Of all the initiatives pushed through by the Government in the past few years, the Transformation Fund seems to have caused the most confusion and suspicion. It is very difficult to engage with something that you don't understand or if you are not convinced of its benefits, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that take-up of the Fund has been worryingly low and much of the money is still languishing in the coffers (see News, page 4). This state of affairs is worrying, because there is so much that needs to be done to provide training and raise qualifications across the early years sector. Ironically, one of the greatest concerns about the Transformation Fund is that it is short-term money - running only until August 2008. Also, there are complaints that 250m is not enough to truly bring about transformation. But the case for more, longer-term funding in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review will not be helped by a seeming disinclination from the sector to employ the currently available cash.
Of all the initiatives pushed through by the Government in the past few years, the Transformation Fund seems to have caused the most confusion and suspicion. It is very difficult to engage with something that you don't understand or if you are not convinced of its benefits, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that take-up of the Fund has been worryingly low and much of the money is still languishing in the coffers (see News, page 4).
This state of affairs is worrying, because there is so much that needs to be done to provide training and raise qualifications across the early years sector. Ironically, one of the greatest concerns about the Transformation Fund is that it is short-term money - running only until August 2008. Also, there are complaints that 250m is not enough to truly bring about transformation. But the case for more, longer-term funding in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review will not be helped by a seeming disinclination from the sector to employ the currently available cash.
We need to know what it is about the Transformation Fund that is causing problems - is it the complicated nature of applying, the varying approaches of local authorities, the emphasis on graduate workers? - and find ways to dispel the reluctance. It is definitely a matter of 'use it or lose it'!
