North East Valley Community Project Gets a Mention

The North East Valley Community Project, an initiative close to John's heart, was mentioned in Annette King's Congress Speech - "It's About our Kids"

Annette King | Saturday, May 21, 2011 - 15:00

'Labour in Government, will place priority on full implementation of the Child Health Information Strategy.

Since the last conference further work has also been done on developing the concept of community Hubs based either at Early Childhood Centres or at schools.

Several successful projects already exist around the country.

The latest one I visited was the North East Valley Community Project based at a local school in Dunedin.

In a very short time they have:
• Got social workers on site
• Run seminars and workshops
• Connected people in need, to helping agencies
• Run an activity club for kids
• Established an education council; and a community garden.

The leaders of that project said “Schools like ours are fast becoming the only reliable lens into the community….

“Those who work in schools see what’s happening inside families and inside neighborhoods.”

“We are the front line.”

They believe through early identification and support to families, children are safe, strong and happy; their families equipped and the community a safe place to live.

“One child, then one family, then a whole community” is their approach.

And it’s working. Even more exciting it costs almost nothing at all.

It’s about coordinating what is already there and motivating a community to join in.

Under Labour we want to see more projects like these developed.'

http://www.labour.org.nz/news/annette-king-congress-speech-its-about-our-kids

New Qualification Requirements

Last week I attended a workshop hosted by the Extractives Industry Training Organisation.  We spent two days discussing the meaning and implications of NZQA's new Requirements for listing and maintaining qualifications on the NZQF.  As well as industry representatives, ITO staff, and qualification designers such as myself, various NZQA staff also attended for parts of the workshop.

Here are some of my impressions and reflections:

• I am no more confident now than I was prior to the workshop that NZQA has considered all of the implications of the new listing requirements (particularly in the area of funding) , nor that they have all of the 'answers' ready to put in to practice.  They appear to be still developing policy and procedure for many of the details.
• I do feel confident that I am not the only person struggling to find answers to common questions.
• I like the possibilities that the new listing requirements open up for approaching qualification design with a whole new mindset.
• I can't reconcile the short (6-month) timeframe for mandatory qualification review that NZQA has imposed, with the likely-to-be lengthy process of bringing all stakeholders on the journey towards embracing the new requirements and recognising the positive possibilities for change that they could provide.
• NZQA's Service Delivery department is (by all accounts) already struggling with workload - the imminent influx of applications for qualifications to be approved for listing on the NZQF is not going to ease that situation.

That's enough for now!  Time to head to my daughter's school assembly...

Liz