Policy background
The following statement was originally outlined in a letter from the Welsh Assembly Government to all Flying Start professionals in November 2007.
How the Schedule of Growing Skills (SGS) will be used in the Flying Start project
It has been agreed that the most appropriate approach is for the initial SGS assessment to be carried out by a health visitor at home with the parent present. This will avoid over-testing and unnecessary stress to the child, especially as they start in the unfamiliar environment of childcare. It will also provide for uniformity across the programme. Currently in some authorities, the health visitor also writes a development plan for the child, which can then be discussed with the childcare setting, and this approach is to be encouraged.
In the majority of cases, the second assessment should be carried
out in the childcare setting. This will embed the holistic approach
of the tool into the approach the setting takes in its practice. However,
the test should only be used in the setting where the following conditions
apply:
- There is a quiet and separate area where the parts of the test that require stimulus can be carried out
- The tester has had the GL-Assessment training and gained accreditation
- The setting has no concerns that the child has emerging additional clinical needs; in these cases it would be appropriate to invite in the health visitor.
It is good practice to involve the parent / carer in this assessment. The health visitor would still carry out the assessment in the home for those children not attending childcare.
This approach relies on a trust that we can place equivalent confidence whether the test is carried out by a childcare professional or health professional. However, there may be flexibility for local partnerships to reach a consensus that the second assessment should be carried out in the setting by health visitors, involving the setting and parents / carers in discussion of the observational items.
In using the Schedule of Growing Skills as outlined above, we will achieve our objectives of meeting all children’s needs, as well as establishing a consistency of assessment across the programme which can in time establish its efficacy.
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