Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale??

**donnagwynne** · 19-06-2009, 03:16 PM

Just wondered if anyone has heard of this??

I have just asked my local authority if they would provide funding for me to do the NCMA Quality Assurance scheme and received a wierd reply from my support worker (who I have never met!!)

"I have spoken to my Line Manager who has explained as a Local Authority we are looking at training the support workers to deliver a quality programme especially for childminders called: Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale (FCCERS). We would encourage you to wait until we have received our training and join this program as it will assess the quality and what areas could be improved. If you are interested in joining our training pool and would like to attend the weeks training please let me know and I can provide you with more information"

Has any one heard of this through their local authority?? Or do you think that is specific to my location in Nottingham City. And does she really mean a whole week of training????

Any thoughts??? I tried Google and only got a book and an american style training thingy.

Thanks, Donna

**CCJD** · 19-06-2009, 03:28 PM

Lets hope that it isnt as "environmental " as it sounds. With ofsted asking us to fill whole landfill sites with double bag nappies, latex gloves, print off enough policies and observation sheets to kill several hundred trees, use countless energy on a printer, printer ink , printer cartridges etc etc etc.

Not well worded - guess it it means family environment child care.

**sarah707** · 19-06-2009, 03:32 PM

I think they are looking at something like that in Cheshire as well.

They have decided they are not going the NCMA quality first route and are casting around for an alternative.

They have said it will not be in place until possibly next September and it will only be for minders who want to offer accreditation.

A weeks' training sounds a bit ott doesn't it?!?

I think it's a wait and see kind of thing

**butterfly** · 19-06-2009, 08:35 PM

the manager of our local pre school is looking in to doing this rating but the pre school one. she has researched it and said that the levels go above ofsted outstanding (i think there are 7 levels). She put it on her sef and ofsted had to admit they didn't know anything about it!!

TheBTeam · 19-06-2009, 08:40 PM

I think in Herts that it what the newly revised herts quality standards is based on, this is a local county quality award.

**butterfly** · 19-06-2009, 08:46 PM

i've just looked at the book for this on amazon. there are two other ones - something about early education and one about infants and toddlers.

not sure which one to look at. i've just emailed my trio development worker to see if she knows but i'm not holding my breath!!

**youarewhatyoueat** · 19-06-2009, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by butterfly

i've just looked at the book for this on amazon. there are two other ones - something about early education and one about infants and toddlers.

not sure which one to look at. i've just emailed my trio development worker to see if she knows but i'm not holding my breath!!

you got a link for what youre looking at?

**rickysmiths** · 19-06-2009, 09:47 PM

Yes this is what is now used to assess on the new Herts Quality standards-I have the book!!! From Amazon. I got the book though it was from interest there isn't a lot I can do with it.

It is a set of assessment standards that provide a uniform way to record what we do with the children. There are different sets of standards for different settings. Herts is the only County who currently has people trained to assess at all the levels especially those for home based carers.

It sounds quite a good way of doing things. Two assessors come out for each visit, I think there aer two or three. One checks the provider and one checks the assessor! It means that there is less room for the differences that we all experience with the different Mrs Ofsteds.

It will also mean that we will fill in a form in year one and two and in year three, instead of redoing the whole process as we have had to do in the past, we will be re-assessed.

**butterfly** · 20-06-2009, 01:32 PM

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Child-Environment-Rating-FCCERS-R/dp/0807747254/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245504635&sr=8-1

is this the one we would need? there's a school aged one and an infant and toddler as well.

**rickysmiths** · 20-06-2009, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by butterfly

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Child-Environment-Rating-FCCERS-R/dp/0807747254/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245504635&sr=8-1

is this the one we would need? there's a school aged one and an infant and toddler as well.

Yes thats the right one for us. However the book is meant to be for the use of the Assessors and acutally doesn't make much sense if you haven't been trained how to use it. It is also very expensive to buy. Your local NCMA Development worker should have a copy she can lend you, if they haven't they might buy one.

**The Juggler** · 22-06-2009, 01:35 PM

It's the childminding version of ECERS otherwise shortened to FCCERS which I think it a bit unfortunate! It's been used in a number of key early years research studies including (Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE). The study used criteria from this to look at what contribues to effective provision.

They mentioned it at our recent networking meeting but they didn't have copies available so you could take it and try it. Think a lot of LA's are thinking of using it for the CDO's to help settings self-assess.

I'd love to have a go at it. Not sure about the FCCERs but ECERs looks at interaction with child (responsiveness, child approaching etc), planning, qualifications, heat, light resources etc.