Playwork sector employers will be aware of the changes in policy regarding the registration of childcare for children under the age of eight that took place in September 2008.

Childcare is no longer registered under the Children Act 1989; it now falls under the Childcare Act 2006. The changes separate the regulation of under and over sixes to reflect the different needs of school aged and pre-school children. These changes have caused some confusion for employers, particularly in relation to the qualifications that are accepted by Ofsted, and therefore recognised on the Early Years Register – recognised within the Childcare Act.

The Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) was charged by government to develop a set of criteria against which qualifications are assessed. This assessment determines whether qualifications are deemed ‘full and relevant’, and only then will they gain entry onto the Early Years Register.

The majority of playwork qualifications have passed the assessment and are recognised on the Early Years Register; and SkillsActive is now working to ensure that the new Diplomas in Playwork at level 2 and 3 meet this assessment before they are launched next year.

The Childcare Register – another core Register within the Childcare Act, requires all level 2 and 3 qualifications held by staff to be on the current National Qualifications Framework (NQF) However as the new Qualifications and Credit Framework takes shapes and supersedes the NQF over the next few months, SkillsActive is working to ensure all new Awards, Certificates and Diplomas at level 2 and 3 that are developed match any new regulations; and working with training providers and employers to ensure existing qualifications are up-to-date and relevant to ensuring recognition on the new Framework.

Currently there is no provision for a transitional arrangement covering holiday playschemes this year, following Ofsted’s refusal to recognise the Playwork Induction Standard, so employers who are unable to recruit qualified staff will need to consider how they might become exempt from registering on the Early Years Register in the interim.  Reluctantly, we would advise employers to consider taking only children of eight years or over or operating playschemes for less than two hours a day or for less than 14 days in the year until a replacement for the induction standard has been approved.

We are gathering information on the impact of the new registers on recruitment to holiday playschemes, and have devised a brief questionnaire for employers so they can share their views with us. If you are an employer, help us make the case for the playwork award at level 2 to be accepted for holiday playschemes on the Childcare Register, by visiting: www.skillsactive.com/survey/holidayplayschemes

The DCSF has no plans to establish a database listing appropriate qualifications for staff working in settings on the Childcare Register, but has confirmed that it is SkillsActive’s role to determine which qualifications were appropriate for staff in play settings. To this end DCSF has agreed that we will publish a list of qualifications on our website that playwork employers can consult when appointing staff to play provision and we are developing this at the moment.