Decision Session – Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education	7 February 2023
Report of the Assistant Director, Education and Skills

The Early Years Partnership Strategic Plan

Summary

1. This report provides an update for the Executive member on the development of the Early Years Strategic Plan. The development of the plan has been facilitated by City of York Council through its co-ordination of the Early Years Partnership Board.

Recommendation

2.   The Executive member is asked to support and endorse the Early Years strategic plan and monitor the operational delivery of the strategic plan through the work of the Early Years Partnership Board.

Reason: The strategic plan will contribute to the delivery of the council’s objective to ensure a better start in life for children and young people.

Background

3.    Following an LGA peer review of Early Years in September 2020 the Early Years Partnership board was formed to provide strategic leadership and governance of the Early Years in York. The Partnership board has membership drawn from across education, health and care and reports to the Children and Young People’s sub-group of the Health and Wellbeing board.

4.    The work of the board has focused on the scale up of Early Talk for York, the work with NESTA to improve the take up of 2 year old checks and the development of a partnership strategic plan to develop a clear strategic framework for delivering the partnerships commitment to promoting the best start in life for children in York.

5.    The development of the partnership plan has focused on ensuring that partners and parents/carers have a clear understanding of the importance of early brain development and the difference this makes to health and wellbeing outcomes throughout the life course.

6.   The strategic plan focuses on 3 action areas which are being translated into operational plans. The 3 action areas are:

·  A city-wide understanding of early childhood development that translates into decision making by all those involved in children’s lives;

· Better data sharing across early years partners to support integrated working and joint commissioning;

· A clear early years outcomes framework which holds early years partners to account and informs strategic decisions about the targeted use of resources.

7.     The Early Years Partnership Board Strategic Plan provides the framework to deliver on these actions and the following operational actions sit under the strategic plan:

· The development of the conception to birth focus within the Family Hubs. We will develop and publish a best start in life offer to ensure that partners and families are able to access information in one place;

· The scale up of Early Talk For York to support effective transition between early years settings and schools. The scale up of Early Talk for York will also be used to support the development of the home learning environment;

· Co-production. Developing meaningful co-production in the Early Years which will underpin the best start in life offer across the Early Years Partnership;

· Developing the data to inform decision making, targeting of resources and tracking impact through the Early Years JSNA. The development of integrated data sets is a key part of the work with NESTA in the next two years;

· Leadership and work force development. Developing core practice standards across the Early Years Partnership to support integrated working at community level.

Consultation

8.    The strategic plan has been developed through consultation with the members of the Early Years Partnership which includes representatives from education, health and care and the community and voluntary sector.

Council Plan

9.    The strategic plan and its operational objectives will contribute to the delivery of a better start in life for children and young people.

        Implications

.

· Financial – The scale up of Early Talk for York is currently funded until the end of 2024. Further consideration will need to be given to how Early Talk for York is sustained and embedded beyond 2024.

Risk Management

10.  The capacity of partners in across the Early Years is a potential risk to the delivery of the strategic plan. This risk is being mitigated through the focus on building on and embedding workstreams e.g. Early Talk for York, Family Hubs and the NESTA early years project.

Contact Details

Author:	Chief Officer Responsible for the report:
Maxine Squire Assistant Director, Education and Skills Rob Newton Social Mobility Project Manager Education and Skills	Martin Kelly Corporate Director, Children’s Services and Education
	Report Approved	√	Date	24/01/2023
Wards Affected:  List wards or tick box to indicate all					All	√
For further information please contact the author of the report

Annexes

Annex 1: Early Years Partnership Board Strategic Plan