifferentcultures[…]experiences,academictraditions,socialneedsandexpectations’(Bondioli&Ghedini,2000).Qualityinthisfieldneedstobeconceptualisedasaresultofaprocessofconstantnegotiationbetweenallac-torsinvolvedinECECinstitutions(Dahlbergetal.,2007;EuropeanCommissionNetworkonChildcareandOtherMeasurestoReconcileEmploymentandFamilyResponsibilities,1996).Universal,decontextualisedapproachestendtoresultintechnocraticandmanagerialpro-ceduresthatarenotappropriateforthecomplexityofearlychildhoodprofessionalpractice.

However‘whileweneedtoremaincriticalaboutqualityanditsimplicationsforpractice,inabroaderpolicycontext,arguingforbetterqualitycanbeaneffectivedrivingforce’(Urban,2008,p.138).TheCoRestudyrelatestheconceptofqualitytoprofessionalism.Itemphasis-esthatitisconcernedwiththeeconomic,socialandeducationalfunctionsofECECandthatitunfoldsatallfourlevelsofacompetentECECsystem.

Professionalsandpractitioners

Titles,jobdescriptionsandprofilesofthoseworkingwithyoungchildrenandfamiliesvarywidelyacrossEurope(Oberhuemer,Schreyer,&Neuman,2010)andthereisacorrespond-ingvarietyofservicesandqualifications.Jobtitlesincludeteachers,teachingassistants,ed-ucators,childcareworkers,withmanydifferentvariations,evenwithinonecountry(Adams,2005).CoRegenerallysubsumesthedifferentrolesinthetermpractitioner,whichincludesallthosewhoworkinECECsettingsthatprovidenon-parentaleducationandcareforchil-drenundercompulsoryschoolage.Theseservicesincludechildcarecentres,nurseries,nurseryschools,kindergartens,varioustypesofage-integratedcentresandfamilydaycareprovidedbyhome-basedworkers.

Becomingprofessional:practitionereducation

PractitionereducationinthecontextoftheCoRestudyreferstoanyformofprofessionalpreparationandcontinuouslearningthatenhancethecompetenceofearlychildhoodprac-titioners.Theseprocessesareusuallyreferredtoastraining,atermwhichoftenconveyslimitedmeaningsofprofessionalpreparationanddevelopment.AsOberhuemer(2005,p.7)notes,thetermhas‘increasinglytakenonatechnical,competencies-and-skillsconnotationintheeducationalfieldandfailstodojusticetothewiderreachingaimsofprofessionalisa-tionasidentifiedbytheresearchcommunity’.The‘technicalconnotations’oftrainingpointtoa‘particularconceptoflearningthroughinstruction,repetitivepractice,etc.,itisaboutacquiringskillstodelivertechnologies.[…]Itsconnotationscontradicttheveryessenceofprofessionalandeducationalpracticeasatransformativepracticeofmutualdependenceandrespect,co-constructionandsharedmeaningmakingbetweenhumanbeings’(Urban,2008,p.150).Instead,CoReemphasisesthetransformativepotentialofprofessionalprac-tices,whichareconstantlyco-constructed,de-constructedandreconstructedintherela-tionshipswithchildren,familiesandlocalcommunities.CoReusesthetermpractitionered-ucationasagenerictermthatincludesinitialprofessionalpreparation(qualifyingornotqualifyingprofessionalisingroutesundertakenbeforeoneisinvolvedinpractice)andcon-tinuingprofessionaldevelopment(in-servicecourses,teamsupervision,tutoring,pedagogi-calguidance,counselling…).

4.2. GovernanceandtheEarlyChildhoodProfessionAkeyaspectoftheCompetentSystemapproachistheemphasisgiventothegovernanceoftheearlychildhoodeducationandcaresystem.Asthishasparticularrelevanceforpoliciesconcerningtheprofessionalisationoftheearlychildhoodworkforce,weincludeaspectsofgovernanceineducationinthisliteraturereview.WefocusspecificallyonthefieldofEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare(ECEC)andconsiderconceptsofprofessionalismandleader-shipinECEC,aswellasprofessionalidentityofeducators.Otherissuesthatareexploredare

discussionsandinternationalperspectivesaroundqualificationsforECECeducatorsandPro-fessionalLearningandDevelopment(PLD).

GovernanceThetermgovernancecanbrieflybedefinedastheestablishmentofpolicies,andcontinuousmonitoringoftheirproperimplementation,bythemembersofthegoverningbodyofanorganisation.Itincludesthemechanismsrequiredtobalancethepowersofthememberstoenhancetheprosperityandviabilityoftheorganization.Governance,asdefinedbytheCouncilofEurope(2005:31)includes‘theprocessesandinstitutionsbywhichrevealedval-uesandpreferencestranslateintocollectiveactionsthatenhancethesecurity,prosperityandmoraldevelopmentofagroupanditsindividualmembership’.HoweverasNoulaetal.(2015)explain,theconceptofgovernanceisacomplexconcepttobedefined,theCouncilofEuropecommitteeofministers(2010)stressessomeadditionalconceptssuchashumanrights,democracyandactiveparticipationintheirdefinition,whereteachingandlearningpracticesshouldfollowthepromotionofhumanrights,valuesandprinciplesfosteringtheempowermentandactiveparticipationoflearners,educationalstaff,stakeholdersandpar-ents.Ball(2008)providesanotherdefinitionofgovernance,notmarkedlydissimilarfromtheoneshighlightedabovebutnonethelessinterestingtoconsider,heillustrateshowthemeaningofgovernanceimpliestheinclusionofallsectors,public,privateandvoluntaryintoactiontosolvespecificproblemsfacedbythecommunity.Moreover,Bevir(2012)illustrateshowthetermgovernanceinamoregeneralsenseisusedtoexplainprocessesofgoverningoriginatingfromdifferentsourcessuchasgovernments,markets,networks,formalorin-formalorganizationfocusingonsocialpracticesandactivities.Thetermgovernanceisstrict-lyrelatedtoanimportantshiftinpublicorganization,withgovernmentsincreasinglyrelyingonprivateandvoluntarysectoractorstodeliverservices,aviewthatisparticularlyperti-nentintheeducationsectorandevenmoreimportantfortheECECsectorbecauseofitscharacteristicofextremefragmentation(Bevir,2012).

GovernanceinthecontextofeducationInthedomainofeducationNeuman(2005)describesgovernanceasaprimarilyendogenousprocessbecauseoftheinfluencethatinternalchangessuchasthedifferentactorsinthepolicymakingprocessandlocalgovernmentsshiftshaveonthesystemofgovernanceined-ucation.Jamesetal.(2008),promotestheviewofeducationgovernanceasanetworkwiththepowerofbringingindividualstogetherbothfromwithintheeducationalsystemandfromthewidercommunityconsideringtheircapabilities,relationshipsandmotivations.NetworksashighlightedbyJamesetal.(2008)asservingaspolicydevices,ononehandasmeansofimplementingpracticalinnovationsandnewsensibilitiesintoareasthatarecon-sideredresistanttochangeandadversetoriskand,interestingly,ontheotherhandasawayofpilotingamovetowardaformofpost-welfareeducationalsysteminwhichthestatemonitorsprovisionbutdoesnotactuallydelivereducationservicesitself(Ball,2008).

GovernanceinECECInrecentyearsthegovernanceofeducationsystemsaroundtheworldhasexperiencedaseriesofmajorshiftsandchangesthathaveredefineditsnature(Balarin2014).Asaresultquestionsabouttheeffectsthatthisnewunderstandingofgovernanceineducationishav-ingontherolethateducationcanplayindevelopingcitizenship,socialjusticeandsocialco-

hesionhavebeenraisedanddeservesomeconsideration(Robertson,2009).Theshiftfromgovernmenttogovernancecanbeinterpretedasashiftfromaunitarystatetogovernanceachievedbynetworks(Ball,2008).

ThemajorityofstudiesoneducationgovernancehavenotaffordedECECtheattentionitdeservesforavarietyofreasons.OntheonehanditcouldbearguedthatsomeECECser-vicesareseenasnotbeingpartoftheeducationalfieldfallingunderthehealthandsocialarenaofservicesforyoungchildren,ontheotherhand,theindifferencetowardECECre-flectstherealitythatinmanycountriesthepre-schoolperiodofeducationhasnotbeenconsideredtobeamajorforceintheeducationalreform(Neuman,2005).ThestudyonCompetenceRequirementsinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare(CoRe)hashighlightedhowaprogressiveshiftinEuropeanpoliticalagendashashappened,whereasbeforethemotiveforinvestinginECECwasprincipallydrivenbysocio-economicapprehensionsoveremploymentcompetivenessandgenderequality,morerecentlyquestionsofsocialjustice,governanceinEarlyChildhoodsystems,socialcohesionandequalityofeducationaloppor-tunitieshavebeencomeintopower(Urbanetal.,2011).ThisisalsoemphasisedbyNiron(2013)whoarguesthatqualityinECECserviceshasmadeearlychildhoodthetargetareaforpublicpolicyabouttherolethatgovernanceplaysindeterminingaccess,qualityandequityinECECservicesintheinternationalpolicyagenda.

GovernanceisacrucialcomponentofECECsystemsbecauseofitspowertodeterminewhetherornottheservicesofferedareconsistentinquality,affordability,andpertinenttothelocalcommunity(Neuman,2005).AfocusongovernanceinECECcanhelptoensurepol-icymakingcoherencyofcross-governmentalagenciesmakingtheECECsystemeasiertonav-igateforfamilies(Neuman,2005).

ProfessionalismInthediscussionaboutwhatprofessionalismisitisimportanttodifferentiatebetweentwoimportantconcepts:industryandaprofession,theformeraimedatprovidingreturnstoshareholderswhilethelatterwasconcernedwiththeserviceperformedandnotthegainproduced(Crook,2008).Inthe1930sCarr-SaunderandWilsonadvisedthatwhatdescribesaprofessionalisthepossessionofintellectualskillsacquiredthroughspecialtraining(Crook,2008).Crook(2008)illustrateshowprofessionalismisessentiallyanhistoricalconstruct,ev-er-changinginitsdefinitionandtraits,anartificialconstructwhosemeaningvariesovertime.

Robson(2006)rightlyarguesthatprofessionisasociallyconstructedandcontestedtermwithdifferentmeaningsatdifferenttimesattachedbydifferentpeople.Beingaprofessionalprovidestheindividualandthecommunitythatbelongstothesamefieldwithacollectiveidentitywithagreedvalues,recognisedresponsibilitiesandacceptableorrequiredbehav-iourinthefield(Appleby,Pilkington,2014).Withintheprofessionalcommunitytheindivid-ualconstructsapersonalidentityprovidingasenseofbelongingtootherswithsharedorsimilarbeliefs,inordertobeacceptedintoaprofessionalcommunitytheindividualmustqualifyandbeexternallyacceptedbythegroup,however,onceexternalvalidationisob-tained,theremightbelittlesupportormotivationtodevelopprofessionallyinthechosenfieldofpractice.

AccordingtoMazehoovaandKourilova(2006),becomingaprofessionalhappensontwolevels,firstlyittakesplaceatastructurallevelthroughformaleducationandentryrequire-ments,secondly,ittakesplaceonanattitudinallevelorthesenseofcallingoftheindividualtothefield(Mazehoova,Kourilova,2006).AccordingtoOsgood(2008),theethicsofcareandemotionallabourwhichareconsideredtobecornerstonestopractitioners’understand-ingofthemselves,arebeingdisregardedindominantdiscoursesofprofessionalism.Accord-ingtoFrancis(2001)professionalidentityneedstobeunderstoodasanegotiated,shiftingandambiguousentitymediatedbypersonalexperienceandbeliefsaboutwhatitmeanstobeapractitionerandwhataretheindividual’saspirationsforthefuture.Ifitisacceptedthatthenotionofprofessionalismissociallyconstructed,thentherolepractitionersplayintheconstructionalsohastobeunderstoodinordertoexplorehowandiftheyacceptorresistexternalcontrol(Osgood,2008).

InastudyconductedbySmedleyandHoskins(2015)professionalismwasunderstoodtobemadeofpassiontogetherwithpracticalaccomplishments.Theversionofprofessionalismemergingfromthedataformedthreethemes:thewomen’sperceptionofthemselvesaspractitioners,theeffectofpoliticsandthewomen’srolesasadvocates.Theauthorsmakearecommendationfora‘criticalapproachtoprofessionalism(...)whichenactseducatorsasinterpretersratherthanimplementersofthestatutorycurriculum’(Smedley,Hoskins,2015:14).Thenotionofprofessionalismforteachersisapoliticalissuebecause,accordingtoSmedley(1996),itshouldbebasedonreflectionuponfundamentalissuessuchasequalityandsocialresponsibility.AccordingtoSimpson(2010)todefineprofessionalismweneedtopayattentiontoindividuals’dispositionsandorientations.

ProfessionalIdentityTheconceptofprofessionalidentityisanimportantconcepttodiscussinthisreviewofoc-cupationalroleprofilesinIrelandinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCarebecauseitiscloselyrelatedtoconceptsofleadershipinthefieldandprofessionallearninganddevelopmentofeducators.

Hall(1996)illustrateshowidentitiesareneverunifiedthusbeingincreasinglyfragmentedandfractured:identitiesareseenasbeingmultiplyconstructedacrossdifferentdiscourses,practiceandpositions.Becauseidentitiesarecreatedwithinthediscourse,weneedtoun-derstandthemasproducedinspecifichistoricalandinstitutionalsiteswithinspecificdiscur-siveformationsandpracticesbyspecificenunciativestrategies(Hall,1996).Theconceptofidentityisnegotiated,openandambiguous,sociallyconstructedcloselyrelatedtothecon-text,andsubjecttobothculturalandpoliticalinfluences.Identityisoneconceptthatmakessensebothindividuallyandcollectivelyandbecauseofthis,thediscussionaboutidentityshiftsandbecomesinsteadmorefocussedonhowcanwerelateindividualsandcollectivestoeachothersothatneitherisprivileged,neitherisreifiedorcaricaturedand,aboveall,weareenabledtounderstandbettertherealhumanword(Hall,1996).Identificationisalwaysfromapointofview,collectiveidentitiesareusuallylocatedwithinterritoriesorregions(Jenkins,2008).Whoweareandwhoweareseentobecanmatterenormously,inordertobethinkingabouttheissueofidentitywemustfirstdecidehowwedefinewhatidentityis(Jenkins,2008).Asaverybasicstartingpointidentityisthehumancapacity-closelylinkedwithlanguage-toknowwhoiswhoand,asaresult,whatiswhat(Jenkins,2008).Thisin-

volvesknowingwhoweareandknowingwhoweareseentobebyotherslookingatindi-vidualsasmembersofcollectives.Jenkins(2008)seesidentityasaprocess,assomethingwedo,ratherthansomethingthatwepossess.Anotherimportantissuetoconsideristheroleofinterestintheprocessofidentification,thefactthathowanindividualidentifieshimselfhasabearingonhowhedefineshisinterestsandhowthisindividualidentifieshimselfhasabearingonwhichinterestshewillchoosetopursue(Jenkins,2008).Thus,theprocessofidentificationcanbedefinedasabasiccognitivemechanismthathumansusetosortoutthemselvesandtheirfellows,individuallyandcollectivelyintogroups,thisbaselinesortingisfundamentaltotheorganizationofthehumanworld(Jenkins,2008).Andinterestingissuetoconsidertogetherwiththemeaningofidentityisthesenseofself,Jenkins(2008)propos-esadefinitionofareflexivesenseofhisorherownparticularidentityconstructedwithoth-ers,intermsofsimilarityanddifference,withoutwhichsheorhewouldn’tbeabletoknowwhotheyareandhowtoact.Subjectivityisaboutoursenseofselfandthemeaningsoftheexperienceslocatedinsocialanddiscursivecontextsleadtotheformationofidentity,theconceptofidentityisarguedtobeeverchanging,multi-facetedandfragmented(BurkeandJackson,2007).Thediscussionaroundtheconceptsofidentityandsubjectivityislocatedinunderstandingsofinclusionandexclusion,asnotionsofselfarealwaystiedtonotionsofothers(BurkeandJackson,2007).Preciselybecauseidentitiesareformedinadiscoursecon-texttheconceptandunderstandingofitisstrictlylinkedtobeingproducedinaspecifichis-toricalandinstitutionalsites(BurkeandJackson,2007).Theideaofinternalselfandexternalpersonisfundamentaltotheviewofidentity;identitywithoutselfhoodisimplausible(Jen-kins,2008).

Foucault(1970inHall,1996)illustratesthatwhatwerequireinordertodiscusswhatidenti-tyisandwhoneedsidentityisnotatheoryoftheknowingsubjectbutatheoryofdiscursivepractice,inordertodevelopthis,Hallsuggeststhatratherthantoabolishthesubjectthereistheneedofareconceptualizationofit.Anotherconceptcloselylinkedwithidentityisthemoresubjectiveconceptofdiscursivepracticesofidentification(Hall,1996).Semantically,theconceptofidentificationisconstructedonthebackofrecognitionofsomesortofcom-monoriginsorsharedcharacteristicswithanotherpersonorgroup,orwithanideallinkedtothenaturalsolidarityorallegianceestablishedonthefoundationofidentification(Hall,1996).Identificationisseenasaconstruction,aprocessthatisnevercompleted.

Hall(inGrossberg,1996)offersdifferentmodelsofidentitytoprovideahistoricalandstra-tegicdistinction:inthefirstmodelheassumesthatthereissomeintrinsicandessentialcon-tenttoanyidentitywhichisdefinedbyeitheracommonoriginoracommonstructureofexperienceorboth.However,thismodelisconcernedwithtryingtodiscovertheoriginalorauthenticcontentoftheidentity,offeringoneconstructedidentityinplaceofanother(Grossberg,1996).Thesecondmodelbetterencompassestheconceptofidentitythatwillbeusedinthisresearch,itemphasizestheimpossibilityofsuchfullyconstitutedanddistinctidentities,deniestheexistenceofauthenticandoriginalidentitiesbasedonauniversallysharedoriginorexperience(Grossberg,1996).Identitiesarealwaysinprogressandincom-pletetheydependontheprocessofdifferencefromtheother.Thereisanemphasisonthemulticityofidentitiesanddifferencesratherthanonasingularidentity.Thefactofhavingmultipleidentities,accordingtoMercer(1992inGrossberg,1996)givesriseonthenecessityofrace,classandgender.Ifwetakethisposition,thestrugglesoveridentitynolongerin-

volvequestionsofadequacyordistortionbutofthepoliticsofrepresentationitself(Gross-berg,1996).Thismodelinvolvequestioninghowidentitiesareproducedandtakenupthroughpracticesofrepresentation,suchapositionseesidentityasentirelyculturalcon-structions.

TeacheridentityAccordingtoBrindley(2015)teacheridentityisconstructed,andsometensionthatexistsbetweenwhetherteacheridentityisaproductofteachers’self-imageornot.Sachs(1999inBrindley,2015)echoesHall’s(1996)ideasonidentitypresentedabove,illustratingthatiden-titycannotbeconsideredasafixed‘thing’.Itisinsteadanegotiated,openandambiguousconceptresultingfromculturallyinfluencedmeaningsandthepower-ladenenactmentofthose.Professionalidentityisnotanindividualisticmatter,butrather,Bernsteinclaims,‘theresultofembeddingacareerinacollectivebase’(2000:66).Thisstatementviewsidentityassociallyconstructedandtobeseenandunderstoodaccordingtoaspecificpoliticalcontext.Thisqualitativestudyconsistedofthreestagesinwhichinterviewswereperformedandcardsortswerepresentedtotheparticipants.Thecardsortinstrumentconsistedoffoursetsofstatementsonknowledge,professionalism,identityandteacherresearch;eachsethadfivecardswhichexpressedarangeofviewstakenfromscholarsinthefield(Brindley,2015).In-steadofaskingteacherstorespondtoaquestion,theauthoraskedthemtoorderthecards,withinthefourcategories,inwayswhichtheyfeltoffereda‘bestfit’withtheirownviews,andtotalktheresearcherthroughtheirdecisions.Theresultsshowthatnoagreementonwhatconstitutedteacherknowledge,professionalismandidentityemerged(Brindley,2015).Infact,whatemergedwasquitethereverse,withanswersdemonstratingaspectrumofbe-liefs,allwithquitedifferentjustificationsandexplanationsattached.

Farfromidentitydisappearingincontemporarysociety,itisreconstructedandredefined(Bauman,1996).Ifthemodernproblemofidentitywashowtoconstructidentityandkeepitsolidandstable,thepostmodernproblemofidentityisprimarilyhowtoavoidfixationandkeeptheoptionsopen(Bauman,1996).Itsoonbecameclearthatoneofthemainproblemsinhistoryisnothowtobuildidentitybuthowtopreserveit(Bauman,1996).

SocialIdentityAccordingtoLaclau(1990inHall,1996)theconstructionofasocialidentityisanactofpow-er.Individualsnegotiatetheiridentitieswithintheinteractionorder;theypresentanimageofthemselvesforacceptancebyothers(Jenkins,2008).Powerisacentralconceptinunder-standingtheformationofidentityinrelationtosocialdifferencesandinequalities(Burke,Jackson,2007).Poweriscloselyrelatedtosocialrelations,thewaycertaindiscoursesgainhegemony,theformationofpolicyandthewayscertainidentitiesarelegitimated,valuedandprivilegedwithinandacrosseducationalcontexts(Burke,Jackson,2007).Poweroper-atesatalllevelsofsociallifeandidentitiesarealwaystiedtoshiftingpowerrelations,onthissubjectFoucault’s(1972inHall,1996)theoryofpowerisespeciallyuseful,Foucaultconceptualisespowerasdiscursiveandexercisedratherthanpossessedandasalwaysincirculation(Burke,Jackson,2007).Anindividual’sidentificationwithsharedsocialmeaningconstitutesidentityformationandcanbeseenasaprocessofrealityconstruction,itpro-videsamechanismbywhichindividualscanmakesenseoftheirsocialpractices(Chappell,1999inBurke,Jackson,2007).Furthermore,identificationisoftenamatterofimposition

andresistance,claimandcounterclaim,ratherthanaconsensualprocessofmutualityandnegotiation(Jenkins,2008).Anemphasisonthedemandsthatothersmakeofusontheba-sisofourpublicimageimpliesthatothersjustdon’tperceiveouridentity;theyactivelycon-stituteit(Jenkins,2008).Trust,belonging,connectednessandknowingtherulesofengage-ment/presentationareallpartoftheformationofsocialidentities(Lynchetal.,2012).Iden-tityisaformofsituatedsocialpracticeinwhichindividualsperformrolesthatarerelationalandembeddedinnormsandexpectationsrelatedtoselfandother(Lynchetal.,2012).

Theconceptofidentityismoreaptatansweringquestionssuchaswhatwemightbecome,howwehavebeenrepresentedandhowthatinfluenceshowwemightrepresentourselvesmorethanansweringquestionssuchaswhoweareandwherewecamefrom(Hall,1996).Aboveall,identitiesareconstructedthrough,andnotoutside,differences,therelationtowhatitisnotandwhathasbeencalledconstitutiveoutsidethatidentitycanbeconstructed(Derrida,1981;Laclau,1990;Butler,1993inHall,1996).Identitiescanfunctionaspointsofidentificationsandattachmentonlybecauseoftheircapacitytoexclude.Theinternalhomo-geneitywhichthetermidentitytreatsasfoundationalisnotanaturalbutaconstructedformofclosure.Socialidentityispartofanindividual'sself-conceptderivingfrommember-shipofasocialgroup(Lynchetal.,2012).

Themostpersistentissueinsocialtheoryisthe‘structure-action’problem,inotherwordsthedebateabout‘structuration’(Parker,2000).Identityisoneoftheconceptsthatmakessensebothindividuallyandcollectivelyandbecauseofthis,thediscussionaboutidentityshiftsandbecomesinsteadmorefocussedonhowcanwerelateindividualsandcollectivisestoeachothersothatneitherisprivileged,neitherisreifiedorcaricaturedand,aboveall,weareenabledtounderstandbettertherealhumanworld?

LeadershipPreskillandBrookfield(2009)seeleadershipasahegemonydefinedbygender,socialposi-tionandcapitalism.Itisaboutpreservingsomeone’sexistingpowersoverothers;incon-trast,otherdefinitionsofleadershipinvolveauthenticity,integrityandorganizationbuilding(Hard,Jonsdottir,2013).InthehighlyfeminisedcontextofECECtherearebothpositionalandinformalleadershipopportunities,howeverleadershipremainsasomewhattaintedno-tionpossiblyduetotheinterpretationofitthroughtraditionalmasculinistmodelswhichdonotfitinacontextinvolvedinthecareandnurturingofothers(Hard,Jonsdottir,2013).HardandJonsdottir(2013)suggestthatleadershipinECECcannotbelefttochanceandthatex-ternalmodelsborrowedexternallytothefieldwillnotsuffice;inordertofacilitateeffectiveleadershipinECECwemustacknowledgethefeminineheritageofthefield.Dimmock(2007)suggeststhattherehasbeenaneglectofcross-culturalaspectstoresearchintheareasofleadershipandmanagementandacknowledgesthatsuchworkissignificantintheglobaleconomyaspolicymakersoftendrawonthesameevidencebaseinmakingpolicydecisions.Inadditionsuchworkcanhelpresearcherstolearnmuchabouttheirownculturethroughtheexaminationofothercultures(Fleer,2006).

IntheNordiccontextwomenaretheleadingfiguresintheearlydevelopmentofpre-schools,asEbbeckandWaniganayake(2003)suggestthedevelopmentofchildren’sser-vicesinWesternsocietieshasbeenlinkedtothesocietalstructureandpositionofwomenin

society(Hard,Jonsdottir,2013).Leadershiphasbeenahighlygenderednotionanduntilthelatterpartofthetwentiethcenturyitwasoftenconsideredasamaleactivity(Hard,Jonsdottir,2013).InECECtherehasbeenastereotypicallyfeminineleadershipstylewhichemphasiserelationships,communication,motivationanddemocraticparticipation(powerforpeopleratherthanpoweroverpeople)(Hard,Jonsdottir,2013).However,theissueofleadershipinECECisasomewhatrejectedconceptbecauseoftheapparentaversiontopowerandtherealityofstaffbehaviours(Hard,Jonsdottir,2013).ThroughtheworkofAb-bottandPugh(1998)andSmithandLangston(1999)Moyles(2001)maintainsthataclearparadoxexistbetweenashameandblamecultureandasupportive,developmentalcultureinwhicheveryonemaybenefitfromsharingspecialisedknowledgeatdifferentlevels.Addi-tionallyMoylesandSuschitzy(1995)foundthatqualifiedteachersinECECtendedtoworkdowntotheleveloftheirvariouslytrainedandqualifiedcolleaguesratherthanraisingthestandardswithinthesettingthroughacknowledgmentofdifferentroles,experienceandex-pertise.

HardandJonsdottir’sstudy(2013)wasconstructedthroughin-depthdiscussionbetweentheauthorsonaperiodoftwoyearsdiscussingpreviousfindingsfrominterviewsinIcelandin2007andadoctoralstudyinAustraliain2005.Bothstudieshaveidentifiedthehighlyfeminisednatureofthefieldasamajorfactorindeterminingtheworkplacecultureandhaveidentifiedaspectsthathavebeenclassifiedascaringandpositiveaswellasreticencebystafftodebateanddiscussissuesforfearofaopenconflict(Hard,Jonsdottir,2013).BothstudiesrecognisethatthenatureoftheECECfieldisheavilyimpactedbythemonogen-derednatureoftheworkforce(Hard,Jonsdottir,2013).Whenleadersusedmoremasculinestylesofleadershipincommandingandcontrollingtheymetresistancefromthestaffbutusingthemorenicestereotypicalfemininewaydidnotseemtobesuccessfuleitherwhenwantingtopromotechange(Hard,Jonsdottir,2013).RatherthanworkingasateamtheECECpersonnelappeartobeflatteningthefieldandavoidingpotentialdiversecontributionsindividualscanmaketotheeffectivenessoftheworkplace(Hard,Jonsdottir,2013).Accord-ingtoHardandJonsdottir(2013)thenotionofteamsandteamworkdoesnotarticulateintoandegalitarianworkplaceratheritprovesproblematictoeffectiveleadership,thismightalsocontributetoaculturethatisadversetodifference,debateanddiscussionforfearofnotbeingpartoftheteam.

ProfessionalQualificationsIncreasingly,governmentsseelife-longlearningasthekeytohumancapitalformation,ac-cordingtotheOECDreport(Bennett,Tayler,2006).TrainingandworkingconditionsforECECstaffoftencontradictpublicrhetoricaboutthevalueplacedonyoungchildrenandtheimportanceoftheirearlydevelopmentandlearning.AcrossthecountriesreviewedbytheOECD,staffsinsettingsservingtheyoungestchildrenaremorelikelytohavevariedback-grounds,sociallyaswellaseducationally,rangingfromnotrainingwhatsoevertoapostbaccalaureate3-yearprofessionaleducationoratwo-yearcollegedegree(Bennett,Tyler,2006).AreportbyUrbanandRubiano(2014)highlightsaspecificissuefortheECECwork-forceinIrelandwherehighqualityofteachingiscontrastedbylowstaffrequiredqualifica-tions,comparedtoprimaryeducationwherealltheteachersaregraduates.

TheevidencefromtheStartStrongreport(2014)clearlyhighlightsthatinitialandcontinu-oustrainingoftheworkforcetogetherwithpayandconditionsarecrucialfactorsinordertoachievequalityECECprovision.Althoughthisisawidelyacceptednotionintheeducationsector,intheECECfieldtrainingandstaffrequirementsstillneedtobeclearlyspecified(StartStrong,2014).IntermsofprofessionalqualificationsforECECstaff,morehomogenicrequirementsfortheprofessionareparticularlydifficulttoachieve,duetothefragmenta-tionintheprovision;costsformoreskilledstaffrisktobepassedontoparentsmakingthepriceofchildcarebeyondthemeansofmanyfamilies(StartStrong,2014).Inadditiontothis,mostprivateprovidershavealreadydevelopedstaffingpolicieswithdifferentorganiza-tionalprioritiesinmind(StartStrong,2014).OneofthesuggestionsdevelopedfromtheStartStrongreport(2014)focusondevelopingfinancialregulationsregardingthepriceofchildcareforparentsandestablishinggrantsforstaffwillingtogainanewqualification(StartStrong,2014).

AccordingtoHealy(2016),theemploymentratefortheRepublicofIrelandreflectsashort-fallinfemaleparticipation.Theemploymentfiguresforwomencontinuedtodecreaseaftertherecessionandstoodat55.2%in2012butincreasedinthefollowingtwoyearsarrivingat55.9%in2014(CentralStatisticsOffice,2013).Femaleparticipationinthelabourmarketfellduringthelastrecessionandhasnotfullyrecoveredyetinspiteofimprovedmaleemploy-mentrates.Thereasonsforthisgaparevariedbutmainlyconcernalackofaffordableandaccessiblechildcare(Healy,2016).Byprovidingbetterremuneration,qualifications,trainingandprofessionaldevelopment,wearenotonlyraisingthestandardsfortheprofessionbutchangingtheviewoftheECECworkforceasvaluedprofessionalswithanimportantstatusinsociety(Urban,Rubiano,2014).

ProfessionalDevelopmentDuetotherapiddevelopmentandchangeoftheECECsector,professionalshavetocon-stantlyadjusttotheirmultifacetedrolesincaringandeducatingyoungchildren,thisisonlypossiblewithasolidlyeducatedandinnovativeworkforcethatregularlyupgradesandim-provesitsknowledge(Hmelak,2010).

AccordingtotheOECD(OECD,2006:158),stafftrainingisoneofthedeterminingfactorsforqualityinECECtogetherwithfairworkingconditionsforpractitionersinthesector.TheOECD(2001)statesthat:

‘StaffworkingwithchildreninECECprogrammeshaveamajorimpactonchildren’searlydevelopmentandlearning.Researchshowsthelinksbetweenstrongtrainingandsupportofstaff–includingappropriatepayandconditions–andthequalityofECECservices(Bowmanetal.,2000;CQCOStudyTeam,1995;ECChildcareNetwork,1996;Whitebooketal.,1998).Inparticular,staffwhohavemoreformaleducationandmorespecialisedearlychildhoodtrainingprovidemorestimulating,warm,andsupportiveinteractionswithchildren(CQCOStudyTeam,1995;NICHD,1997;Phil-lipsenetal.,1997,EPPE2004)’

Theconceptofprofessionaldevelopmentconsistofavariedrangeofexperiencesandactivi-tiesthatdirectlybenefittheindividual,grouporsettingandthatcontributetothequalityofpractice(Day,1999).Professionaldevelopmentisseenasasocial,discursiveandreflective

processthatissituatedaroundpractice(Appleby,Pilkington,2014).Inthisprocesspracti-tioner’sreview,renewandextendtheircommitmentasagentsintheparticularsystemofearlyeducationdevelopingknowledge,skillsandemotionalintelligencecriticallyinordertoenhancetheirprofessionalthinkingandplanning(Day,1999).Theprocessofprofessionaldevelopmentisunderstoodasbeingalifelongprocesslastingthrougheachphaseofthepractitioners’teachinglives(Day,1999).Thedefinitionaboveheavilyfocusesonthepracti-tioners’willtoimplementchangeandmotivationtoenhancetheirexistingskillsandknowledgeafocusthatcanbefoundalsointhefollowingdiscussion.Friedmanetal.(2000:4)expandthedefinitionofprofessionaldevelopmentbeyondteaching,definingitas‘thesystematicmaintenance,improvementandbroadeningofknowledgeandskillandthedevelopmentofpersonalqualitiesnecessaryfortheexecutionofprofessionalandtechnicaldutiesthroughoutthepractitioner'slife’.Friedmanetal.(2000)illustrateshowprofessionaldevelopmentinvolvesmorethanjust"learning"activities,whichhavecometobeassociatedwithtakingcoursesandpassivereceivingofinformation,developmentthereforetakesplaceinanumberofcontextsandthroughavarietyofactivities.Colmeretal.(2014)illustrateshowineducationalcontextsprofessionaldevelopmenthaspredominantlybeenofferedasaone-offworkshoptypesessionandconferencesbutaccordingtoBurgessetal.(2010)andMacNaughtonandHughes(2007)theeffectivenessofthistypeofprofessionaldevelopmentisquestionable.

TheOECDreport(OECD,2006)discusseshowstaffwiththelowestlevelsofinitialtraininginECEChavebeenfoundtohavetheleastaccesstoin-serviceeducationincludingfamilydaycarers.AninterestinginternationalperspectiveonthesubjectofprofessionaldevelopmentcanbefoundInKoreawhereastatutoryrequirementexistsonthelocalauthoritiestofundaminimumlevelofstaffdevelopment(OECD,2006).Similarly,inHungary,everypedagoguehasthepersonalobligationtotake120hoursofprofessionaldevelopmenteachseven-yearperiod,paidforbytheState,thelocalmunicipalitieswillalsofrequentlyprovidein-servicesessionsfortheirstaff(OECD,2006).

Traditionally,inEngland,educationalprocessesaimedatpractitioners’PLDwereguidedfromtheoutsidewhereasnewconceptsofPLDaremorekindergartenorientatedwithedu-cationalactivitiesrequiredfromkindergartens’requirementswithafocusonpractitioners’participationsintheplanningprocessproducingknowledgetobetestedinpracticewithversatilecontentsinordertoaccommodatedifferenttechniques,valuesandbeliefs(Hmelak,2010).Thetraditionalconceptsofeducationaredirectionalandconcentratedontheindividual,theroleofteachersisforthemostpartplayedbyexternalexpertsandlec-turerswhererecipientshaveapassiverolewhereasnewconceptsofeducationemployin-ternalaswellasexternalexpertsaslecturersandrecipientsareactive(Hmelak,2010).Moreimportantly,theemployee’smotivationintraditionalconceptsismostlyexternal,intheformofpromotionsorreductionofworkobligationswhileinnewconceptstheintrinsicmo-tivationismostimportanttotacklingemployees’desireforprofessionalgrowth(Hmelak,2010).ProfessionaldevelopmentaccordingtoFekonjaetal.(2002inHmelak,2010)isin-tendedtoupgradeexistingknowledgeandstrengthenprofessionalcompetencesofeduca-torstogetherwithbeingawareofnewalternativeformsofworkandofthinkinginchildren’sdevelopmentandnewtechnologies.Professionaldevelopmentissupposedtobebasedonexperientiallearningtoactivatetheeducators’experiences.AccordingtoReay(2001)in-

creasedparticipationineducationandtrainingwithafocusonreflexivitycanbeawaytoincreaseprofessionalism,althoughOsgood(2008)stressestheimportancetoengaginginprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesthatenableself-awarenessandimproveself-confidenceratherthanthepursuitoftrainingtoimprovepracticeandgaininprofessionalconfidence.Thecontentanddeliveryofprofessionaldevelopmentshouldenablepractitionerstobuildontheirexistingknowledgeandexpertiseandincludespaceforcriticalreflectionnotjustontheirroleaspractitionersbutonthesocialandpoliticalcontextinwhichtheywork(Osgood,2008).

AstudyconductedbyLightfootandFrost(2015)illustratehowEnglisheducatorsdemon-strateacommitmenttomakingadifferenceintheirprofessionbutalsoexpressfrustrationwithsomeoftheformsofPLDthatwereavailabletothem.Participantsinthestudystatethatthecoursesdidnotaddresstheirprofessionaldevelopmentandwereseenasa‘wastedmorning’(LightfootandFrost,2015:414).ThesefindingsfromEnglandarevalidatedbyin-ternationalfindingsoftheCoReproject:short-termcoursesthatarenotrootedincoherentpoliciesarequestionableatleastandcontributelittleornothingraisingthecompetenceoflearners(Urbanetal.,2011).ApplebyandPilkington(2014)alsoarriveatsimilarconclusionsillustratinghowone-offlearningsessionshavealimitedcapacitytotransferknowledgeintowiderlongtermpractice,inisolatedtrainingtheprofessionaldevelopmentisseenasastaffobligationtofulfilorganisationalrequirementsanditisexperiencedaslittlemorethanatickboxexercise.Hmelak(2010)withastudyresearchingSlovenekindergartners’motivesforchoosingin-servicetrainingcoupledwithaninvestigationondifferentmethodsofin-servicetrainingalsovalidatetheaboveinformationfromdifferentstudies.Theresultsshowedthatthelengthofemployment,levelofeducationandstatusofthekindergartendidnothaveaneffectontheresponseswhilethekindergartenlocationdidhaveaneffect(Hmelak,2010).Itisreportedthateducatorsworkinginacitykindergartenpreferstudygroupsandworkshopspromotingexperientiallearningwhileemployeesworkinginsuburbankindergartenpreferlectures,amongthemotivesforin-servicetrainingprofessionalmotiveswerefoundtobethemoredominantones,this,inturn,ledtotheconclusionthatprofessionaldevelopmentofeducatorsisorientedmoretowardsexperientialconceptsofeducationwiththeprevailingmethodsofteachingusedbeingstudygroups,pedagogyworkshopsorseminarswhereac-tivelearningandtwowayscommunicationsarepresent(Hmelak,2010).

Bentarage(2005)presentssimilarfindingstotheonedetailedabove.Heillustrateshowchangeinmanyareas,includingeducation,appearsforthemostpartimposed.Itistopdownandnotbottomupandthereinlaysthedifficultyofinitiatingchange.Thistopdownscenarioprovokesdistrustintherecipientsofchange(Bentarage,2005).TheDfEE(2001inBentarage,2005)reportsthatformanyteachers,CPDisstillseenasaone-offeventorshortcourses,oftenawayfromschool,ofvariablequalityandrelevance,deliveredbyarangeofexternalproviders.Thisthesishypothesizesthatcontinuingprofessionaldevelopment(CPD)ofteachershasmoreimpactifledbytheprincipalwithintheframeworkofschooleffective-nessandschoolimprovement.Theresultsshowsimilarfindingsfromotherstudiesdis-cussedabove,someoftheteachersinthisstudydidn’tseethepointforCPDiftheyalreadygainedaqualificationpreviously,theauthorreferstothisasaninstanceofearlyrejectionbecauseitwasanewventureperceivedasinvolvingadditionaltimespentattrainingses-sionsanditsgainswereunknown(Bentarage,2005).InasimilarstudyFukkinkandLont

(2007)illustratethatcaregiverswithhighereducationallevelshavebeenfoundtoprovidebettercare,bemoresensitive,aremoreinvolvedwithchildrenandhavemoreknowledgeofdevelopmentallyappropriatepracticewithchildrenthancaregiverswithlowereducationallevels.Moreover,recentstudieshaveshownthatitisnotonlythegeneraleducationallevelofcaregiversthatisasignificantandstrongpredictorofqualitycaregivingbutalsothespe-cializedcaregivertrainingonceinthejobthatcanprovidemoresensitiveandstimulatinginteractionsbetweenthecaregiverandthechildren(Fukkink,Lont,2007).Incontrasttoear-lierstudiesPhilipsenetal.(1997)wereabletoconcludethatbothformalandinformaltrain-ingcontributestoqualityinchildcare.Norris(2001)alsoillustratesthatchildcareproviderswhocontinuouslyparticipatedintrainingofferedhigherqualitycarethanproviderswhoattendedtrainingonlysporadicallyorneverparticipatedinanytraining.Botheducationandtrainingappeartobebetterpredictorsofchildcarequalitythanpractitioner’sage,workex-perienceorprofessionalism(Fukkink,Lont,2007).FurthermoreSunetal.(2013)studyofteacherprofessionaldevelopmentsuggeststhatteacherswithagreaterbreadthofexpertisemayhelptheircolleaguesmore,Bridwell-MitchellandLant(2014)showthattherecanbesubstantialdifferencesbetweenhowmuchmaleandfemaleprincipalsseekoutothersforadvice.Eventhewaydistrictsandschoolsstructureroutinesforprofessionallearningcouldhaveaninfluenceonthedepthandstrengthofteachers’interactions(Coburn&Russell,2008inBridwell-Mitchelletal.,2016).

Theriseofwomeninemploymentcanbepartlyexplainedbyanincreaseinthepercentageofmothersinwork,coupledwithgovernment’spoliciesaimedspecificallyatencouragingwomen,especiallysingleparents,towork(Tomlison,2011).Thebackingfromthegovern-mentforwomentoenterthelabourforceiscloselylinkedwithhumancapitaltheoriesthatallindividualsshouldcontributetohelpingthenationaleconomybeingcompetitiveinthenewglobaleconomy(Tomlison,2011).Theincreaseinwomen’semploymentatalllevels,hasgonetowardsachievingwiderEuropeanUnion’saimsatprovidingmoreequalsocialandeconomicopportunitiesforwomen(Tomlison,2011).AccordingtoHagemannetal.(2011)thenotionofgenderisaninfluenceinthepoliciesthatarecreatedforEarlyChildhoodEdu-cationandCare(ECEC)indifferentcontextsasthedominantnotionsofthegender-specificdivisionoflabourhaveaninfluenceintheeconomy,society,politicsandtherelatedfamilymodel.ThisisalsoechoedbyOECD,wheretheconsiderablegenderimbalancewithintheECECprofessionisseento‘reflectdeeply-heldculturalbeliefsaboutchild-rearingandtherolesofwomenandmeninsociety’(OECD,2006:158).Moss(2006)arguesthatgenderingintheworkforceinearlychildhoodeducationcannotbeexplainedintermsoflowpay,morelikelythisisaresultofthecombinationofhowtheworkisseeninsocietyandofhoweduca-tionandemploymentarestructuredinwaysthatreproducegenderedworkforces.Gender-ingreinforcesthenotionthatchild-rearingisessentially“women’swork”,withthetradi-tionalreflexofpayingtheprofessionlessandregardingtheirworkasbeingofsmallim-portance(OECD,2006).Anissueofextremepoliticalrelevancetogetherwiththeneedforastate-founded,flexible,full-timechildcareisthereconciliationoffamilyandworkresponsi-bilitiesonabasisthatismoreequitableforwomen(Hagemannetal.,2011).Differentun-derstandingsandconceptsofchildrearingandeducationproducehighlydivergentpoliciesandthisisanimportantconsiderationbecauseitproducesdifferentnationalpoliciesforchildcareandeducationonthebasisofdifferentculturaltraditions(Hagemannetal.,2011).

5. PolicyReviewThispolicyreviewincludesthefollowingdocuments:

(2010)AworkforcedevelopmentplanfortheearlychildhoodcareandeducationsectorinIreland.(2014)BetterOutcomesBrighterFutures:Thenationalpolicyframeworkforchildren&youngpeople2014–2020.(2015)ReportofInter-DepartmentalWorkingGroup:FutureInvestmentinChildcareinIre-land.(2016a)AGuidetoEarly-yearsEducation-focusedInspection(EYEI)inEarly-yearsSet-tingsParticipatingintheEarlyChildhoodCareandEducation(ECCE)Programme.(2016b)SurveyofEarlyYearsPractitioners:ConsultationfortheReviewofEducationandTrainingProgrammesinEarlyYears,May2016.(2016c)ActionPlanforEducation2016-2019.(2016d)ChildCareAct1991(EarlyYearsServices)Regulations2016AndreferencetotheBetterStartwebsitehttps://www.pobal.ie/BetterStart/Pages/Home.aspx.

Thefocusisparticularlyonwhateachhastocontributetothedebateonworkforcedevel-opment.

Thestartingpointforthispolicyreviewisthe2010DepartmentofEducationandSkillsAworkforcedevelopmentplanfortheearlychildhoodcareandeducationsectorinIreland(hereinafterreferredtoasWorkforcePlan).Thisplanisreviewedbelowin1,followedin2bycommentaryrelatedtothepointsmadein1.1and1.2,drawingonarangeofpost-2010documentation(anannotatedbibliographyoftheseisincludedasAppendix1).

5.1. ThecurrentplanAworkforcedevelopmentplanfortheearlychildhoodcareandeducationsectorinIreland(2010)

Thispaperbothsetsoutapictureofthesituationin2010,andformalisesarequirementforrevieweveryfiveyears,underthecontroloftheEarlyYearsEducationPolicyUnit(2010:5).

5.1.1. Whatismeantbyquality?Workforce,frameworksandinvestment

Forthesector,qualityisseenasathree-armedcombinationofthedevelopmentofaskilledworkforce,theSíoltaandAistearframeworks,andsustainedfinancialinvestment(2010:iii).Theunderlyingpremiseisthatprotectionofresourcesandinvestment‘willresultintheavailabilityofaskilledqualifiedworkforcecapableofdeliveringhighqualityECCEservices’(2010:16).

Qualifications

Forworkerstheemphasisisonthe‘skills,knowledge,competencies,valuesandattitudes’neededtodeliverhighquality.Theseareseenasrealisedthroughtheachievementofquali-fications(2010:2).

Occupationalprofiles

TheOccupationalprofilesfromtheModelFrameworkidentify5levelsofpractitioner,from‘Basic’,through‘Experienced’to‘Expert’(2010:20).ThesearethenmappedontoNFQlev-els,withanaccompanyingcomment.Thisapproachtonomenclatureconfusinglyequateslevelofqualificationwithlevelofexperience.Thismaynegativelyimpactonpractitioners,particularlythosewithconsiderableexperiencebuteitherlowlevelsof,ornorecognisedqualification.

5.1.2. Howcanaqualityworkforcebedevelopedandsustained?Whoisinvolved?

Collectiveview

TheforewordbythethenMinisterforChildrenandYouthAffairsstatesthatthereisashared,collectiveideaofthedestinationforworkforcedevelopment.

Careerpathsandprogressionroutes

TheForewordbyAnTánaisteandMinisterforEducationandSkillsemphasisestheroleoftheplaninidentifyingcareerpathsandprogressionroutes.Itisaxiomaticthatthesearelinkedtostatusandalsooftentotermsandconditionsofemployment.However,theseareseenasoutsidethescopeoftheplan.This,combinedwiththefactthattheplandoesnotincluderoutesandOccupationalprofilesforthoseworkinginschoolsettings(2010:1),in-creasesthelikelihoodofunevennessofopportunityanddisparitiesinpayandconditions.Takentogether,thesefactorsmilitateagainstasharedviewofqualityandqualityworkersacrossalltypesofprovisionforyoungchildrenbirthtosixyears.

Individualactivity

TheplanhighlightstwomaincategoriesofECECworker:1)newentrants;2)existingwork-ers,eithercurrentlyunqualifiedorqualifiedbutwishingtoprogresstohigherlevels.Theneedsandopportunitiesofthesedifferentgroupsareaddressedhere,inparticularthebar-rierstoupskillingofexistingworkersasaresultofthelackofprogrammesthatenableworkerstosimultaneouslyworkandstudy,andthelackoffunding,particularlyforpart-timecourses.Arangeofsolutionsisidentified.Thesefocusmainlyonincreasingopportunitiesforindividualworkers,withlessemphasisonthewaysinwhichfurthertrainingandupskillingmightbefocusedonasettingasawhole/groupsofsettingsworkingtogether,thusaffordingopportunitiesforsystemicchange.

Barrierstotraining

Thelimitedtakeupofprogressionroutes,particularlybymaturestudents,isattributedtothedifficultiessuchworkersmayhaveincombiningworkandstudy,andthedifficultyof

accessingsuchcoursesforworkerswithnonationallyaccreditedqualification.Theremayalsobeafurtherelement:ifenhancedqualificationsarenotlinkedtotermsandconditionsofemployment,thoseconcernedmayseelittlevalueinpursuingfurtherstudy,demandingoftheirtimeandenergy.

Diversityofproviders

Therangeofdifferentprovidersoftrainingisidentifiedasachallenge,particularlythedif-ferentapproachestoqualityassuranceofcourses,andthevariabilityintheskillsandqualifi-cationsoftrainingproviders(2010:11).Thesedifferenttrainingprovidersarealsoresponsi-bletodifferentbodies/departments,withthepotentialthishasfora)differentapproachestoqualityandqualityassurance;b)confusionforworkersandsettings;c)extraworkforset-tingsinliaisingwitharangeofprovidersfordifferentstaffinasetting.

Threekeypointsarisingfromthisare:

1. Theidentificationofthenecessityforclearlyarticulatedprofessionalpathways,andanagreedsetofnationalstandards,isbothhighlyappropriateandworthwhile.However,thecurrentapproachdoesnotencompassallofthoseworkingwithyoungchildren,andmaynotbeeithermateriallyorpsychologicallysupportiveforparticu-larsectors,forexampleexperiencedworkerswithlowlevelsof,orno,qualifications.

2. Theemphasisinensuringaqualityworkforceisonindividualskillsandknowledge,withlittlefocusonthepotentialofmoresystemicapproachestopreparationandupskillingofworkers.Thiscouldbeseenasamissedopportunityfordevelopingquality.

3. Thevarietyoftrainingprovidersandaccountablebodiesmakesitdifficulttoensureconsistency,andmayresultinconfusionandextraworkforsettings.

5.2. Policymessagessince2010

5.2.1. Whatismeantbyquality?Workforce,frameworksandinvestment

TheWorkforcePlan(2010)identifiesthreeelements:askilledworkforce,implementationoftheSíoltaandAistearframeworks,andcontinuedinvestment.Thefirstofthese(askilledworkforce)islookedatbelowinQualifications.WithregardtoAistearandSíolta,theActionPlanforEducation(2016c)emphasisestheimportanceofcontinuedsupportfortheimple-mentationofbothframeworks.EvidencefromtheSurveyofEarlyYearsPractitioners(here-inafterreferredtoasSurvey)(2016b)suggeststheneedforthis.42percentofFEcoursemembersand44percentofHEcoursemembersreportedtheyhadnotfeltwellpreparedforAistear,withfiguresof46percentand50percentrespectivelyonpreparednessforSíol-ta.ThetopthreeareasofinteresttheyidentifiedforfurtherstudywereAistear,Síoltaandbehaviourmanagement.Inthesamesurvey,whenaskedtoidentifythecurriculumfollowedintheirsettings,45percentidentifiedAistearand12percentcitedSíolta.Twoissuesarisefromthis:a)neitherisacurriculum,theyareframeworks,suggestinglevelsofuncertaintyintheworkforce;b)thehighpercentagessuggestthatpractitionersmaylackconfidenceand

beuncertainaboutwhattheyaredoing.ThesefactorssuggesttheneedforareviewofhowAistearandSíoltaarereflectedinthecoreknowledgeelementoftheOccupationalprofiles.

BetterOutcomesBrighterFutures(hereinafterreferredtoasBOBF)(2014)setsoutagov-ernmentcommitmenttoincreasinginvestment,subjecttoresourcesbeingavailable.Apri-orityforinvestmentisafurtherECCEyear:nospecificmentionismadeofinvestmentintrainingorCPD,althoughtheReport(2015)identifiesaDCYALearnerFundfor2014-15of€3minordertosupporttheexistingworkforcetoachieveamandatoryNFQlevel5or6.Thisissignificant,giventhestatisticsintheSurvey(2016b)that69percentofpractitionersre-porttheyhadfullyfundedtheirowntraining,withonly16percentfullysubsidised.Howev-er,thismayonlyaddressthefundingneedsofaspecificgroupofworkers.

Qualifications

Theemphasisonqualificationsasunderpinningqualitycontinuesacrosspolicydocuments.TheSurvey(2016b)identifiesqualificationrequirementsinplace,partlyinrelationtoECEC,asalevertoquality.TheReportoftheInterdepartmentalWorkingGroup(hereinafterre-ferredtoasReport)saysthat‘theneedforabetterrecognisedandqualifiedworkforcewasacommonthemeacrosstheparentalandpublicconsultationprocess’(2015:8).Higherqualificationprofilesarealsolinkedtoprofessionalism,withprofessionalisationofthework-forceseenasakeyproxyforquality(Report,2015).BOBF(2014)expressesconcernoverthelowpercentagesofformal-basedstaffatLevel7orabove(14.7percentin2014,incontrasttotheCoRebenchmarkof60percent).OneidentifiedwayofbuildingcapacityisfundingforECCEprogrammewhichincentivisesstaffthroughhighercapitationgrantstosettingswhereleadstaffhaveanappropriatedegree.Note:theReport(2015)recordsalackofconsensusoverminimumlevelsofqualification,rangingfromLevels6to8.TheChildCareAct1991(EarlyYearsServices)Regulations2016(2016d)setsaminimumatlevel5.

ImplicitintheemphasisintheWorkforcePlan(2010)onpractitioners’skills,knowledge,competencies,valuesandattitudesistheneedforcurrency.AlongwithlackofconfidenceintheirknowledgeofAistearandSíolta,practitionersfeltalackofpreparednessforworkingwithchildrenfromdisadvantagedbackgrounds,withspecialneeds,andwithEnglishasanAdditionalLanguage(Survey,2016b).TheAIMinitiativepartlyaddressesthis,alongwiththetrainingof900preschoolstaffasinclusioncoordinators(ActionPlan,2016c),butthiswillalsoimpactonthecoreknowledgeelementsoftheOccupationalprofiles,aswellasthecon-tentofeducationandtrainingprogrammes.ApproximatelyhalfofallrespondentsalsofeltunpreparedinrelationtotheirawarenessofICTasalearningsupport(Survey,2016b),whichmayagainneedtobereflectedinthecoreknowledgeelementoftheOccupationalprofiles,andeducationandtrainingprogrammes.

Akeyadditiontopolicydocumentationisanemphasisoninspectionandregulation,seenaspartofprofessionalisation,andthusquality.TheSurvey(2016b)identifieseducation-focusedinspections,introducedin2016,asafurtherlevertoquality.Itassertsthereisoverwhelmingsupportfrompractitionersforaregulatorybody.However,thequestionaskedwasabouttheneedforaprofessionalstandardsbodythatpromotesandregulateschildcare,similartotheroleplayedbytheTeachingCouncil.Thisisdifferenttoapurelyreg-ulatorybody.

WhilstEYEIevaluationsarenotdesignedtobeaprofessionalcompetenceinspection(AGuidetoEarly-yearsEducation-focusedInspection,2016a),itisclearthatinitialtrainingandCPDwillneedtotakeaccountofthenewframeworkforinspection.ThismayimpactuponcontentofthecoreknowledgeareasoftheOccupationalprofiles.However,thisframeworkalsoonlyappliestosettingsofferingtheECCEprogramme,suggestingthattheremaybeaneedforindividualpractitionersandsettingstobecompetentandconfidentinmanagingtheexpectationsofmorethanoneinspectionregime,egtheTuslaInspections.(EYEIInspec-tionreportsaretypically5-6pages,whilstasampleof19TuslaInspectionreportsviewedinOctober2016were18-76pagesinlength,averaging38pages.)Thiscouldbereviewed,withaviewtodevelopingoneinspectionframeworktomeetrequirementsforinspectingalltypesofsetting(thiscouldstillhavethepotentialtohavedifferentfociwithinit,butwouldensurecoherenceininspections,andbemosttimeeffectiveforpractitionersandsettings).

Occupationalprofiles

WithregardtotheOccupationalprofiles,theActionPlanforEducation(2016c)identifiesthesynergiesneededbetweenthespecificationsfortheseandthecontentofeducationandtrainingprogrammes,scheduledforreviewin2017.ThissuggeststhatitisthecontentoftheOccupationalprofileswhichwillinfluencetrainingprogrammecontent:itmaybevalua-bletoconsiderhowprovidersfromalllevels,alongwithotherstakeholders,canbebroughttogetherwiththeEarlyEducationPolicyUnittocollaborateinthisarea.

5.2.2. Howcanaqualityworkforcebedevelopedandsustained?Whoisin-volved?

Collectiveview

Itisdifficulttoinferacollectiveviewaboutdestinationsfromtheavailablepolicydocu-ments.Oneareainwhichthereseemstobegrowingconsensusisintheneedforabetter-recognisedandqualifiedworkforceandincentivisingprofessionalisationofchildcareprovid-ers.Alargenumberofallrespondents(includingparents,NGOsandacademicsaswellasworkers)referredtotheworkforceasundervaluedandunderpaid(Report,2015).

Careerpathsandprogressionroutes

Amajorthemeistheperceptionsofworkersinthesectorofbeingundervalued,manifestingitselfinaspectssuchaslowpay,lackoffull-time,secureemploymentandlackofclearca-reerstructures.Currentdatarecords71percentofrespondentstoanationalsurveyasfeel-ingundervaluedornotvaluedatall(Survey,2016b),andover3370childcareworkerssignedontotheLiveRegisterduringJunetoAugust2014(Report,2015).Thereisathemerunningthroughparticipants’responsesintheSurveyofbeing‘secondclass’toteachers,withcom-mentsaroundlackofrespectinsocietyfortheirrole,lackofnon-contacttime,andaper-ceptionthatteachershadbetterconditionsforCPD(andthusforcareerprogression)asmostCPDforearlyyearsworkerswasoutsideofworktime(Survey,2016b).

Individualactivity

IndividualaccesstoaffordabletrainingandCPDcontinuetobeseenasunderpinningquality(Report,2015).However,thereisalsosomeevidenceoftheneedforamorecollectiveap-

proachtoupskilling,withacommitmenttoestablishpeer-learningnetworks(BOBF,2014),andtheBetterStartQualityDevelopmentService.However,astheReport(2015)identifies,thisiscontingentuponcontinuedinvestmentintheservice.

Sixtysixpercentofworkersreporttrainingpart-time(Survey,2016b),notedintheWork-forcePlan(2010)asoftenunder-funded.Futureprovisionwillneedtoconsidera)howpart-timecoursescanbeprovided,egatdifferenttimes/online/distancelearningetc;b)howthe-secanbefundedtoensureaccess.

Barrierstotraining

Thesecontinuetobesimilartothoseidentifiedinthe2010WorkforcePlan.Asnotedabove,themajorityofworkersarefundingtheirowntraining,intheirowntime,andoftenworkingfull-timeaswell.Theamountoftimerequired,andlackofappropriatecoursesofstudy,werefrequentlycitedasbarriers.ThisincludeslackofopportunityforRPL,whichmaypar-ticularlyimpactonexperiencedworkerswithlowlevelsofqualification.Thereisapercep-tionthat,whilstworkersaregenerallypositiveaboutthequalityofeducationandtrainingtheyreceived,completingcoursesmighthavelittleimpactontheirsalaryorconditionsofwork.Relatedtothiswerecallsforanationalpayscale(Survey,2016b).

Diversityofproviders

Arangeofproviderscontinuetobeinvolved.Asbefore,theseprovidersmayalsoreporttodifferentdepartments.TheActionPlan(2016c)emphasisestheimportanceofdepartmentsworkingtogether:‘WewillworkcloselywiththeDepartmentofChildrenandYouthAffairstoimproveinitialandcontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesinthisimportantsector’(2016c:31).Theremaybemuchvalueineffortstobringresponsibilityforalltypesofprovision,andalltraining,underasingleumbrellabody,reflectingtheemphasisoncoordi-natedprovisionintheNationalEarlyYearsStrategy(BOBF,2104),andtheaimofBetterStart,toestablishacohesiveapproachtoqualityacrosstheEarlyChildhoodEducationandCaresector.Itisworthnotingthediverserangeofdepartmentslistedingovernmentcom-mitmentsinBOBF(2014),eachwithitsownapproachesandpriorities,albeitthataleadde-partmentisidentifiedforeachcommitment.

Thereisevidenceofdiversityofpracticalexperienceonprogrammes,with20percentoffurthereducationstudentsand11percentofhighereducationstudentsreportingnopracti-calexperience,andhighlevelsofvariabilityinthenumberofplacementsundertakenaspartofacourse.Thisimpactsonindividualtrainees’feelingsofcompetenceandconfidence,andalsomorewidelyonthesector,andtheirviewsaboutnewstaffquality.Thisispotentiallyanareainwhichnationalguidancecouldbevaluable,inmanagingvariabilityincourseorgani-sation.

Concernsareexpressedaboutthedifficultiesofprovidingtrainingwhichreachesallchild-careworkers,particularlythoseinnon-formal,non-relativecare,suchaschildminders.Theremaybevalueinlookingtotheexperiencesofothercountries,suchastheUKinthefirstdecadeofthe21stcentury,wherechildminderswereoftensuccessfullyengagedintrainingasaresultoftheirinvolvementinlocalchildren’scentres.

6. StakeholderinterviewsIndividualandgroupinterviewswithrepresentativesoforganisationsandinstitutionsintheEarlyChildhoodCareandEducationsectorwereconductedduringvisitstoIrelandandoverthephone,beginninginSeptember2016.Theinterviewsfollowedasemi-structuredsched-ule,aimingatprovidingaspaceforparticipantstoengageinafocusesconversationratherthanansweringasetofpredefinedquestions.

Atthebeginningofeachinterviewparticipantswereinformedaboutthepurposeoftheconversation,whichwastoprovidecontextualinformationtosupportthereviewoftheECECOccupationalRoleProfiles.TheywerethenencouragedtostarttheconversationbyaddressingtheirgeneralperspectiveontheIrishEarlyChildhoodCareandEducationsystemand,morespecifically,theirviewsontheworkforce,onrequirementsforworkingwithyoungchildrenintheIrishcontext,andontheexistingOccupationalRoleProfiles.

Inasecondstep,theinterviewerencouragedparticipantstotalkabouttheirownrole(indi-vidualororganisational)inprocessesofdevelopingtheearlychildhoodworkforce.Thecon-versationsdevelopedaroundquestionsofparticipants’agency,responsibility,andcontribu-tiontoprofessionalismandprofessionalisation.

Inthethirdandfinalstageoftheconversationparticipantswereaskedtonamethemosturgentsystemicchallenges,aswellassystemicopportunitiesfortheECECsector.

Interviewswereaudio-recordedandtranscribedtofacilitateanalysis.

Weanalysedthetranscriptsapplyingthecodes(categoriesandthemes)thatemergedfromtheanalysisofIrishpolicydocuments(seeprevioussection).Weaggregatedthethemesweidentifiedacrossallinterviews.Thiswasadeliberatesteptakentoensuretheanonymityofcontributionsagainstthebackgroundofasmallsample.

6.1. AnalysisofinterviewsInterviewswereconductedwith12professionals(academics,policymakers,practitioners)includingrepresentationfrom:

• DepartmentforChildrenandYouthAffairs(DCYA)BetterStart(inspectorate)

• EarlyChildhoodIreland• Pre-schoolserviceprovider• Programmeprovidersandeducationinstitutes(Blanchardstown,Cork,TrinityCol-

lege)• AssociationofChildcareProfessionals(ACP)• DepartmentforEducationandSkills(DES)

EarlyYearsInspectorate• Childcareandchildminding

ThesewerecodedusingcategoriesestablishedinthePolicyReview,tosupportcross-referencing.

6.2. WhatismeantbyqualityinanIrishEarlyChildhoodcontext?TheWorkforcePlan(2010)identifiesaskilledworkforce,theSíoltaandAistearframeworksandsustainedfinancialinvestmentasthethreekeyelementsofaqualityservice.

6.2.1. AskilledworkforceDevelopmentandsustenanceofaskilledworkforceincludesaviewofwhatcountsas‘skilled’,thatis,qualifications,andtheincentivesforpractitionerstocontinueupskillingandtoremaininrole.However,itcruciallyalsoincludesconceptsandvaluesaboutwhatitistobeaprofessionalandpartofaprofession.This,inturn,islinkedtoideasabouthowabodyofworkersareregulated.

6.2.1.1. QualificationsandupskillingThepotentiallinkagebetweenqualificationsandqualityisacknowledgedbyanumberofparticipants,butwithacaveatthatthismaybemoreatasystemiclevel,ratherthanatthelevelofindividualsettings,andanawarenessthatpursuingqualificationsmaybedrivenei-therbyfundingincentivesorregulatoryrequirements.

• Thereareconcernsthattheemphasisonlevelofqualificationsinthe5levelsoftheOccupationalRoleProfilesmayleadtolessrecognitionforthevalueofexperience.

• Thereisdebateaboutrequiredlevels:thestatutoryminimumlevel5isdescribedas‘verylowlevel’;

• Atensionisidentifiedbetweenthe‘bigpush’ofinvestmentinupskillingtolevels5and6,atthesametimeasuniversityprogrammesarefocusingongraduatesatlev-els7and8.However,oneparticipanthighlightsthepotentialfor‘capturing’stu-dentswhocomeintotrainatlevel6andmovingthemontolevel7and8pro-grammes;

• Upskillingindividualsmaybenefittheservicetheyworkfor,butmaynotalwaysre-sultinenhancedsalariesfortheindividualsconcerned.

6.2.1.2. ProfessionalismandprofessionalizationThiswasamajorthemeforallparticipants,andwasseenasanareaofconsiderabledevel-opmentsincethepublicationofthefirstiterationofoccupationalroleprofiles,albeitthatprofessionalismwasstillseenbymanyasatanemergentlevelinIreland.Anumberofpar-ticipantsmeasuredtheearlychildhoodsectoragainst‘traditional’attributesofaprofession,includingself-determinationandagency,theexistenceofaprofessionalbodywithresponsi-bilityforsettingoutcorerequirementsandexpectations,andsharedcodesofpractice.The-sewerecitedasvaluableincreatingaprofessionalidentityandalsoinsupportingacareerstructure.Thefollowingthemeswerediscussed:

• Earlychildhoodprofessionalidentitiesmaybemultiple,andincludethoseworkinginservicesforchildrenunderthreeandthoseforchildrenoverthree,andthoseworkingintheearlyyearsinprimaryschools:suchfragmentationmaymilitateagainstacoherentprofessionalidentityandideasofprofessionalpractice;

• Irishculturaltraditionsmayworkagainstearlychildhoodworkersbeingseenaspro-fessionals(thismayparticularlyaffectchildmindersandthoseworkingwithchildrenunderthree):thismayleadtothemfeelingbothexcludedandambivalentabouttheirprofessionalidentity;

• Asenseoffeelingundervaluedimpactsonearlychildhoodworkers’senseofidentity,leadingtofeelingsofdisempowerment;

• Poorlevelsofpaymaybeequatedwithasenseofearlychildhoodasnotaprofes-sion;

• TheOccupationalRoleprofileswereseenaspotentially(andpositively)influentialonprofessionalpracticeandprofessionalidentity;

• Agrowingnumberofqualifiedandexperiencedearlychildhoodworkersarerecog-nisingandvaluingthemselvesasprofessionals,andarebeginningtobemoreproac-tiveintheiradvocacyforearlychildhood;

• TheintroductionofEYEImayimpactonprofessionalpracticeandideasofprofes-sionalismbya)introducingregulatoryframeworks,oftenseenasahallmarkofpro-fessionalism;b)creatinganewoccupationalroleofearlyyearsinspector,drawnfromearlyyearsgraduates,withpowertoinfluenceaspectssuchas‘relationalped-agogy’.

6.2.1.3. InspectionandregulationThisareawasdiscussedbythemajorityofparticipants,particularlyinlightoftheintroduc-tionofnewEYEIinspectionsthisyear.

• IntroductionofEYEIwasgenerallyseenaspositive,particularlygiventheemphasisonrecruitinginspectorsfromwithinearlychildhoodpractice.Onerespondentstat-ed:‘IknowthatmychildminderswantmoreofaDepartmentofEducationstylein-spection…theywanttobeinspected,theywanttobeseenasprofessional’.Atthesametime,oneparticipantnotedthattherewasstillsomeresistancetoinspection,evenwhenworkerswereassessedashavingmetthecriteria.

• EYEIwereseenbyashavingthepotentialtoimpactpositivelyonpractice,andfortheprocessofinspectiontobemoreconsultative;

• Aconcernexpressedbymanywaswithregardtothephenomenonofmultiplein-spectionsinearlyyears,andwhatwasseenasalackofintegrationacrossthediffer-entinspectionregimes.Thecostofimplementingbothhealthandeducationinspec-tionsystemswascitedaspotentiallyresultinginlessmoneyforotherpartsofthesystem.Thesituationwasalsocomparedunfavourablytotheeducationsector,inwhich‘theteacherisaccreditedwithcommonsense…andtodothingsprofessional-ly,whereasitappearsthechildcaresectorarenotcompletelytrusted’.

• Concernswereraisedthatinspectionandregulationcouldbecomeoverlyprescrip-tive,andpotentiallyleadtopractitionersbecomingmorecautiousandriskaverse.Aistearwasseenaspositiveinthepotentialforittobeinterpretedatlocallevels,andparticipantswerekeenforthistocontinue,andtoavoidnarrowingofpractice,andanorthodoxydeveloping;

• Potentialproblemsrelatedtoinspectionalsoincludedtherequirementtocompletelargeamountsofpaperwork,andtheneedtoavoida‘boxticking’approach,andthewayinwhichinspectioncouldbemorelogisticallychallengingforsomepartsofthesectorthanothers,forexample,childminderswhoaresoleproviders.

6.2.2. AistearandSíoltaframeworksParticipantsreportveryfavourablyaboutthevalueofbothAistearandSíolta,as‘absolutelyfantastic’frameworksof‘averyhighstandard,ataninternationallevel’.However,therearealsoanumberofconcerns,thatimpactuponthecontentofinitialtrainingandcpdpro-grammes,andthepossiblecoreknowledgeelementofrevisedOccupationalRoleProfiles.Theseconcernsinclude:

• EnsuringcontinuedrolloutofformalintroductiontoSíoltaandAistear(thismaybeparticularlyrelevantatFETAClevels5and6,wherecontentmaydifferacrosscours-

es),andthatallpractitionerscanaccessit,bothgeographicallyandacrossthesec-tor;

• Theneedtocontinuetolookathowtheframeworkstranslateintopractice,forpractitionersinallkindsofcontexts,includingchildmindersandchildcareworkersaswellasteachers;

• MisunderstandingsabouttheroleofAistearandSíoltaascurriculumframeworksandnotcurricula;

• Differencesininterpretationoftheplaceofbothframeworks,rangingfrombeingseenas‘overarching’everyaspectofpracticeto‘doingmyAistearhour’(relatingtocommentofayoungteacher).

6.2.3. InvestmentInvestmentwasidentifiedasakeyconcernbythemajorityofparticipants,atbothanoveralllevel:

it’salldowntocostingsbutifyouwantqualityservice,ifyouwantqualitypracti-tioners…

andalsoinspecificcontexts,eg:

• SustainabilityofECCEyearfunding;• Fundingforchildrenwithspecialneeds.

Participantswerestronglymotivatedbytryingtoensurequality,andwerenotunsympa-thetictothedifficultiesgovernmentfaceinthecurrentfinancialsituation,but,asoneputit:

wedon’twantmoneyatallcosts,wewantmoneyforwhat’sstrategicallyplannedout

Thislinkedtoconcernsabouttheimportanceofcoordinationandcollectiveactivity(see6.2.1.).

6.2.4. OccupationalRoleProfilesThecurrentversionoftheORPwereseenbyparticipantsasastartingpoint,a‘holdingmechanism’inordertohavesomethinginplace.Emphasisonacompetencymodelwasseenasrelevanttoitstime,buttheapproachisnowseenasoutdatedandneedingreview.

• AstartingpointforreviewoftheORPandmodelframeworkneedstobelocatedinavisionandstrategyforearlychildhoodservicesinIreland,ifitistoworkforchildrenandforthosewhoworkwithchildren;

• Theframeworkhasthepotentialtobeausefultooltoguidepractice,andasnotedin6.1.2,tocontributetoastrongerearlychildhoodidentity;

• Knowledgeanduseoftheframeworkmaynotbeevenacrossallsectors:reviewoftheframeworkneedstoensurewidespreadengagementwithwhatisdrawnup,particularlyifthiscouldthenbeusedtosupportdiscussionsaboutroles,andformu-lationofjobdescriptions;

• Acriticismexpressedbymanywasthat,intheircurrentform,theORPdonotreflecttherealityofworkinginthesector.Structureswereseenasflat,withpromotionandcareerdevelopmentoftenmeaningamoveoutofdirectpracticeandintomanage-ment.Doesthisrequireadifferentformofframework?

Ithinkthemodelframeworkintermsofpractitionersisinterestingbecauseitdoesn’tactuallymatchwithpracticeanditdoesn’tmatchwiththepotentialcareerpathifyoucouldcallitthatforpractitionersinpractice,becausetherearen’tthoselevelsorgradation.Intermsofprogression,intermsoftheworkforce,what’savailableintermsofcareers?

• Asnotedin6.2.1,thereareconcernsthatthecurrentframeworkemphasizesquali-

ficationlevels,andshowslessrecognitionforexperience;• Someoftheterminologyofthecurrentframeworkwasquestioned,inparticularifit

ledtosomeoneseeingthemselvesas,forexample,a‘basic’practitioner,withnoneedorincentivetomoveon;

• Thereisnorelationshipbetweensalarylevelsandframeworklevels.

6.3. Howcanaqualityworkforcebedevelopedandsustained?Whoisin-volved?

6.3.1. CollectiveviewsTherewasconsiderableemphasisontheimportanceofcollectiveviews,arrivedatcollabo-ratively,andcoordinationofservices.Síolta,forexample,wascitedasembodyingasetofprinciplesarrivedatacrossthesector.Theideaofavisionforearlychildhoodwasstronglyemphasized.Thiswasseenastiedtodevelopmentofastrategicplanforthesector,andleadership:

Actuallywhatmattersisavision.Thereisnovisionfortheearlychildhoodsectorthatisrespectfuloftheuniquenatureofearlychildhoodeducationasaperiodofeducationfrom0to6,or8,whichrequiresprofessionaltrainingandsupport.

• Oneparticipantsetoutthefollowingagendafordevelopingcollectiveviews:

o Identificationofastrategicdirection,basedonavisionforwhatwewantchildhoodeducationinIrelandtolooklike;

o Astrategicplanforearlyyears,developedbyallsectorsandstakeholders;o Discussionofwhatisaffordable;o Knowledgeofwhatchildrenindiversecommunitiesneed;o Aworkforceplanningstrategy,includingestimatesofcapacityandtheper-

centageofgraduateswewantworkinginthesector;o Theplaceandroleofchildminding;o Schoolandchildcareprovision.

• Participantsfavouredamoreintegrated,cohesiveapproachtopolicy,trainingandinspection.Thecurrentcontextmeansthatprofessionalsareencounteringdifferentapproaches,andreceivingdifferenttypesofguidancefromdifferentbodies.

• Participantsidentifiedarangeofpotentialwaysforward,including:o Moreeffectivecross-departmentalcollaborationonpolicy;o Amoreintegratedstructureandjoinedupthinkingtotakeaccountof,and

value,allaspectsofthesystem,forexampleworkwithunderthreesandchildmindingalongsidesettingsandschools;

o Locatingallservicesunderoneumbrellabody,intheinterestsofcohesionandtoensurethatpoliciesandframeworksareappliedconsistently.ThismightmeanmovingallservicestotheDepartmentofEducation,althoughtherewasalsorecognitionoftheroleoftheDCYA,particularlyinthecon-

textofaspectssuchasthenon-formalsector,childwellbeingandintegratedpractice;

o Greaterengagementofthesectorinpolicydevelopment.

6.3.2. Careerpathsandprogressionroutes

6.3.2.1. QualificationsandcareerstructuresParticipantsemphasizedthesheeramountoftraining,atbothinitialandcpdlevelsthattheearlychildhoodsectorengagedin.

• Manypractitionersareengagingintrainingthatmayhavelittleimpactontheiroverallqualificationlevel,orrecognizetheirachievement.Thismaybeatrealcostintermsoftimeandmoney,bothpersonallyandtotheserviceorsetting;

• Thesectorischaracterizedbyaveryflatcareerstructure:thisisseenasrelatedtolowrelativeinvestmentinthesector.Asnotedin6.2.4,theORPframeworkasare-sultdoesnotreflecttherealityofmanypractitioners’experience;

• Promotionoftenactstotakepractitionersoutofdirectpractice,intospecialistser-vices,policyworketc.;

• Thosewithlevel8qualificationsoftenmoveoutofearlychildhood,eitherintopri-maryteachingoroutofthesectoraltogether,becauseoflowwages,lowstatus,andexpectations;

• Thosewithlowerlevelqualificationsmaymoveoutofthesectorbecausetheyareabletoworkinalessstressfulareaforsimilarmoney;

• Lackofsecurityofemploymentformanyworkers,whoareonlyemployedfor38weeksoftheyear,mayinfluenceretention.

6.3.2.2. PerceptionsofvalueThisaspectelicitedthehighestvolumeofcommentsfromparticipants.Aconsistentthemerunningthroughtheirreflectionswastheperceptionofbeingundervalued,andthepoten-tialthishadfornegativelyaffectingasenseofidentity.Oneparticipantreflectedthat‘ifyoudon’tvaluesomeone…’they’renotgoingtovaluetheirjob’and,evenmoredisturbingly,‘howaretheygoingtorespectthechildren?’iftheydonotfeelrespectedthemselves.

• Financialconcernswerecitedbymany.Thesewereattwolevels:1)lowlevelsofin-vestmentandreductionsinfundingofthesystemimpacteduponpractitioners’feel-ingsofbeingvalued,andtheircapacitytoprovidehighqualityservices;2)lowpayforpractitionerscontributedtothemfeelingundervalued,andperceptionsoflowstatus.Thiswasparticularlycitedinrelationtolowpayforgraduates.Onepartici-pantposedthequestion:‘whywouldyougoandacquireallthesequalificationsandendupbeingpaid12eurosanhour?’;

• Retentionwasseenasaparticularproblem,especiallyinthecontextoflowpay.Thiswasseenaspotentiallyprovidingapoorreturnontheinvestmentoftraining,par-ticularlyatgraduatelevel,andthusinfluencingqualityprovision;

• Perceptionsofvalueatalllevelsinfluencedparticipants’comments.Theseincludedbysocietyasawhole(includingundervaluingtheroleofcaringforchildren),gov-ernment(relatedtolowconditionsofservice)andparents,whomaybeseenasnotwantingtopaysufficientforchildcare;

• Participantscomparedthesectortothepayandconditionsforteachers.Therewereconsistentcallsforearlychildhoodpractitionerstohavesimilarconditionsofservicetoteachers,particularlywithregardtoaspectssuchasnon-contact,‘professionaldevelopment’time,structuresandsystemstosupportandprovideaccesstocpd,

andrecognitionoftheirskillsandknowledgeasonaparwiththatofteachers,aswellassalaries.Aperceptionthatsomeearlyyearsworkersmayhavechosenthesectorasa‘secondbest’toteachingremains;

• Thefemalenatureoftheworkforcewascitedasapotentialcontributingfactortothesector’slowstatus.

6.3.3. IndividualandcollectiveactivityParticipantscommentedontheindividualnatureofmuchcpd,buttherewasalsoafeelingthatmorecouldbeaccomplishedwhengroups/teamsofstaffcollaborated:

goingoutanddoingaone-offtrainingor3sessionsoftrainingitneedsmorethanthattoembeditinpracticeanditneedsit,youknowitneedsawholegrouptocometogether.Oftenwehavethemanagerthatcomesalongandmaybeitgoesback,it’sverydependentonthemanagercapacitiestobringitbacktothegroup,youknowandbasicallythat’swhathappensthen,ifthemanagerhasaverygoodunderstand-ingandtheirwillistheretodothatitcanhappenverywell,butinlotsofinstancesweheareducatorsgoingbacksaying“Wellweweren’tabletodothisbecauseourmanagerdidn’tunderstandwhenhecameback“.

However,thiscollectiveactivitywasmademoredifficultifstaffwerenotpaidfortimeout-sideofthesession(see6.3.4below).

6.3.4. BarrierstotrainingThemajorityofparticipantsidentifiedsignificantbarriers:

• Aconcernthatperhapsmoreisbeingexpectedofearlyyearsworkersthanothersectorsintheircommitmenttoengageinprofessionaldevelopment,includingcommittingpersonalfinancialresources;

• Onwork-basedtrainingroutesstudentsareinfull-timeworkandtraining‘from6till10,2nightsaweek’:atthesametime,theyare‘ajoytoteach…andtheywillgooutandmakeadifference’;

• Lackofnon-contacttime,whichoneparticipantwantedtoreconceptualiseas‘pro-fessionaldevelopmenttime’inanefforttorecognizetheobligationsearlyyearsworkersareunderto‘raisetheirstandards’andupdatetheirknowledge;

• Thelanguageusedintheframeworksmaynotbeaccessibletoallearlyyearswork-ers,althoughthereisalsoacknowledgementthatthepracticeguidesarebothmoreaccessibleandmorepractical;

Thefollowingquotehighlightsmanyofthetensions:

inthenationalvoluntarygroup,itwentstraighttowhattrainingcanweprovideforthepractitioners.Iwassayingtothem‘buttheycan’taffordtogettothetraining’…thisislikereallytheheightoftherecessionandtheycan’taffordtoputthepetrolorthedieselinthecartogotothetraining,theycan’taffordtopaythechildmindertocomein,iftheyhaveachild,sothattheycangototraining,theycan’taffordtotakeoffthehalfhourearlysotheycangettowhatevertrainingandtheycan’taffordthetime…orifit’sonlinemaybetheydon’thaveaccesstotheinternetortheycan’taf-fordacomputerbecauseofthewaythingsaregoing.Andtheyweresayingohyeaandthengoingright,backtothetraining…thisiswhattheyneed,theyneedtrain-ing,theyneedtraining,theyneedtrainingandit’salmostlikethat’sbecomethe

agenda.We’regoingtoprovideprofessionaldevelopmentorwewanttoprofession-alisethissectoritmeansloadsandloadsoftrainingbutactuallywerenotgoingtolookatthepeopledirectlyinvolved

TrainingprovidersandprovisionCommentshererelatedtobothprovidersandprogrammes.

• Theimportanceofreviewingtherangeoftrainingprovidersremainscentraltosup-portinghighquality,andinensuringfitnessforpurpose.Thisincludescontinuedre-viewofpersonnel,theirbackgrounds,qualificationsandexperience,withaviewtoqualityassurance,accreditationandregulationofthesector;

• Thereisacontinuingneedtostreamlinetherangeofavailablequalificationsifacompetentsystemistobedeveloped,butalsoarecognitionthatthistakestime;

• Whilstthereisemphasison3-6years,itisimportanttoensureafocusonbirth-3years;

• Theexperiencesofindividualsoncoursesatsimilarlevelscanbeverydifferent,de-pendinguponwheretheytakethecourse.Thereisanongoingneedforreviewofaspectssuchascoursecontent,includingattentiontoAistearandSíolta,diversityandinclusivepractice,therelationshipoftheorytopractice,andcontacttime;

• ThereisaneedtobetterembedAistearandSíoltainprogrammesatalllevels;• Theroleofplacement,includingaspectssuchasthequalityofplacementsandthe

roleofmentoringandsupervision,needsreviewtoensurethatstudentshaveop-portunitiestoexperiencequalitypractice;

• Itwouldbeusefultolookattheextenttowhichprogrammesatalllevelsencourageandsupportstudentsindeveloping(andreflectingupon)personalvalues,andde-velopinga‘widerperspective’onearlychildhood.

6.4. SystemicchallengesandopportunitiesParticipantswereaskedtoidentifykeysystemicchallengesandopportunities.Adigestoftheirresponsesisincludedhere:

InvestmentAppropriatelevelsofinvestmentinordertoensurethatexpectationsofqualitycanbemetAppropriatepayforearlychildhoodprofessionalstosupportviablecareerpathsTheworkforceEnhancedpayandstatusforthesectorReducingtheturnoveroftheworkforceRetaininggoodpeopleProfessionalisationEarlyChildhoodtobeseenasaprofession,withagencyandself-determinationTheneedforaprofessionalbodyEnhancedconditionsofservice,consistentwithotherprofessionVisionBuildingcapacityaroundavisionofwhatearlychildhoodeducationshouldlooklikeinIre-landIntegration

IntegrationofservicesatgovernmentlevelQualityAcknowledgingthechallengesofpracticeandrecognisingqualitypracticeAfocusonconstantlyimprovingqualityRegulationEnsuringthatregulationissupportiveratherthanprescriptiveTrainingRecognisingpractitionertrainingandqualificationsEnsuringthatstudentsarewellpreparedforpracticeEnsuringAisetarandSíoltaareembeddedinpracticeEnsuringthesectorhasthecapacitytorespondtodemand

7. ConsultationandfeedbackTheEarlyYearsPolicyUnit,DepartmentforEducationandSkills,hostedapublicconsulta-tioneventonSaturday,19thNovember2016.TheeventtookplaceatDublinCastle,Print-works.ThepurposeoftheeventwastoinformstakeholdersabouttheongoingreviewofOccupationalRoleProfiles,topresentpreliminaryfindingsofthereviewsofinternationalliteratureandIrishpolicydocuments,andtodiscusskeyareasforrevisionoftheProfiles(seeappendix1fortheprogrammeoftheday).Approximately60participantsattendedtheday;theyrepresentedawidevarietyofelementsoftheEarlyChildhoodCareandEducationsectorincludingpractitioners,provider-owners,representativesofprofessionalassociations,providersofprofessionalpreparation(HEandFE),inspection,regulatoryandqualityassur-ancebodies,CityandcountyChildcareCommitteesandresearch.

ThedaywasopenedbyMrGaryÓDonnchadha,Asst.Secretary,DepartmentofEducation&Skills,followedbyashortintroductionbyMsMaresaDuignan,Asst.ChiefInspector,De-partmentofEducation&Skills.

ProfessorMathiasUrban,UniversityofRoehampton,London,UK,thenintroducedthebriefgiventotheEarlyChildhoodResearchCentre,gaveanoverviewofrelevantinternationalliterature,andpresentedapreliminaryanalysisbasedonthereviewofIrishpolicydocu-mentsandstakeholderinterviews.

Followingthepresentation,participantswereinvitedtodiscussthreesetsofquestionscon-cerningtheOccupationalRoleProfilesduringaroundtablediscussionphase.ThequestionsweregroupedunderthethreekeyareasforrevisionoftheORPsthatwereidentifiedfromthepolicyreviewandstakeholderinterviews.Participantswereaskedtodiscussthefollow-ingquestions:

Firstkeyareaforrevision:GenericcharacteristicsoftheECECworkforce

Whatwouldyouseeasalternativeapproachestonamingthevariouslevelsof• formalqualification• practicalexperience

representedintheECCEworkforce?

Secondkeyareaforrevision:Coreknowledgeareas

ThecurrentProfilesdonotmentionrecentguidingframeworksfortheECECsector.

HowcanaclearorientationtowardsAistearandSíolta,andrespectfordiversityandworkingtowardsequality(equitableoutcomesforallchildren)beincorporatedinthecoreknowledgeandskillsatalllevels?

Thirdkeyareaforrevision:Pathwaystoprofessionalisationandsystemicdevelopment

Howshouldpracticalexperience(beyond,before,oroutsideofformalqualification)bedocumentedandrecognised?

Howcantheneedforstrategicleadershipatsystemslevelbereflectedineducationandtraining?

Keypointsarisingfromthegroupdiscussionsweredocumentedateachtableandthencol-lectedinasharedpowerpointpresentation(seeappendix2)immediatelyaftertheroundtablediscussions.Thecollectiveproductprovidedthebasisfortheplenarydiscussiontoroundupandclosetheday.

8. Consolidatedfindings:towardsarevisedframeworkofOc-cupationalRoleProfiles

8.1. ConsolidatedfindingsBasedonthe2002ModelFrameworkforEducation,TrainingandProfessionalDevelopmentintheEarlyChildhoodCareandEducationSector,the2010WorkforceDevelopmentPlanfortheEarlyChildhoodCareandEducationSectorinIrelandaspirestopresentashared,collec-tivevisionforthedevelopmentoftheearlychildhoodworkforce.However,aswehaveout-linedinthereviewofIrishpolicydocuments,significantinconsistenciesremainduetothestructuralcharacteristicsoftheIrishECECsectorandthelimitationsoftheplan.

Interviewswithstakeholdersfromtheearlychildhoodcareandeducationsectorconfirmtheinconsistenciesidentifiedinthepolicyreview.Ourinterviewpartnersalsoidentifiedanumberofspecificissuesthatwillhavetobeaddressedintheinterestofacoherent,effec-tiveandsustainabledevelopmentoftheearlychildhoodcareandeducationworkforceinIreland.ThepointsraisedintheinterviewsgobeyondthespecificationofrolesforECECpractitioners.Theyareimportant,though,astheprovidebackgroundandnecessarycontextfortherevision.Systemicissuesarisingfromthestakeholderinterviewscanbesubsumedunderthetwobroadcategoriesofprofessionalism,professionalisationandprofessionalidentityandevaluation,monitoringandinspection(seesection6).

8.1.1. Professionalism,professionalisationandprofessionalidentityThisturnedouttobeamajorthemeforallparticipants,seenasanareaofconsiderablede-velopmentsincethepublicationofthefirstiterationofoccupationalroleprofiles.Yet,pro-fessionalismintheECECsectorisstillseenbymanyasatemergentlevelinIreland.Discuss-ingthegeneralsituationofECECasaprofession,participantstendtomeasuretheearlychildhoodsectoragainstwhatsomeseeas‘traditional’orgenericattributesofaprofession.Theyidentifyweaknessesinareasincluding

• self-determinationandagency• theexistenceofaprofessionalbodywithresponsibilityforsettingoutcorerequire-

mentsandexpectations• andsharedcodesofpractice

Thesewerecitedasvaluableincreatingaprofessionalidentityandalsoinsupportingaca-reerstructure.

CloselylinkedtothegeneralpicturepaintedoftheearlychildhoodprofessioninIrelandarequestionsrelatingtoindividualandcollectiveprofessionalidentity:

• Earlychildhoodprofessionalidentitiesmaybemultiple,andincludethoseworkinginservicesforchildrenunderthreeandthoseforchildrenoverthree,andthosework-ingintheearlyyearsinprimaryschools;

• Suchfragmentationmaychallengeacoherentprofessionalidentityandideasofpro-fessionalpractice;

• Irishculturaltraditionsmayworkagainstearlychildhoodworkersbeingseenaspro-fessionals(thismayparticularlyaffectchildmindersandthoseworkingwithchildrenunderthree).Thismayleadtothemfeelingbothexcludedandambivalentabouttheirprofessionalidentity;

• Asenseoffeelingundervaluedimpactsonearlychildhoodworkers’senseofidenti-ty,leadingtofeelingsofdisempowerment;

• Poorlevelsofpaymaybeequatedwithasenseofearlychildhoodasnotaprofes-sion;

• TheOccupationalRoleprofileswereseenaspotentially(andpositively)influentialonprofessionalpracticeandprofessionalidentity;

• Agrowingnumberofqualifiedandexperiencedearlychildhoodworkersarerecog-nisingandvaluingthemselvesasprofessionals,andarebeginningtobemoreproac-tiveintheiradvocacyforearlychildhood.

8.1.2. Evaluation,monitoringandinspectionThisareawasdiscussedbythemajorityofparticipants,particularlyinlightoftheintroduc-tionofnewEYEIinspectionsin2016

• IntroductionofEYEIwasgenerallyseenaspositive,particularlygiventheemphasisonrecruitinginspectorsfromwithinearlychildhoodpractice;

• However,thereisstillsomeresistancetoinspection,evenwhenworkerswereas-sessedashavingmetthecriteria;

• EYEIwereseenbyashavingthepotentialtoimpactpositivelyonpractice,andfortheprocessofinspectiontobemoreconsultative.

Aconcernexpressedbymanywaswithregardtothephenomenonofmultipleinspectionsinearlyyears,andwhatwasseenasalackofintegrationacrossthedifferentinspectionre-gimes.Thecostofimplementingbothhealthandeducationinspectionsystemswascitedaspotentiallyresultinginlessmoneyforotherpartsofthesystem.

• Thesituationwasalsocomparedunfavourablytotheeducationsector,inwhich‘theteacherisaccreditedwithcommonsense…andtodothingsprofessionally,whereasitappearsthechildcaresectorarenotcompletelytrusted’;

• Concernswereraisedthatinspectionandregulationcouldbecomeoverlyprescrip-tive,andpotentiallyleadtopractitionersbecomingmorecautiousandriskaverse.Aistearwasseenaspositiveinthepotentialforittobeinterpretedatlocallevels,

andparticipantswerekeenforthistocontinue,andtoavoidnarrowingofpractice,andanorthodoxydeveloping;

• Potentialproblemsrelatedtoinspectionalsoincludedtherequirementtocompletelargeamountsofpaperwork,andtheneedtoavoida‘boxticking’approach.

Thesesystemicconditionsfortheworkforce(whichareakeyelementofacompetentsystemasidentifiedbyCORE)willhavetobetakenintoconsiderationforanyrevisionoftheOccu-pationalRoleProfile.

8.2. KeyareasforrevisedOccupationalRoleProfilesBasedontheconsolidatedanalysisofinternationalliterature,Irishpolicydocuments,stake-holderinterviewsandfeedbackgivenattheconsultationeventweidentifythreekeyareasforrevisionoftheORPs.

• GenericcharacteristicsoftheECECworkforce• Coreknowledgeareas• Pathwaystoprofessionalisationandsystemicdevelopment

8.2.1. GenericcharacteristicsoftheECECworkforce

8.2.1.1. Overcomingthetensionbetweenformalqualificationandexperi-ence

The2002ModelFrameworkemphasisestheimportanceofgrowingexperienceandlifelonglearningaskeytodevelopingconsistencyacrossahighlydiverseworkforce.Forindividualpractitioners,twopathwaysforprofessionallearninganddevelopmentareidentified:

Practical(prior)experienceandformaleducationandtraining

Bothpathwaysareseenassupportingaprogressionthroughfivestagesofoccupationalpro-files:

Basicpractitioner–intermediatepractitioner–experiencedpractitioner–advancedpractitioner–expertpractitioner

The2010WorkforceDevelopmentPlanmaintainsthefive-tiersystembuthasnowastrongemphasisonthelevelofformalqualification(NFQlevel)requiredateachlevel(QQI/FETAC4to8/9).

Thisisanunderstandableshiftconsideringthedesiretoraisetheoveralllevelofqualifica-tionoftheECECworkforce.

TheWDPalsoacknowledgesthedifficulttaskofaligningthevastvarietyofexperiencesinthefield,practicalorother,withaqualificationprofilefortheECECworkforce:

OftheECCEworkforce,theclientgroupsthatarealreadyinemploymentpresentparticularchallengesforRPLsystems(p.10).

Unfortunately,theterminologyusedinthe2010revisioncanresultinaconflationbetweenlevelsofexperienceandqualification,suggestingthatoneequatestheother.Thisbecomesproblematicwhenasmall(butgrowing)numberofgraduateswithlevel7/8qualification(e.g.BAECCE)areexpectedtoexertleadershipandactasindividualchangeagentsinasec-torthatisdominatedbypractitionerswithexperiencebutlowlevelsofformalqualification.Itmayalsonegativelyimpactonpractitioners,particularlythosewithconsiderableexperi-encebuteitherlowlevelsof,ornorecognisedqualification.

Namingprofessionalrolesintheearlychildhoodsectorisfurthercomplicatedbyconflictingmessagesfromdifferentdepartments.In2016,theDepartmentforChildrenandYouthAf-fairs(DCYA)publishesaListofEarlyYearsqualificationsrecognisedforthepurposesofmeet-ingtherequirementsoftheRegulationsandDCYAChildcareProgrammesContracts.ThisdocumentisanextensivelistofnationalandinternationalqualificationsthataredeemedacceptableforworkingwithyoungchildreninIrishECEC.WhiletheeclecticnatureofthisdocumentcanbeseenasareflectionoftherealityoftheIrishearlychildhoodsector(anditsincoherence!),itsexistencealsounderlinestheneedforacomprehensiveworkforcereformanddevelopmentstrategycoveringtheentireECECsector.

Ithastoberecognisedthatthetensionbetweenpracticalexperienceandformalqualifica-tionisnotspecifictotheearlychildhoodsector.AccordingtoQualityandQualificationsIre-land(QQI),thebodyresponsibleforoverseeingvocationalEducationandTraining(levels4,5,6,withalimitedremitatHElevels7,8,9),otherprofessionsarefacingsimilarchallenges.

OnewaytoaddressthetensionistoimprovethepracticalexperienceofthosestudyingtogainaHEdegree.QQIrefertoanexampleofaCounsellingandPsychotherapycoursethatsystematicallyincorporatespracticeinyears1,2and3.Focussingonmoresystematicandimprovedexposuretoexcellentpracticeduringtheirstudieswouldmostcertainlybebene-ficialforECECstudents.AsystematicreviewandrevisionofthecontentandorganisationofHEprogrammescouldtakethatintoaccount.However,thespecificchallengefortheECECsectorappearstobeapersistentdifficultytoidentifyandprovidepracticeplacementsthatmeettherequirementsandexpectationsofstudents.ThedilemmaforanECECsectorchar-acterisedbyan‘emerging’professionalism(asconfirmedintheinterviews)isthatcurrentstudentsarebeingqualifiedtoleadonqualitydevelopmentandchangeintheverysameservicesthatwouldideallyexposethemtohighqualitypracticethroughouttheirstudies.

8.2.2. CoreknowledgeareasAtpresent,thestratifiedgenericcharacteristicsoftheECECworkforceareframedbysixar-easofcoreknowledgeandskills:

Childdevelopment–personal,professionaldevelopment–socialenvironment–health,hygiene,nutritionandsafety–educationandplay–communication,admin-istration,management

TheseareasapplyacrossallofthecurrentfivetiersofORP.SuchanapproachissupportedbythefindingsofCOREthatemphasisetheimportanceofsharedandmatchingknowledge(s),practicesandvaluesacrossalllayersofanearlychildhoodsystem.WesuggestthatrevisedOccupationalRoleProfilesmaintainthegeneralapproach.

However,thepolicyanalysisincombinationwiththemesemergingfromthestakeholderinterviewsindicatesthatthesixareasneedupdating:

1. Thecore‘knowledgeandskills’oftheECECworkforceshouldhaveaclearorienta-tiontowardsthetwoguidingframeworkdocumentsforthesector,AistearandSíolta.

2. Muchstrongeremphasisonworkingincontextsofdiversity,(in)equalityandsocialjusticeshouldbeincorporatedinthecoreknowledgeandskills.Givendemographicchangesinsociety,thisshouldincludepreparationforworkingwithchildrenwithEnglishasanadditionallanguage.ThisshoulddrawonreadilyavailableresourcesintheIrishECECsector,e.g.resourcesdevelopedbytheéistproject,theresultsofthegovernment-fundedpreschoolinitiativeforchildrenfromminoritygroups(2012)andtherevisedDiversity,EqualityandInclusionGuidelinesforEarlyChildhoodCareandEducation(2016).Inthiscontextitisimportanttomentionthemostrecentpolicyinitiative,theAccessandInclusionModel(AIM/www.aim.gov.ie).AIMaddressesinclusionwithaspecif-icfocusondisabilityandlinksdisabilitytowiderissuesofdiversityandequalitythroughthedocumentDiversity,EqualityandInclusionCharterandGuidelines(De-partmentofChildrenandYouthAffairs,2016).

3. Professionalandpedagogicalleadershipwillhavetobecomeakeycomponentoftheknowledgeandskillsbase.Thisisofparticularimportancebecausegraduatesofearlychildhoodeducationandcaredegreecourseswillhavetotakeonrolesaschangeagentsforthesector.Atthemomentthereappearstobeanemphasisonchild-(and,toalesserextentfamily-)relatedcontentinthecurriculaofHEpro-grammes.Whilethisisgenerallyinlinewithfindingsinothercountries(CoRe,2011a),theIrishearlychildhoodsectorfacesaparticularpressuretoadoptrapidchangefromwithin.Thereforeitwillbenecessarytoreviewprogrammesforas-pectsofsystemicleadershipandevaluation.

4. Moreemphasisshouldbeplaceduponpreparationandcontinuingprofessionalde-velopmentknowledgeandpracticeintheuseofICTforlearning,reflectingrapidchangesinthisareasincepublicationofthe2010framework.

5. Clearreferenceororientationtowardstheaimofbuildingacompetentsystem(CORE)shouldbemadeintherevisedcoreknowledgeandskills.Itwillbecrucialtoidentifyandovercomefracturesandmismatchesofknowledge(s),practicesandun-derpinningvaluesbetweenactorsandinstitutionsatalllevelsofthesystem,includ-ingpractice,professionalpreparationanddevelopment,evaluationandmonitoring(inspection),research,andgovernance.

6. Recentlyintroducedevaluationandinspectionframeworkswillhavetobetakenin-toaccountbyinitialprofessionalpreparationandprofessionaldevelopment.Aclearlinkshouldbemadebetweencritical(self-)reflectionatalllevelsofpracticeandbothinternalandexternalevaluationandmonitoring.

Generalemphasisshouldbeplacedon

• thenatureofknowledgeaso diverse(henceknowledge(s))

o emergingincomplexandconstantlychangingsituationso co-constructedbetweenallactorsintheECECsystemincludingchildren,

familiesandcommunities,practitioners,researchers• criticallyreflected(hencepurposeful)practicesratherthanskills• theimportancetoidentifyunderpinning(andoftennon-explicit)valuesatalllevels

ofthesystem,ratherthanopenlydemonstratedattitudesonly

8.2.3. PathwaystoprofessionalisationandsystemicdevelopmentThecurrentfive-tieredORPframeworksuggestscareerpathwaysthatarecurrentlynotavailabletopractitioners.WesuggestthattherevisedORPframeworkaddressestherela-tionshipbetweenexperienceandformalqualificationinthesector,emphasisingthatonedoesnotnecessarilyequatewiththeother(seealso8.2.1.)

Buildingonexistingorientationsinthe2002ModelFrameworkandthe2010WorkforceDe-velopmentPlan,revisedORPshouldexploreaportfolioapproachtorecognisingandaccred-itingpriorexperience.Experiencesfrompreviousattemptstodevelopsuchportfolio-basedapproachesshouldbecarefullyevaluatedandrevised.

(Re)definingtherelationshipbetween‘theory’and‘practice’liesatthecoreofemerginginitiativestointroduceapprenticeshipsintotheIrishearlychildhoodsector.Intermsofthenecessarysystemicprofessionalisationofthesector,suchinitiativesshouldbeapproachedwithextremecaution.Comparedtoothersectorsthatuseapprenticeshipstotransferpro-fessionalknowledgetofuturemembersoftheprofessionbasedonestablishedpractices,theearlychildhoodsectorfacesadifferentchallenge:thedearthofexcellentpracticeset-tingsforapprenticesandstudentsonplacementtoattend(Murray,forthcoming).Insteadofbeinginductedintobestpracticesalreadywidelyestablishedthroughoutthesector,newentrants(i.e.collegegraduates)willincreasinglyhavetointroducechangeintothesector.This,tosomeextent,isareversalofrolescomparedtoothersectorsthatmightrenderap-prenticeshipsincapableofmakingameaningfulcontributiontoprofessionalisingthesector.

IftheIrishECECsectoraimsatorientingitselftowardsbecomingacompetentsystem,thecontentoftheOccupationalRoleProfileswillhavetobereflectedmoreexplicitlyinprofes-sionalpreparationandtraining.Thatwillrequireorganisedspaces(institutionalisedstruc-tures)forcollaborationbetweenpolicy-making,educationandtrainingproviders,evaluationandmonitoringsystemsandresearch.

GiventhediversenatureoftheECECworkforcecoveredbyOccupationalRoleProfilesthereisanobviousneedforstrategicleadershipatbothpolicyandpracticelevels.WesuggestthatrevisedORPreflectthisneedmoreclearlyandemphasiseelementsofleadership,sys-temicthinking,andcriticalreflectionatlevel7/8qualifications.Graduatesareincreasinglyfacedwiththequestionofhowtoeffectivelyactasleadersandchangeagentsinworkcon-textsthatarecharacterisedbyexperiencedbutlowerqualifiedpractitioners.

RevisedORPshouldalsoaddressthetensionbetweencareerprogressionandretention.Withoutaprogressionrouteinpractice,theonlyoptiontogainpromotionandappropriatepayisforgraduatestoleavetheimmediateworkwithchildren.Theresultisa‘braindrain’thatisnotsustainable.

Accesstocontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentforthoseinworkhasbeenhighlightedasoftenchallenginginbothtimeandmoney.Werecommendareviewofmodesofdeliverytoensure,wherepossible,greateropportunitiesforpart-time,flexible,onlineanddistancelearning.Inaddition,developmentofamoresystemicapproachmaybefacilitatedbytrain-ingmodesaimedatwholestaffgroups,orclustersofsettings.ThisreflectscurrentinterestinPeer-LearningNetworks,andmayalsohavesignificantfinancialadvantagesasaresultofeconomiesofscale.

8.3. OccupationalRoleProfiles:towardsarevisedframeworkBasedonthefindingsofourreviewwehaveidentifiedkeyareasthatwestronglysuggestshouldbetakenintoaccountforanewapproachtoframingprofessionalroles(individualandcollective)fortheEarlyChildhoodEducationandCaresector(cfprevioussection).ThesekeyareasareastartingpointforthedevelopmentofmorespecificelementsofarevisedOccupationalRoleProfileframework.Fromthisstartingpoint,andonlyifembeddedinamorecomprehensiveworkforcereformstrategy,anewframeworkshouldreplacetheimplic-itbutunrealistichierarchywithapathwayforcareerprogression:

Insteadofmaintainingtheimplicithierarchy(basictoexpert),revisedOccupationalRoleProfilesshouldadoptanalternativenomenclaturetoreflectthevalueofbothexperienceandformalqualification.Consultationwithinthesectorwillbenecessaryinidentifyingap-propriateterminology,buttwopossiblewaysforwardareeithernumerical,i.e.level1,level2etc.(anapproachwhichalsoallowsforfurtherpossiblefutureiterations)oranapproachwhichmoreexplicitlyrelateslevelstojobroles,forexampleassistantpractitioner,leadprac-titioneretc.Thevalueofanumericalapproachisthatitfacilitatesmappingofalltypesofchildcareprovider,forexamplechildmindersaswellasthoseworkingincentres,ontotheframework.

Anewframeworkshouldalsotakeaccountofthechangingrolesatalllevelsoftheearlychildhoodsystem:ArevisedOccupationalRoleProfilesframeworkshouldtakeaccountofvaryingroleswithinthesector,forexamplepractitionersinrolesofpedagogicleadershipaswellasthosewithmanagementleadershiproles.Moregenerally,therewouldbeconsidera-blevalueindelineatingmoreexplicitlinkagebetweenORPsandcareerstructuresandpro-gressionroutes.RequirementsateachlevelshouldmaphowthesearereflectedinawardlevelsaswellashowtheymaybeachievedthroughRPL.

However,itisimportant,atthispoint,toreiteratethemainconclusionthatcanbedrawnfromboththedocumentaryreviewandthefindingsofourinvestigationintotherealityoftheIrishearlychildhoodworkforce,asexperiencedbyexpertsandstakeholdersatalllevelsofthesector:Anarrowfocusonthereformulationofoneparticularaspect(ORPs)inanex-traordinarilycomplexandcontradictorycontext(theIrishearlychildhoodeducationandcaresystem)carriestheriskofbeingineffectiveorevenirrelevant.

DevelopmenttowardsacompetentsystemwillrequireamuchbroaderandcomprehensivereframingoftheentireECECworkforce,understoodasanintegratedprofessionworkingwithchildrenfrombirthto6yearsofage,itsconditionsofserviceandwork,itsrecruitment,pre-andin-serviceeducationandcontinuousprofessionaldevelopmentbasedonashared

visionandunderstandingofthepurposeofservicesforyoungchildrenandtheirfamiliesin21stcenturyIreland.

9. Towardsacompetentsystem:furtherconsiderationsAswehaveoutlinedintheintroductorychapter,therehasbeensignificantprogressinkeyareasoftheIrishearlychildhoodsectorinrecentyears.However,ourinvestigationunder-linesthatthemainsystemicchallengesremainunresolved.Whiletheworkforceiscentraltoanydevelopmentinthesector,itisonlyone(ifcrucial!)aspectofthecultural,political,eco-nomicandprofessionalenvironmentinwhichservicesforallyoungchildrenandtheirfami-liesthrive.Thispointstotheurgentneedforacomprehensivereviewandreformoftheen-tireearlychildhoodsystem–whichisbeyondthescopeofthisreview.However,wewouldliketosuggestthatsuchaprocessismorelikelytoachieveitsgoalsifthefollowingelementscanbeconsidered:

9.1. LeadershipandcoordinationatgovernmentlevelTheimportanceofdevelopingstrongandcourageouspoliticalleadershipforbetterandmoreequitableservicesforallchildrenhasbeenrepeatedlypointedout;itiscentraltotherecommendationsmadebytheOECDinthe2004ThematicReviewEarlyChildhoodEduca-tionandCarePolicyinIreland(OECD,2004).ThefindingsoftheinternationalCoReproject(Urbanetal.,2011a)confirmthatgovernanceiskeytoacomprehensiveandcompetentear-lychildhoodsystemofhighquality.Findingsofongoingresearchconductedin11countries(‘GovernanceandLeadershipforCompetentSystemsinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare’)underlinethekeyroleofgovernanceforthedevelopmentofallaspectsoftheearlychildhoodsystem.

Despiteanexistingdistributionofresponsibilitiesbetweengovernmentdepartments–withthevastmajorityoffunding,regulations,initiativesetc.beingwithintheremitoftheDe-partmentofChildrenandYouthAffairs(DCYA)–itiscurrentlydifficulttosee,atleastfromamexternalperspective,aclearleadershipatpolitical/Departmentlevel.Analternativeapproach(thathasbeenchosenbycountriesinsimilarsituations)couldbetocreateanewhigh-levelinterdepartmentalgroupwithresponsibilityforallaspectsofearlychildhoodpro-visionforchildrenfrombirth.Theremitofthisgroupwouldhavetoencompassallareasthatarecurrentlyundertheauspicesofseveraldepartmentsandagencies.Inordertofulfilitsremit,thenewhigh-levelinterdepartmentalbodywillhavetohavebudgetautonomy.ResourcesforearlychildhoodeducationandcarethatarecurrentlydividedupbetweenDe-partmentswouldhavetobebroughttogether.

9.2. LeadershipandcoordinationatprofessionallevelAsituationwhereseveralprofessionalassociations,interestgroupsandunionscompetefortheattentionoftheearlychildhoodsectorisnotsustainableandcontributestoweakeningthesector.Therefore,theestablishmentofaneffectivegovernancestructureatpolicylevelshouldbeaccompaniedbyencouragementandsupportforaunifiedprofessionalbody.Thisneworganisationwouldhavetobeformedwithandfromexistingsectorrepresentatives.Itshouldplayanimportantroleindevelopingcollectiveandindividualprofessionalidentities,

andtosettingprofessionalstandardsforanintegratedearlychildhoodeducationandcaresector.

9.3. Monitoring,evaluationandqualityassuranceItisencouragingtoseerecentinitiativestoestablishaninspectionsystemthatfocusesontheeducationalexperiencesofchildreninearlychildhoodprovision.However,thereisanapparentneedtoconsolidatetheexistingapproachestoinspection.Theaimshouldbeasinglesystemconceptualisedanddesignedasacomprehensivemonitoringandevaluationsystemthatappliestoallservicesandallagegroups.Theapproachshouldcombinethecon-tinuouscollectionofbothquantitativeandqualitativedata.Thismonitoringandevaluationsystemshouldincorporatetheexistinginspectionregimes.Suchasystemisapreconditionforeffectivegovernanceasitprovidesindispensableup-to-dateinformationforstrategicallocationoflimitedresources.

Aunifiedmonitoringandevaluationsystemislikelytobemosteffectiveifcloselinkscanbeestablishedwithastrengthenedqualityassurance(QA)bodyforprofessionalpreparation,continuousprofessionaldevelopment,andtraining.SuchaQAbodywouldhavetooperateonthebasisofstrongrapportwithanEarlyChildhoodProfessionalassociation.SystemicQAwouldhavetoapplytoalllevelsofprofessionalpracticeandtoworkingwithallagegroups.ThiscouldbeachievedbyreviewingtheremitofexistingQAstructures.ThereviewshoulddrawonexistingexpertiseinbodiesincludingQQI,PLÉ,anduniversities,allofwhichcur-rentlyhavealimitedremitinrelationtoqualityassuranceforspecificpartsofthesector.

9.4. Comprehensivereviewofrecent,current,andplannedinitiativesForanyexternalobserver,oneofthemostintriguingfeaturesoftheIrishearlychildhoodsectoristheamountofpolicyinitiativesandprojectsinthesector,andthenumberofactorsdevelopingandlaunchingtheseinitiatives.Experienceinothercountriesshowsthatmoreinitiativesdon’tnecessarilyleadtosustainablechange,improvedoutcomes,ormoreeffec-tiveuseofresources.Onewayofaddressingthesituationcouldbetoagreeandconductathoroughandcomprehensivereviewofrecent,current,andplannednewinitiativesandtheirimpactontheearlychildhoodsystem.

9.5. InvestmentinresearchinfrastructureIrelandhasexperienced(andcontinuestoexperience)rapidsocial,culturalandeconomicchange,resultinginchangingrequirementsofchildrenandfamilies.TheIrishearlychild-hoodsectorhasrespondedtothechangingcontext.Internationalexperienceshowsthattheroleofservicesforyoungchildrenandtheirfamilieswillbecomeevenmoreimportantintheforeseeablefuture.Itwillbecrucialtoinvestinthecontinuousdevelopmentofnewknowledgeinrelationtoallaspectsoftheearlychildhoodsystem.Positioningitselfasala-boratoryforchangeanddevelopment,investmentinasustainableresearchinfrastructurecouldplaceIrelandfirmlyonthemapofworld-leadingresearchinearlychildhood,aswellasprovidingthenecessaryknowledgecontextforbuildinganearlychildhoodsystemthatisfitforpurpose.

9.6. SupportforprofessionalidentityLastbutnotleast,akeyconcernatallphasesofthisstudy,andacrossallparticipants,wasthenotionofprofessionalismandprofessionalidentity.Whilsttherearemanycontributoryfactors,assetoutabove,participantshighlightedfeelingundervaluedbybothparentsandatcentrallevels.TherecouldbemuchvalueinaprogrammeofmoreexplicitrecognitionbyrelevantgovernmentdepartmentsoftheprofessionalismofpractitionersintheECECsector,andthepromotionofworkinECECasprofessional,includingviapublicationsandpublicity,onsocialmedia,andinguidancegiventocareersadvisers.

TheEarlyChildhoodResearchCentre(ECRC)TheEarlyChildhoodResearchCentreattheUniversityofRoehamptonbuildsonalongtradi-tionofcriticalinquiryinthefield.Weinvestigatehistories,policiesandpolitics,pedagogiesandpracticesinearlychildhoodlocallyandinternationallyfromacriticalperspectivethatisinformedbyasharedinterestinthetransformativepotentialofcollaborativeresearch.

Asaresearchcentrewehaveinitiatedandareinvolvedinnumerouscollaborativeactivitieswithlocal,nationalandinternationalpartners.Theseincludeinternationalsymposia,writingcollaborations,andresearchcollaborationswithinternationalandUKpartnersinaglobalnetworkofcollaborativesites.Partnershipsincludeuniversitiesandresearchcentres,localauthoritiesandschools,professionalassociations,advocacynetworks,governmentagenciesanddepartmentsandinternationalbodies.

WiththeresearchconductedatECRCwepositionourselves,andthestudyofearlychild-hood,inacontextofcriticaltheoryandpractice,diversityandsocialjustice.WithourworkwehopetocontributetobuildingwhatPauloFreirecallscriticalconsciousness(conscien-tização)inthefield.

Wehaveaparticularinterestintheprofessionalpracticesofworkingwithyoungchildren(pre-nataltotheageofca.8),familiesandcommunities.Professionalpracticeinearlychild-hood,webelieve,isalwaysrelational,profoundlyuncertain,andinevitablypolitical.

WesituateourworkinthetraditionofFriedrichFroebel,the19thcenturyKindergartenpio-neer,whoseideasweseeashighlyrelevantforcontemporaryearlychildhoodcontexts.Froebelemphasisedtheuniquepotentialofeverychildandtheimportanceofplayasthekeytochildrenmakingsenseoftheworld.Heconceptualisedtheeducationofyoungchil-drenasapublicgoodandresponsibility.Hisideasandpracticesdependedonhighlyquali-fiedpractitionersandtheFroebelKindergartenmovementhasmadeamajorcontributiontotheprofessionalisationofwomeninthe19thandearly20thcentury.Alloftheseideasare,webelieve,asrelevantandradicalnowastheywerethen.

FormoreinformationoncurrentandrecentresearchandpublicationsatECRC,andforstaffprofilesseeourwebsite

http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/Research-Centres/Early-Childhood-Research-Centre/

TheresearchteamThestudywasjointlyconductedbyProfessorMathiasUrban(Director,EarlyChildhoodRe-searchCentre)andDrSueRobson(ResearchFellow,EarlyChildhoodResearchCentre).Vale-riaScacchi(ResearchOfficer,EarlyChildhoodResearchCentre)supportedtheteamwiththeoverviewoverinternationalliterature.

MathiasUrbanoversawtheprojectasPrincipalInvestigatorandisthedesignatedcontactpersonfortheDepartmentofEducationandSkills.

MathiasUrbanProfessorMathiasUrban,PhDisProfessorofEarlyChildhoodandDirectoroftheEarlyChildhoodResearchCentreattheFroebelCollege,UniversityofRoehampton,London,Unit-edKingdom.Heworksonquestionsofdiversityandequality,socialjustice,evaluationandprofessionalisminworkingwithyoungchildren,familiesandcommunitiesindiversesocio-culturalcontexts.

From2010to2011hecoordinatedtheEuropeanCoReproject(CompetenceRequirementsinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare).HiscurrentandrecentprojectsincludecollaborativestudiesonearlychildhoodprofessionalisminColombia(SistemasCompetentesparalaAtenciónIntegralalaPrimeraInfancia),studiesonPrivatisationandontheimpactofAs-sessmentregimes,andan11-countryprojectonGovernanceandLeadershipforcompetentSystemsinEarlyChildhood.MathiasisanInternationalResearchFellowwiththeCriticalChildhoodPublicPolicyResearchCollaborative,amemberofthePILISresearchgroup(Pri-meraInfancia,LenguajeeInclusiónSocial),ChairoftheDECETnetwork(DiversityinEarlyChildhoodEducationandTraining),PresidentoftheInternationalFroebelSociety(IFS),andamemberoftheAERAspecialinterestgroupCriticalPerspectivesonEarlyChildhoodEduca-tion.

SueRobsonDrSueRobsonhasworkedasPrincipalLecturerinEducation,EarlyChildhoodStudies,attheUniversityofRoehampton,Londonformanyyearsuntil2015.ShenowisanHonoraryRe-searchFellowintheEarlyChildhoodResearchCentreteam,andisinvolvedinanumberofECRCprojects.

Hercurrentrolesandmembershipsofrelevantorganisationsinclude:

• External ExaminerMADevelopment and Therapeutic Play,MA Childhood Studies,BAChildhoodStudies,SwanseaUniversity(2012-2017)

• ExternalExaminerBachelorofEarlyChildhoodEducation,StPatrick'sCollegeDublinCityUniversity(2015-2019)

• MemberofEarlyChildhoodResearchCentre,UniversityofRoehampton• MemberofTACTYC• MemberofEECERASpecialInterestGroup:Children’sPerspectives• TrusteeofFroebelTrustandMemberofCouncil• NationalTeachingFellow(2009-)• FellowofHigherEducationAcademy• UniversityofRoehamptonTeachingFellow(2008-)

Hercurrentandrecentresearchprojectsinclude:

• Elfer,P.,Robson,S.,Greenfield,S.&Zachariou,A.(1/12/16-5/06/18)Developingclosethoughtfulattentiontochildrenandfamiliesinearlyyearspedagogy:Evaluat-ingtheimpactofworkdiscussiongroupsasamodelofprofessionaldevelopment.FroebelTrust.

• Hargreaves,D.J.,Robson,S.,Greenfield,S.&BrogaardClausen,S.(1/1/12-31/12/16)FroebelResearchFellowship:Youngchildren’swellbeing.FroebelTrust.

• Robson,S.Therelationshipbetweenresponsibilityforchildren’schoiceofactivityandevidenceofself-regulationandMetacognition.PhD,awardedMay2014.

• Hargreaves,D.J.,Robson,S.&Greenfield,S.(1/1/09-31/12/11)Youngchildren’screativethinking.InternationalFroebelEducationInstituteResearchCommittee.

• ContributortoLithuanianUniversityofEducationalSciences,Vilnius,LithuaniaRe-searchProject:DevelopmentofSelf-RegulationinPlay,fundedbyLithuaniangov-ernment.(2014)

ValeriaScacchiValeriaScacchiisaResearchOfficerandPhDstudentattheEarlyChildhoodResearchCen-tre.Herresearchfocusesonquestionsofprofessionaldevelopment.ValeriaisamemberoftheinternationalresearchteamthatinvestigatesGovernanceandLeadershipforCompetentSystemsinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCarein10countries.Sheiscurrentlyworkingto-wardsherPhD:ReconceptualisingProfessionalDevelopment.

Herpublicationsinclude:

Scacchi,V.(inpress)‘Archivalresearch,differentthemespursueddrawingtogetherthe‘Socialandconceptualspaces–Froebeliangeographies’projectfortheFroebelArchiveCollectionlocatedattheUniversityofRoehampton’inBruce,T.,Elfer,P.,Powell,S.,Werth,L.,(inpress)RoutledgeInternationalHandbookofFroebelandEarlyChildhoodPractice,Routledge:London.

APPG(2016)Play,areportbytheall-partyparliamentarygrouponafitandhealthychildhoodavailableathttp://www.royalpa.co.uk/?p=the_appg_on_a_fit_and_healthy_childhood

Scacchi,V.,Partidge,J.(2015)ADifferentStory?InNurseryWorldJuly-AugustIssueavailableathttps://www.academia.edu/20828235/A_Different_Story

Appendices

Appendix1–Programme,ConsultationeventatDublinCastle,19thNovem-ber2016

Programme–EarlyYearsEducationForum

Printworks,DublinCastle,Saturday19thNovember,2016.

“BuildingaProfessionalFutureinEarlyYearsEducation”

ReviewofOccupationalRoleProfilesinEarlyChildhoodEducationandCare

****************************************************************

09.00Tea/CoffeeandRegistration

09.15WelcomeandIntroductoryRemarks:

Ø GaryÓDonnchadha,Asst.Secretary,DepartmentofEducation&Skills,

Ø MaresaDuignan,Asst. Chief Inspector,Departmentof Education&Skills,

09:30-10:15:KeynoteSpeaker–ProfessorMathiasUrban,ProfessorofEarlyChildhood, Director, Early Childhood Research Centre, University ofRoehampton,London.

Presentationwillinclude:

• ashortsummaryofrelevantinternationalliterature,• preliminaryreviewofIrishpolicydocuments,• andkeyaspectsemergingfrominterviewswithstakeholders.• DRAFTOCCUPATIONALROLEPROFILESASBASISFORDISCUSSION• Keyquestionstbc

10:15-11:00 Roundtablediscussions

11:00-11:30 Break

11:30-12:00 Feedbacksession/KeyFindings

12:00-12:30 PanelDiscussion

12:30-12:45 Nextstepsandwrapup.

Appendix2–Feedbackfromdiscussion,Consultationevent19thNovember2016

27/01/17

“Building a Professional Future in Early Years Educa6on” Review of Occupa6onal Role Profiles in Early Childhood

Educa6on and Care

Discussion Feedback

S AT U R D AY 1 9 T H N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6 ,

P R I N T W O R K S , D U B L I N C A S T L E

Key Ques6on 1– Generic characteris6cs of the Early Years Workforce

 Whatwouldyouseeasalterna0veapproachestonamingthevariouslevelsof a)formalqualifica0on b)prac0calexperience representedintheECCEworkforce?

Q1 Key Points:

KEYPOINT–DOWENEEDSOMANYLEVELS?§ Eliminatecurrentterminologyandcreateoneall-encompassingterm–collapsefivelevels***

§ Onenameandvariouslevelsofcompetencies

§ Genericskills,disposiBon&knowledgeforallteachersinthesector

§ Toomanylevels–someobsoletee.g.basic

§ InteracBveandconBnuousECprofession

§ LevelofoccupaBonalprofileVNFQlevel?

Q1 Key Points: KEYPOINT–MOREACCESSIBLETERMINOLOGY:§ Theterm“workforce”needstoencompassallthoseworkinginthetotalityofthesystemand

notjustthoseworkingdirectlywithchildren

§ Currentterminologye.g.basic,intermediateetc.ofroleprofilesisnotinuseinECECservicescurrently***“whousestheseterms?”

§ TerminologyofoccupaBonalprofilesneedstochangeandbeagreed

§ Terminologyneedstobeaccessibleforchildrenandfamilies

Q1 KEY POINTS:  KEYPOINT–WHATNAMESDOWEUSETODESCRIBEPEOPLEWORKINGINTHESECTOR?

§ Revisenamestoearlyyearsprofessional/jobBtleswithequalityofemphasisgiventocareandeducaBon

§ ConsidernameaspracBBoner/educator/orteacher[earlyyears]***

§ SuggesBons:Basic:AssistantPracBBoner,Intermediate:LeadPracBBoner,Experienced:Teacher,Advanced:Teacher,Expert?

§ NametheposiBone.g.Pre-SchoolTeacher,EarlyYearsTeachers,EarlyYearsPracBBoners,EarlyYearsEducator,Pedagogue

§ ‘Teacher’usedbychildandalsoeasestransiBonforchildanddefinelevelswithinthis–democraBcprocesswithinsector,nodifferenBaBoninBtleof‘teacher’

§ DonotusepracBBonertodisBnguishbetweenprofiles,PracBBonerasaterm??ECECprofessional.

Q1 Key Points: KEYPOINT–WHATNEEDSTOCHANGE/BEINCLUDEDINPROFILES?

§ AbsenceofroleofeducaBveroleofcarewithinprofession

§ IntegraBveandconBnuousECprofession

§ Reflect‘roles’ratherthan‘people’&roleevaluaBonandalliedresponsibiliBes

§ ISCEDreferencesshouldbeincluded

§ Don’tlinklevelofqualificaBontoroleprofile

§ TakeoutdescripBvenarraBveinoccupaBonalprofile

§ ProfilesneedtobebasedoncombinaBonofqualificaBons/experienceandCPD***

§ PracBcalexperienceshouldbeacknowledged

27/01/17

Educa6on and Care

Discussion Feedback

Q1 Key Points:

27/01/17

Educa6on and Care

Discussion Feedback

Q1 Key Points:

27/01/17

Educa6on and Care

Discussion Feedback

Q1 Key Points:

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