There was a book reviewed in Charity Times recently called The Art of Raising Money by Ian Bruce which caught my eye, as I had spent the week at events which were all about raising money.

The glitziest was a silent auction held by Kids Company, a charity set up by the colourful Camilla Batmanghelidgh.  It is an organisation that we have begun to work with, since many of the children who are failed by society in their early years end up the very troubled young people that Camilla and her team try and help later on.  We saw an immediate link and I think our connection will be constructive given her positive, can do attitude. She has captured the interest of the celebrity and the well to do, which is one stream of her fundraising strategy.  In this instance, Paul Whitehouse charmed and amused the audience and his guest (me!) all evening, as well as making a generous secret contribution via a hand-held machine.

Compare this to the rather tiring and less exotic conversations we had with other organisations in the same week – about expressions of interest, procurement processes and complicated anonymous portals to become a preferred provider in order to bid for a contract. No doubt, Kids Company is doing this also but having a lively, humorous approach was actually quite uplifting.

Using humour to make a point is being taken to its extreme in Russia at the moment, with activists challenging the authorities by antics they may well have learnt from Borat.  The Russian authorities have shown little sense of humour, but the world’s press has cottoned on.

Rather than the current see-saw of storming Millbank or quietly accepting a fate of cuts and economic hardship, I do wonder if we should start a campaign of humour as a means of positive activism.  I have to say, on Paul’s performance the other night, I would very much enjoy a view of Big Society from the Fast Show.

Our 4th Annual Margaret Horn Lecture last Thursday evening went off with a bang. We were oversubscribed which raised the thorny question of health and safety and how many people can be fitted in a room.  Fortunately, the LEYF staff were all willing to stand in the aisles – capacity for which was also limited!

Our choice of speaker in Graham Allen MP was prompted by our belief that we have to do something active to get it right for children. In the words of Marge Piercy, we really believe that children are everyone’s business; they are our heirs and our future. And I would like to think this fairly reflects the beliefs of Margaret Horn herself. So Graham certainly drew the crowds; and as a satisfied parent of our own Bessborough community nursery, he was a great advert for parent loyalty!

Whilst Graham’s understated style belied some of his message, he did warn that a tsunami of social disaster was waiting to befall us if we didn’t act now – in the face of a growing underclass, both excluded from society and with no reason to engage in this new big society. He then pleased me endlessly by reaffirming the importance of intergenerational approaches to everything we do – something I have advocated for a very long time and which should be the central philosophy of all Children’s Centres.

The audience, among which a good number of local authorities, were remarkably sanguine as the lecture unravelled the possible implication of the cuts – many of which seem unnecessarily savage and don’t align either with government suggested financial targets, nor the idea of a Big Society.  It’s something that surprised many of us – not least a certain Polly Toynbee, who was aghast at the apparent mood of submission so ripe in the air. In all fairness, mind you, local authority officers are effectively gagged while they await their own fate.

Graham Allen thinks that one way we can address the costs of early intervention is by getting banks ,venture capitalists and philanthropists – yes, all in the same sentence – to create social impact bonds.  He tells us bonds could be anything we want them to be (although he rejected my call that they be James). In fact, only last year Dame Clare Tickell gave us our lecture, during which she reflected on the Action for Children and New Economics Foundation report Backing the Future which costed out social bonds. Let’s see if Graham Allen can get that money out of the banks; maybe we could give them some positive PR in return and charge accordingly.

For some time now, we have been told that measuring impact is critical in all this; to clearly show everyone what social return they will get on their investment, whether its from the fees they pay or donations. For our part, earlier this year we employed a company called PVC to help us measure what we do.  Karim Javeri gave a summary of progress so far, noting that what has been most interesting was the value to parents of simply attending nursery.

One final thread to com out of the debate was that of the new jargon in certain circles: scaling up and replication. At LEYF we have been investigating if our own approach might be socially franchised across the country, giving local authorities a model they can put to good use when it comes to early intervention, especially in poor neighbourhoods. Maybe now Chris White MP has managed to get the Social Enterprise Bill through the House of Commons, we will have more chance.

As I stated from day one, this blog exists fundamentally to provoke a response. So let’s prove the critics wrong. Let’s show that actually we do still have sufficient passion to challenge stupid ideas; we do have enough energy to keep rejecting limited policies and ineffective decisions. Let’s make sure this new Coalition understands what is really needed if we are to carry on putting the child at the centre. After all the future is in their hands.

Related articles

• Sure Start children’s centres told to charge for some services (guardian.co.uk)

The Daycare Trust Conference yesterday was the site of another announcement by our new Minister Sarah Teather MP.

With growing confidence and assurance, she wrapped her message in cashmere and presented it to the audience in a way that was relatively soft and attractive.  The message was that the Sure Start grant would be an Early Intervention Grant, the CWDC would go back into the Department and there would be no more commitment to having a QTS in a Children Centre.

Maybe, many of us agree with her about some of her changes – and hence the audience reacted quietly. Or maybe the lack of fine detail had people scratching their heads about how these changes would be interpreted in reality. Biggest question would be whether sustainability funding, quality and access funds remain in the Early Intervention Grant.

The rhetoric of early intervention was strong and no right thinking person could argue with this – especially as two of my favourite research authors Ian Sinclair and John Bennett took to the stage afterwards to reinforce the message from economic and quality perspectives. John Bennett from OECD always brings the European view which is a helpful benchmark.

I think our charming colleague from the DfE went home rather tired, having had to try and respond to all those seeking an answer over their nutritious lunch.  In the meantime, for those of us in the PVI sector, as the saying goes:  be careful what you wish for…

Related articles

• Sarah Teather says families in poorest areas no longer guaranteed full childcare (telegraph.co.uk)

Global Entrepreneurship Week kicks off on Monday. Who cares you say? Well, we do – particularly since every year we hold our Annual Margaret Horn Lecture on Social Enterprise Day, 18 November.  This free event, created four years ago to provoke debate around Early Years and Social Enterprise, was named to honour a woman who helped first establish and then gave 40 years of her life to our organisation.

During her lifetime, Margaret Horn achieved many things – and certainly did her bit for Big Society in a quiet, dignified and very community spirited way. If anything, this makes me thing that Big Society is very much like fashion; it comes around every ten years in a slightly re-shaped form, and those who were there the first time around may well recognise its form, only may be less certain how to wear its refashioned clothes.

At our event this year, we look forward to hearing Graham Allen MP expound his views on early intervention. I am glad that early intervention has not gone out of fashion, but equally hope it does not become just another cliché. At LEYF, early intervention has real meaning; as we watch children and young apprentices thrive in a place which supports and challenges them, introduces them to the new and extends their opportunities. Oh, I hear the cynics among you yawn, aren’t you marvellous! Touché.

Still, do come and hear him speak, then drown your cynicism in a glass of wine and a chat with us afterwards. If Big Society is to start anywhere, it may as well be at a bar with light refreshments.

It’s a shocking thing to discover that a woman once trusted as a reliable and caring nursery officer could be so influenced by her Svengali-like boyfriend, that she would exploit the trust placed in her by parents and abuse their children. If nothing else, the report from Little Ted’s published yesterday reminds us of the absolutely critical nature of strong leadership, solid management systems and a positive culture – where staff feel able to discuss concerns about colleagues in a way that will be taken seriously.

It also begs the question about whether Ofsted is doing its job. At LEYF, we have had over 50 Ofsted inspections in their various forms. At best these provide little more than a snapshot of any situation, and like most things will depend on the calibre of the inspector. In my book, a good inspection is determined by a number of factors; it should be unplanned, place a heavy emphasis on what is happening during the day, involve lots of observation and engagement with all staff and children, and be led by at least two inspectors who know what they are doing and are then able and willing to engage and discuss all the issues in a shared and intelligent way. There was a time when we had to write an action plan following an inspection, and I think we need to do that again, sending a copy to the local authority so they are also informed.  However, it is also worth noting that inspections from local authority advisory teams, whilst not wielding quite the same power as Ofsted, are equally dependent on the calibre and intelligence of the advisory staff.

Either way this is no time for a game of tit for tat; no-one anticipated the situation in Portsmouth.  But since it was allowed to happen, we really must think and act wisely now if we are to have any chance of being ready to head off the next unknown.

Related Articles

• Vanessa George’s nursery provided ‘ideal environment for abuse’ (telegraph.co.uk)

So it finally happened.  And as predicted, the Comprehensive Spending Review proved little more than a combination of handy, bite-sized headlines with little meaning for us until next year’s allocated spend. The only winner in the end was the press, thanks to a ready set of horror stories, shock polls and human tragedy it will no doubt devour and reuse for the foreseeable future. Someone please save us all from the poorly analyzed reports which frustrate rather than inform, only serving to create more anxiety among the unfortunate, susceptible souls that we are.

In reality, we will not actually understand the true meaning of these cuts until early next year, when local authorities and other government and corporate contractors begin to prepare their own plans for 2011. So whilst we may be able to frame our own budget preparations within a 10 to 15% scale, we still have no real information about how the powerful budget holders will shape their real world requirements.

Until then, while all this ringing of hands is going on and people are pressed to respond and give their views, the banks are quietly preparing their bonuses and payouts and no one says a word. Have I missed something?