Non-formal education became part of the international discourse on education policy in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It can be seen as related to the concepts of recurrent and lifelong learning. NFTM produced in collaboration with College of Cambridge.
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What is non-formal education?
Within policy debates a common differentiation has been made between different forms of provision. Informal, non-formal, and formal programmes have been viewed as very different.
Here we explore this categorization and some of the forms of work that exist under the non-formal label in southern countries.
Non-formal education became part of the international discourse on education policy in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
It can be seen as related to the concepts of recurrent and lifelong learning. Tight (1996: 68) suggests that whereas the latter concepts have to do with the extension of education and learning throughout life, non-formal education is about ‘acknowledging the importance of education, learning and training which takes place outside recognized educational institutions’. Fordham (1993) suggests that in the 1970s, four characteristics came be associated with non-formal education:
Relevance to the needs of disadvantaged groups.
Concern with specific categories of person.
A focus on clearly defined purposes.
Flexibility in organization and methods.
In many northern countries the notion of non-formal education is not common in internal policy debates – preferred alternatives being community education and community learning, informal education and social pedagogy.
The idea of non-formal education
As Fordham (1993) relates, in 1967 at an international conference in Williamsburg USA, ideas were set out for what was to become a widely read analysis of the growing ‘world educational crisis’ (Coombs 1968). There was concern about unsuitable curricula; a realization that educational growth and economic growth were not necessarily in step, and that jobs did not emerge directly as a result of educational inputs. Many countries were finding it difficult (politically or economically) to pay for the expansion of formal education.
The conclusion was that formal educational systems had adapted too slowly to the socio-economic changes around them and that they were held back not only by their own conservatism, but also by the inertia of societies themselves. If we also accept that educational policy making tends to follow rather than lead other social trends, then it followed that change would have to come not merely from within formal schooling, but from the wider society and from other sectors within it. It was from this point of departure that planners and economists in the World Bank began to make a distinction between informal, non-formal and formal education. (Fordham 1993: 2)
At around the same time there were moves in UNESCO toward lifelong education and notions of ‘the learning society‘ which culminated in Learning to Be (‘The Faure Report’, UNESCO 1972).
Lifelong learning was to be the ‘master concept’ that should shape educational systems (UNESCO 1972:182).
What emerged was an influential tripartite categorization of learning systems. It’s best known statement comes from the work of Combs with Prosser and Ahmed (1973):
Formal education: the hierarchically structured, chronologically graded ‘education system’, running from primary school through the university and including, in addition to general academic studies, a variety of specialised programmes and institutions for full-time technical and professional training.
Informal education: the truly lifelong process whereby every individual acquires attitudes, values, skills and knowledge from daily experience and the educative influences and resources in his or her environment – from family and neighbours, from work and play, from the market place, the library and the mass media.
Non-formal education: any organised educational activity outside the established formal system – whether operating separately or as an important feature of some broader activity – that is intended to serve identifiable learning clienteles and learning objectives.
The distinction made is largely administrative. Formal education is linked with schools and training institutions; non-formal with community groups and other organizations; and informal covers what is left, e.g. interactions with friends, family and work colleagues. (See, for example, Coombs and Ahmed 1974).
The problem with this is that people often organize educational events as part of their everyday experience and so the lines blur rapidly.
As Fordham (1993) comments, these definitions do not imply hard and fast categories. In particular, there may well be some overlap (and confusion) between the informal and the non-formal.
Just how helpful a focus on administrative setting or institutional sponsorship is a matter of some debate. Once we recognize that a considerable amount of education happens beyond the school wall it may be that a simple division between formal and informal education will suffice. It has certainly been the argument of Jeffs and Smith (1990) that the notion of non-formal education has limited use when thinking about process.
So why the term’s currency?
Just because something does not make sense in terms of process, does not mean an idea doesn’t retain its currency. It has been a convenient way of talking about funding rather than the actual process.
As Graham-Brown (1991: 64) says, dividing formal education from out of school education or so-called non-formal education is artificial in many ways. But in some countries, this division reflects the gulf between government provision through the school system, on the one hand, and the needs and interests of marginal populations who are most alienated from the system on the other.
The range of initiatives and programmes that have adopted the title ‘non-formal’ are many and various.
They include literacy and basic education for adults and young people, political and trade union education, ‘catching-up’ programmes for school drop outs, pre-school education for young children, political and trade union education and various kinds of educational work linked with development initiatives including agricultural extension and training programmes and health education.
They also shade over into various examples of both state and private vocational training programmes. The McGivney and Murray (1992) collection Adult Education in Development gives a good feel of the sorts of initiatives this might include.
They look particularly at health education, literacy, rural development and the role of women in development. However, it can be confusing to use terms like adult education in the context of Southern education – given the age distribution of populations and the large numbers of young people involved in non-formal programmes.
What is also apparent from the literature is that it was politically useful to use a term like non-formal education.
As Shukla (1985) has argued by the mid 1960s it was becoming clear that an education system based around schooling could not be sustained because of the sheer cost to already fragile economies.
A search for ‘new’ techniques was therefore on.
Second, within the north it was becoming clear that the school was only one amongst many potential educative elements.
Concepts such as ‘the learning society‘ were gaining some currency.
Third, there was the impact of movements such as that of deschooling (after Illich).
These were essentially ‘western’ concerns.
At the same time a number of socialist countries initiated large programmes for changing the consciousness, skills and organizations of their populations.
They typically used many of the forms that we now label as non-formal education:
Specially trained educators (maybe for 4 or 5 weeks) (not teachers) sent out to local villages etc to set up and run programmes and recruit further helpers and group members.
The use of mass media such as radio and television, things like newsheets and comics.
Provision on a mass scale – a whole region or country is targeted.
Sometimes formal, sometimes informal sanctions against those who did not participate.
Many of these programmes apparently met with considerable success. In this respect Russia, Cuba, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia and Nicaragua were often quoted as having organised successful mass campaigns – particularly in respect of literacy (Coles 1987: 38).
By the mid 1970s a number of non-socialist countries were beginning to turn to the idea of mass non-formal education.
It was clear that there remained a large scale and apparently growing problem of illiteracy.
It was also clear that economic and social development depended on bringing about changes in many people’s thinking.
The development process is in fact an educational process, or rather it should unfailingly be viewed as such.
We cannot therefore conceive of development in the absence of education any more than education in the absence of development. (Faundez 1988 quoted by McGivney & Murray 1991: 10)
How, for example, were people to learn to plant new crops or varieties or to farm in ways that might increase production?
There was a further shift amongst the donor agencies working in the South.
Whereas there had been a great emphasis on the provision of plant, and particularly prestigious projects, there was a growing realization that development primarily depended on the people themselves and that much more stress should be placed on improving their quality of life.
This called for new approaches to formal education; it also gave considerable impetus to non-formal education, and especially to basic education for those who had been largely neglected – the urban and rural poor (Coles 1987: 37).
The problem was that these sorts of programmes had not been tried in the market and political conditions associated with Southern capitalist societies.
Contrasts between ‘formal’ and ‘non-formal’ programmes
Simkins (1976) analysed non-formal education programme in terms of purposes, timing, content delivery systems and control, and contrasted these with formal educational programmes.
The resulting ideal-types provide a useful framework – and bring out the extent to which non-formal education initiatives, while emphasizing flexibility, localness and responsiveness remain located within a curricula form of education (in contrast with those forms driven by conversation).
‘Top down and bottom up’
One of the enduring themes in the literature of non-formal education, according to Fordham (1993), has been that the education provided should be in the interests of the learners and that the organization and curriculum planning should preferably be undertaken by the learners themselves: that it should be `bottom up’.
It is also often argued that this should empower learners to understand and if necessary change the social structure around them. Fordham (1993) continues: ‘Examples where there is a genuine sense of ownership are not easy to find; and almost all have an element of community outreach as part of the general organization’.
On the other hand examples of top-down non-formal programmes are all too common.
Almost all employer-led and State provided training falls into this category.
This can be seen as paralleling the distinctions that Jeffs and Smith (1990, 1999) make between formal and informal education via curriculum.
In this way formal education would broadly approximate to top-down curriculum formation (c); non-formal to bottom-up or negotiated curriculum formation (b); and informal education would arguably be a non-curriculum or conversational form (a).
Pointers to the success of non-formal programmes
As Graham-Brown (1991: 74-77) has argued in respect of literacy programmes there are a number of dimensions that have proved to be crucial to effectiveness:
Training and motivation of literacy workers.
The quality and relevance of materials.
The reinforcements of literacy.
It is clear from the studies of literacy campaigns that both the commitment and skills of literacy promoters are very important.
Enthusiasm is not enough. It is not that straightforward to facilitate learner participation in dialogue and discussion.
Certain skills are needed to put across ideas and so on.
Many of the literacy workers are young (mostly between 18 and 25 in the successful Botswana campaign).
This meant that they need not be automatically accepted or appreciated. In some campaigns there has been a considerable effort to try to recruit older workers and those who are known and held in good regard in a locality.
In many campaigns workers are paid, and the job accords them some status (although not necessarily accreditation or certification). Where volunteers are recruited, for example in the Kenyan initiative, and who live in the local communities, the main incentive is often the hope that this might lead to a full time job.
There has also been an emphasis on developing appropriate materials. Most of the various national literacy campaigns have had some central unit which developed materials etc for the workers etc. to use. To this must be added things like the production of regular radio programmes to support initiatives. However, this is both expensive and sophisticated and it is not proved that easy, for example, to update and change materials quite as has been needed.
Then as Graham-Brown (1991: 76) suggests, once people achieve basic literacy, whatever its precise form, the process creates further demands for post-literacy education, whether to ‘catch up’ on missed formal education, or to develop organizational or practical skills. At this point things can become quite expensive and complex. The demands are now more sophisticated.
To these specific questions must be added some further problems. To begin with, given that initiatives involve voluntary participation – how are people to be attracted on sufficient scale. This is much less of a problem in systems where there is large scale schooling some legal basis for attendance.
The successful campaign in Botswana, for example, touched about 20 per cent of the population – it still left quite a few people illiterate.
In addition, unless the school system is discredited for some political reason, a lower valuation tends to be put on non-formal education, especially for young people. They do not hold the same status (they are local and not special) and often do not lead to accreditation. (Graham Brown 1991: 77)
In conclusion
The notion of non-formal education has been a significant feature of policy debates around education in southern countries for three decades. It has drawn attention to the importance and potential of education, learning and training that takes place outside recognized educational institutions.
There are questions about usefulness of the notion when looking at the process of education.
It has also gone in and out of fashion.
Fordham (1993) comments that if we try to correlate the flourishing of non-formal education and political change then the 1970s can certainly be described as the decade of non-formal education (Rubenson 1982). Similarly the 1980s saw the neglect of non-formal education and Fordham suggests that this was in tune with the politics of the decade, accompanied by greater inequalities both within and between countries.
Given the extent to which notions of lifelong learning and associated ideas have gained ground in recent years it will be interesting to see how the language of policy debates will change over the next few years.
Further reading and references
Coles E. K. T. (1988) Let the People Learn: The establishment of a department of non-formal education in Botswana, Manchester: The Centre for Adult and Higher Education, University of Manchester. 137 + ix pages. Provides an interestingly detailed account and review of one attempt to organize non-formal education.
Coombs, P. H. with Prosser, C. and Ahmed, M. (1973) New Paths to Learning for Rural Children and Youth, New York: International Council for Educational Development. One of several reports involving Coombs that popularized the institutional or bureaucratic categories of informal, formal and non-formal education. See, also, P. Coombs and M. Ahmed (1974) Attacking Rural Poverty. How non-formal education can help, Baltimore: John Hopkins Press.
Foley, G. (1999) Learning in Social Action. A contribution to understanding informal education, Leicester: NIACE/London: Zed Books. Explores the significance of the incidental learning that can take place when people are involved in community groups, social struggles and political activity. Foley uses case studies from Australia, Brazil, Zimbabwe and the USA that reflect a range of activities. Chapters on ideology, discourse and learning; learning in a green campaign; the neighbourhood house; learning in Brazilian women’s organizations; and political learning and education in the Zimbabwean liberation struggle.
Fordham, P. et al (1979) Learning Networks in Adult Education. Non formal education on a housing estate, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. 250 + viii pages. This is a substantial account of a neighbourhood project which provides a number of insights into community based provision. Picks up on the definition of non-formal education put forward by Coombs et al.
Illich, I. (1973) Deschooling Society, Harmondsworth: Penguin (now published by Marion Boyars). 116 pages. Very influential statement concerning the divisive and dampening effect of schooling. Argues for the disestablishment of schooling and the creation of learning webs. See also his (1975) Tools for Conviviality, London: Fontana (now published by Marion Boyars), for a wider political and economic statement
Simkins, T. (1977) Non-Formal Education and Development. Some critical issues, Manchester: Department of Adult and Higher Education, University of Manchester. 77 + iv pages. Helpful survey of thinking and practice with case studies (the village polytechnics, Kenya; mass education campaigns in Tanzania; Cuba’s ‘Schools in the Countryside’).
Steele, T. and Taylor, R. (1995) Learning Independence. A political outline of Indian adult education, Leicester: National Institute of Adult Continuing Education. 151 + vii pages. Fascinating overview of programmes and changes in Indian adult education since the 1940s that looks to a political analysis of its role. Chapters examine the English studies and subaltern histories; education in British India from the early years to independence; Gandhi and the dialectic of modernity; education and social development in India from 1947 to 1964: Nehru and Congress; social education and the dream of nationhood; the non-formal revolution and the National Adult Education Programme; Post NAEP – radical populism and the new social movements; and towards a transformative pedagogy.
Thompson, A. R. (1981) Education and Development in Africa, London: Macmillan. 358 + viii pages. Excellent overview that is particularly strong on non-formal education. Chapters examine social change and development; education and schooling; politics and education; economics and education; problems in educational planning; problems of educational innovation; the management of educational reform; non-formal education; re-schooling; and linking formal and non-formal education.
Torres, C. A. (1990) The Politics of Nonformal Education in Latin America, New York: Praeger. 204 pages. Torres explores the literacy programs in several Latin American countries–including Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Grenada–as the prime examples of adult educational reform. He examines such issues as: Why are given educational policies created? How are they constructed, planned, and implemented? Who are the most relevant actors in their formulation and operationalization? What are the implications of such policies for both clients and the broader society? What are the fundamental, systematic, and organizational processes involved?
Youngman, F. (2000) The Political Economy of Adult Education, London: Zed Books. 270 pages. Useful exploration of adult education and development theory, social inequality and imperialism and aid in adult education.
References
Coombs, P. (1968) The World Educational Crisis, New York, Oxford University Press.
Coombs, P. (1985) The World Crisis in Education, New York: Oxford University Press.
Coombs, P. with Ahmed, M. (1974) Attacking Rural Poverty, Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.
Fordham, P. E. (1993) ‘Informal, non-formal and formal education programmes’ in YMCA George Williams College ICE301 Lifelong Learning Unit 2, London: YMCA George Williams College.
Graham-Brown, S. (1991) Education in the Developing World, Harlow: Longman.
Jeffs, T. and Smith, M. K. (eds.) Using Informal Education. An alternative to casework, teaching and control?, Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
McGivney, V. and Murray, F. (1991) Adult Education in Development. Methods and approaches from changing societies, Leicester: NIACE.
Rubenson, K.(1982) Interaction Between Formal and Non-Formal Education Paris, Paper for Conference of the International Council for Adult Education.
Tight, M. (1996) Key Concepts in Adult Education and Training, London: Routledge.
UNESCO (1972) Learning to Be (prepared by Faure, E. et al), Paris: UNESCO.
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ECD
Children are the foundation of sustainable development. The early years of life are crucial not only for individual health, but also for social-emotional development. Events in the first few years of life are formative and play a vital role in building human capital.
Early childhood education is a branch of educational theory which relates to the teaching of young children up until the age of about eight, with a particular focus on education, notable in the period before the start of compulsory education.
Much of the first two years of a child's life is spent in the creation of a child's first "sense of self"; most children are able to differentiate between themselves and others by their second year. This is a crucial part of the child's ability to determine how they should function in relation to other people. Early care must emphasize links to family, home culture, and home language by uniquely caring for each child.
Infant education is the education of children before they would normally enter school. The term "Infant" is typically applied to children between the ages of 1 month and 12 months.
Early childhood education focuses on children's learning through play, based on the research and philosophy of Jean Piaget. This belief is centered on the "power of play." Play is a form of exercise that extends children’s development. Play meets the physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social needs (PILES) of children.
Our Model for integrated early childhood development
The model for integrated early childhood development helps organisations understand how an integrated serve delivery approach works.
It has 3 layers:
Early childhood development concepts
All children have the right to learn, be listened to and actively participate in decision making.
Early intervention promotes brain development, improving lifelong learning and social outcomes.
Effective services focus on the strengths and needs of children, families and community.
Engaging the community and being responsive to cultural and socioeconomic diversity is critical to success.
Quality, holistic responses contribute to improved outcomes, especially for children from vulnerable families.
Service delivery elements
These reflect practical approaches and dimensions of integrated service delivery. Elements include:
Universal and targeted services
Universal services are directed at the whole population, are accessible to everyone and are delivered in a non-stigmatising way. They are used by children and their families in their normal life course.
Some examples include:
child health services
playgroups
early childhood education and care
schools.
Universal services often function as soft entry points for families to then access more specialised supports.
Targeted services are directed to individuals, groups or communities at higher risk than the general population or with identified needs. Some examples include services available to children with a disability, communication difficulties or behavioural problems, young parents, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, and culturally and linguistically diverse families.
Multi-disciplinary approaches
A multidisciplinary approach involves staff from different professions (often early childhood educators, social/family support workers, and child and allied health professionals) working together to deliver services and provide resources in a manner that is most effective for the family, rather than a siloed approach based on specific professional disciplines. 'It does not mean that everyone does the same thing or each other's jobs. There are legitimate practice boundaries and specialisations that apply according to service and client needs' (Evaluation of the Early Years Centre initiative - summary report. 2013).
As the degree of integration across services becomes more sophisticated, we would expect to see an evolution towards interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary working (See page 18 in Moore and Skinner's 2011 Background paper: an integrated approach to early childhood development Adobe PDF document for more information).
Evidence based practice
Evidence-based practice draws from empirical research evidence (both qualitative and quantitative) of what works best to achieve the desired outcomes for different families in different circumstances.
In turn, it contributes through objective evaluation to the body of research that informs practice revision, future policy development and continuous improvement in practice models.
Partnership arrangements
Partnership arrangements can be formal and informal. Formal arrangements may include establishing a community partnership agreement or memorandum of understanding. Partnership arrangements may be put in place to help articulate roles and responsibilities or, processes for information sharing, or to formalise processes for referral pathways. Participating in local networks may also be a form of partnership arrangements.
'Partnerships [can be] between families and service providers, between service providers, and between government and service providers.' (Moore, 2012, p8.)
Multiple access points
This enabler is important because families are more likely to access services if they are more readily available in the community. Access points may include stand-alone centres or community hubs, centres or hubs with smaller centres in surrounding communities, home visiting, outreach, mobile or virtual services.
Home visiting services offer practical support to children and families in their own home. Home visits and support are provided by trained professionals on a one-to-one basis.
Outreach and mobile services include programs or activities delivered within the local community area and bring services to the community rather than the community coming to a centre or hub.
These may be delivered from community spaces such as parks or community halls; it may also occur within other services to provide additional support or training; for example, extra support to children at school or in a childcare centre.
Virtual access points may include websites, social media sites or helplines where communities can access information.
Inclusive, culturally competent practice
Inclusion can be described as the participatory, authentic, and accountable manner in which organisations uphold and reinforce the principles of access and equity. Being inclusive dictates the manner in which organisations understand and engage their communities, as well as how they explore, view, and challenge barriers, values, and behaviours (Social Inclusion Audit 2010).
Culturally competent practice involves being responsive and sensitive to, and respectful of, the cultural and social beliefs, values and practices of all cultural groups, so that children and families have the opportunity to access all services provided.
There are many factors which can limit family access to services such as language barriers, lack of information about services, and fear of perceived 'authority'.
Culturally competent engagement requires explicit recognition of the diversity of family circumstances, structures and beliefs about children and parenting roles across cultures and traditions.
Enablers
These are the operational functions an organisation uses to translate the service delivery elements into practice and maintain the integrity of the model. Enablers include:
Leadership and culture
Planning and evaluation
Organisational structures
Communication and engagement
We do not expect that every organisation will implement all components of the model, however they should be able to see their work within the model.
To help organisations reflect on how they deliver services, we have developed a reflective tool. Services can use the reflective tool to assist them further with integration.
Reflective tool
This tool will provide early childhood service providers with an opportunity to think about and discuss the delivery of integrated services and consider options for improvement.
It focuses on the enablers of integrated early childhood development as outlined in the Model for Integrated Early Childhood Development.
Who should use this tool?
early childhood development provider staff
management committees/boards
partner organisations
volunteers
Reflective tool: Leadership and culture
Understanding
Leadership and culture support the development of common aspirations, build understanding and support opportunities and conditions that enable integrated working.
Leadership provided through boards, management committees and observed in service managers, coordinators and community members is a crucial enabler of integration.
Integration is a challenge that takes patience and commitment and requires leadership that is influential, creative, and able to identify and stick to a long term strategy.
Organisational cultures that promote openness, trust and respect, as well as supporting staff to work towards a shared vision, common goals, understanding, and nurturing potential leaders are vital.
Starting to think
In your environment, does leadership and culture enable integrated early childhood development?
Are there integration champions (people who advocate for and support integrated approaches)? Who in the organisation would make a good integration champion? What characteristics do they have?
Does leadership promote the shared vision, benefits and challenges of integration? Can you think of examples where this happens?
Are leaders open to new ideas and creative solutions?
How are leadership positions allocated and filled? Are candidates drawn from different disciplines?
Is the leadership structure enabling or hindering integrated working? What structural changes could improve integrated working?
Are there opportunities for others to lead? What opportunities exist or can be created for leaders to work together on projects and with partner agencies?
Example: At the North Gold Coast Early Years Centre, staff interests and skills are highly valued, but so are their passions. Staff are often given opportunities to lead the projects that really matter to them.
Who is represented on the governing body, and why?
In what ways do organisational values, norms, history, traditions, and ethics support a movement towards greater integration? Do they hinder?
Example: A primary health care model used by Kambu Medical Services at Ipswich children and family centre (CFC) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families enhances the holistic support available to families attending the CFC's playgroups. Health professionals are on site interacting with families and playgroup staff. They are able to help identify when children's development or behaviour may be affected by underlying health issues, and link families to health services on the spot.
How are successes recognised, acknowledged, shared and celebrated?
Example:Integrated team meetings at the North Gold Coast Early Years Centre include an agenda item dedicated to sharing 'good news' stories and successes.
Reflecting
The questions below will explore how leadership and culture enable the service delivery elements of the model.
How is leadership organised within
universal or targeted services?
What role does your organisation see new partnerships taking? To enhance universal or targeted services?
Fill service gaps?
How does the leadership and culture enable individuals and teams to work in a
multidisciplinary approach?
Is there dedicated time and resources to support multidisciplinary approaches?
Is time allocated for reflective practice?
Are there joint team meetings across disciplines or partners?
Are staff supported with professional development to help them understand and enhance integration and multidisciplinary working?
How can differences/commonalities in understanding across disciplines be used to improve service delivery?
Is evidence-based practice prioritised?
Does leadership promote knowledge of integration and early childhood development theory, evidence and practice? In what ways are leaders connected with research? What websites and resources are shared with staff?
Example:The CEO of Ganyjuu Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Support Services is an enthusiastic advocate for integrated service delivery approaches. She stays up to date on emerging research, and whenever she finds particularly useful pieces of information, she shares them with staff.
Does the culture reflect the importance of collecting and using evidence? How could data and research be used more effectively?
Is there a culture of effective partnership arrangements?
Is the culture one of trusting, respectful relationships across disciplines and partners? What do you do to improve relationships?
Is there a focus on teamwork and joint decision-making, where appropriate? What tools exist to support this (agreements, policies or strategies)?
Example:The Redland-Bayside Child and Family Support hub coordinator meets regularly with a colleague from a partner organisation to discuss shared cases. To facilitate this multidisciplinary practice, the hub coordinator developed set questions to guide their discussions and help keep them on track. It is a simple tool that makes collaboration easier.
Does leadership participate and encourage staff to effectively participate in local forums and networks?
How does leadership ensure the organisation supports integration in daily practice? For example, is there integrated case management, or communication to bring staff together and stay informed across disciplines?
Example:Cairns Early Years Centre uses a 'Theme of the Week', which is carried by staff across all meetings, activities, planning, delivery and engagement with families. They create tip sheets to explore different aspects of each week's theme, offering a platform for staff to share knowledge and apply multidisciplinary expertise for a joint purpose.
Does leadership find ways for the community to reach services through multiple access points?
How are staff supported in the delivery of services in the community away from the main centre or office?
How are staff working across locations included in shared communication, planning and activities?
Does leadership ensure all staff work in an inclusive and culturally competent manner?
Are there professional development opportunities to support this?
Who are the community leaders, and how do they provide formal and informal advice or direction to the organisation?
Are there opportunities to model leadership or mentor local community leaders?
Reflective tool : Planning and evaluation
Understanding
Appropriate review, evaluation and planning enable integrated service delivery through continuous improvement within and across organisations.
Examples may include:
critical assessment of specific aspects of service delivery or organisational support within team meetings
developing program evaluation approaches for service users
developing video and photographic studies for discussion
engaging with clients and community leaders and understanding their needs
formal external evaluation of a program, multidisciplinary approaches and service delivery.
Planning and evaluation support organisations to identify and use evidence-based programs and tools. This evidence-based practice allows organisations to demonstrate the effectiveness (or otherwise) of programs and integrated service delivery approaches, and identify outcomes for children and families.
Starting to think
In your environment, does evaluation and planning enable integration?
How is continuous improvement in integrated service delivery ensured?
What have you learnt from programs or activities that do not go as planned?
How often is the strategic focus reviewed? Are governance structures also reviewed?
Is there a regular joint review by relevant collaborating organisations? How is the integration/collaboration functioning? Is it adding value for families?
Example:The Caboolture Early Years Centre makes the effort quarterly to bring together staff from all disciplines to reflect on how the integrated process is working. These are formal meetings with set agendas and minutes recorded to ensure progress of the integrated approach is documented and the information available for future reference.
How are the voices of children and families heard in organisational and service delivery review and planning?
Reflecting
The questions below will explore how planning and evaluation enables the service delivery elements of the model.
Are
universal and targeted services contributing to provision of a holistic service?
Example:At the Browns Plains Early Years Centre, child health nurses work alongside early childhood educators. When the mothers come to the clinic for their babies' health checks, they are able to speak to one of the educators, giving them the opportunity to raise concerns, gain advice and learn about other programs on offer at the centre. They are encouraged to join the 'Chitty Chat' program, which provides a contact point for families to talk to staff, meet other parents and access the centre's books and toys.
Are services collaboratively addressing service gaps where possible? How does this happen?
Are services delivered in a way that reflects a commitment to the values and strategic objectives of working holistically with children and families?
Is there a
multidisciplinary approach to planning services?
How are different professional perspectives used to support the provision of universal or targeted services? What are the benefits for families and children using these services?
Example:In Cairns, Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan provides a home away from home for women who come to prepare for their babies' birth or attend medical appointments not available in their far northern communities. One of their integrated, family-friendly programs is the Bi-Bayan Playgroup. The playgroup works with other members of the team to offer holistic parenting support including culturally supportive behaviour management, nutrition programs, and advocacy and referral pathways for children with developmental concerns. This is a great example of tailoring the content and intensity of a universal service to meet the varied needs of diverse clients.
Is expertise of different disciplines sought when needed?
Example:During one of the Redland-Bayside Child and Family Support hub coordinator's regular catch ups with a partner organisation, this partner mentioned that a number of her clients were struggling with infant sleep issues. While the current services were sufficient in many cases, sometimes more help was needed. The hub coordinator was able to connect this partner with another partner at a local family centre, so they could learn more about each other's programs and how they could jointly support these clients. By maintaining strong relationships and taking the time to talk with partner organisations, the hub coordinator is able to enhance the local service network and referral pathways in the community.
How is research
evidence used in developing and implementing integrated service delivery approaches?
Example:At Browns Plains Early Years Centre staff strive to ensure services are responsive to local needs. They seek feedback from families and importantly use their local Australian Early Development Index data to enhance their understanding of the needs of the children in their catchment area.
Are
partnership arrangements and the integrated service delivery approach evaluated regularly and revised as required?
Do partners meet regularly to address changing community needs and gaps and plan service delivery accordingly?
Example:North Gold Coast Early Years Centre uses an integrated case management approach to planning. At integrated case conferences, staff and partners across disciplines go through referrals together and make decisions about the best way to work with each family. Everybody knows what everyone else is doing, and planning is very much a family-by-family situation.
What mechanisms are in place to support planning for programs, services and clients? Do you meet with other organisations to do regular service review?
How are different partners and families' strengths recognised in planning?
Is local information and data reviewed to ensure there are
multiple access points that reach out to the community? To better understand the community? For example, are some communities more likely to participate if you take the service to them?
How do you ensure planning is
inclusive?
Do you review the
cultural competence of staff and partners?
Are there mechanisms for collecting feedback, including complaints, from staff and community?
Example:Listening to the community is very important at North Gold Coast Early Years Centre. They hold regular morning teas during which they ask for feedback from families. One staff member's role is to be the 'parent liaison', and she goes from group to group to find out what parents think of the service and what they need.
When planning services, do you consider the cultural barriers and enablers to support diverse families?
In what ways are staff, programming and diversity valued?
Reflective tool : Organisational structures
Understanding
Organisational structures that enable multidisciplinary work are critical for effective integrated service provision, and require responsive and innovative ways of working (Press et al. 2009). When operating in integrated environments, where working with parents to support children's development and learning is a priority, taking time to focus on organisational structures like policies, procedures and resources is important. This helps ensure that similarities, and differences, across partners and disciplines can be identified and practices streamlined (Press et al. 2009).
Organisational structures support workers from different disciplines to navigate differences in philosophy, language and practice. Establishing collaborative structures and systems is very important; however, achieving collaboration in practice requires ongoing focus and deliberate action.
Starting to think
In your environment, do organisational structures enable integrated early childhood development?
What resources are necessary to support integrated service delivery?
Could existing resources be reallocated to better support integrated service delivery?
If additional tools and resources are required, how will these be secured in ways that are sustainable?
Have systems, structures and processes been developed to contribute to the organisation's vision and direction?
Do processes exist to support appropriate exchange of information across partners?
Example:At the Cairns Early Years Centre, the 'Team Around the Family' meetings bring a team of professionals together to discuss action and outcomes for families from an integrated perspective.
Reflecting
The questions below will explore how organisational structures enable the service delivery elements of the model.
Do the organisational structures support provision of universal and targeted services?
Are resources available to assist families to access services? For example, are program schedules accessible in person and online? Is information about other services available? How are staff supported to stay informed of other community services?
Do operational policies reflect a holistic approach to service delivery? Are they flexible to meet the wide ranging needs of children and families? How do they support partnerships and referral pathways across a range of service types?
Do organisational structures advocate respect and value multidisciplinary approaches?
Is there a common understanding of multidisciplinary approaches?
Are there shared team-building activities, multidisciplinary training, or professional 'swaps'?
Example:The CEO of Ganyjuu Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Family Support Services undertook a temporary secondment with The Benevolent Society at the Browns Plains Early Years Centre. This enabled her to work within, and gain understanding of, their integrated model, and provide advice on the practice, management and governance arrangements required to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, specialists and families. This kind of secondment can be crucial for main stream organisations to gain cultural competence and improve their services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
How does the physical environment influence practice across different disciplines? Consider location of the service, including co-location with another service, school or within a culturally specific service. How does furniture arrangement, use of lighting and colour promote or inhibit particular ways of working?
Are there systems for sharing
evidence-based practice, knowledge and understanding?
Example:One staff member at Browns Plains Early Years Centre commented, 'A lot of the information [we provide] reinforces what parents already know, [but] when they know it is based in theory, it builds confidence.'
How do organisational structures effectively support working in partnership and integrated service delivery? Or do they constrict it?
How do recruitment and induction policies support integration?
Example:At the Cairns Early Years Centre, The Benevolent Society and Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service jointly undertake recruitment for the integrated centre, with both participating on interview and selection panels regardless of which organisation funds the position.
Are policies, procedures and resources shared with other organisations?
Are partnered agency purposes aligned with yours or complementary?
Are there formal or informal partnership arrangements, and are they effective?
Example:At the Caboolture Early Years Centre, staff recognise that it took a while for everyone to get their heads around who did what when they first started working in an integrated way. To help the process along, they jointly created a plan which formalised staff roles. After six months, people became more comfortable with the integrated model and individual challenges were worked through.
Are there formalised processes for decision-making across partners? Are they working well?
How do the organisational structures support service delivery from multiple access points?
How do policies support the development of common understandings about inclusion and ways to promote children's development and learning?
Do steering groups include partners and representatives from the community? Are diverse families represented?
Are physical environments culturally appropriate and welcoming to families and specific target groups? How could this be improved?
Reflective tool : Communication and engagement
Understanding
Community engagement is not about 'doing to' the community, but about engaging with and empowering the community. Inherent in the community engagement process is both initial and ongoing involvement of community stakeholders in the decision making processes that constitute collaborative activity (Collins et al. 2007). Engagement occurs with families, the local community, within the organisation, with partner agencies.
Holistic responses require frequent and strategic sharing of information across colleagues, disciplines and partners. Along with engagement, this enables strengths-based approaches that rely on developing an understanding of, and working with, local communities to consider individual and community collective strengths to assist them to address their challenges (Steward et al. 2011).
Starting to think
In your environment, is communication and engagement an enabler of integrated early childhood development?
Is the local community understood? How do you know?
How do you ensure families and children are the focus of service planning and service delivery? Do you seek their feedback on programs and services? Do they provide input into planning their support?
Are services responsive to local needs? How is local participation encouraged and supported?
How are the organisation's vision and goals communicated throughout the organisation, with partner agencies and to users of the service?
Reflecting
The questions below explore how communication and engagement enables the service delivery elements of the model.
How do you ensure u
niversal services are welcoming to the whole community?
Are local cultures and languages represented in communication materials and service atmosphere, e.g. art-work?
How do you engage with diverse cultural groups in the community to encourage participation? Have you developed a good understanding of their needs?
Example:All of the Early Years Centres hold 'Community Days' and events in local parks to bring staff and partner organisations together and promote services in the community. Fun activities are open to all and draw families from across the community. They also try to employ staff who represent local community cultures as much as possible.
Do staff and partners engage with families and recognise when more targeted or intensive services may be needed? Are there information sharing channels to facilitate this?
Different professional disciplines have different meanings for similar phrases. How does the organisation establish shared definitions for commonly used words across the
multiple disciplines? Consider for example: play, child, child-centred, parent, parenting, strengths-based, holistic.
Do these commonly used words have the same meaning in the community? Do you discuss the differences?
Is communication across disciplines respectful and built on trusting relationships?
Do forums exist locally to bring together staff from across organisations and sectors to share knowledge, expertise and
evidence-based practices?
Example:A group of Child and Family Support Hubs have formed their own local hub network. Hub coordinators from Maryborough, Gympie, Hervey Bay and Childers meet quarterly, along with other colleagues, to discuss common issues and develop solutions. Recognising a common need to work more closely with school principals, the group is now working together on strategies to achieve this.
Are successes and challenges communicated across staff and partners?
How do
partnership arrangements engage children, families and the community?
Are resources for families and communities shared across partner organisations? For example, toy libraries?
Are partners, children, families and local community leaders engaged in service planning, decision-making and priority-setting? How could this approach be improved?
How are
multiple service access points, like outreach or mobile services, promoted in the community?
How do staff build
inclusion and cultural awareness and continuously seek to improve engagement of diversity?
What are the diverse groups in the community? How do you engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, culturally and linguistically diverse families, newly arrived migrants and refugees, other vulnerable population groups? (Prichard et al. 2010)
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