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File photo.
Photo: RNZ Insight/John Gerritsen
The review of a special unit that identified and raided high-risk early learning services said fraud was not a focus for the group, but it would be in future.
The review, obtained by RNZ under the Official Information Act, endorsed the work of the Provider Assessment Group, which the ministry is reinstating after running it as a pilot project that finished in October last year.
The group investigated mostly home-based education services and cancelled up to 17 licences across nine services for breaches of early childhood rules, most of them related to health and safety.
Early childhood service owners are wary of plans for a flying squad to investigate potential fraud and safety failures but others in the sector say it is urgently needed.
The Provider Assessment Group makes surprise spot checks on home-based early learning services (File image).
Photo: 123rf
The Education Ministry is reinstating the Provider Assessment Group, which ceased operations nearly six months ago after a three-year pilot.
During that time, the group made surprise spot checks on home-based early learning services, and shut down about 17 sites.
Early childhood teacher and campaigner Susan Bates said hundreds of teachers had told her about badly-run early learning centres, which proved there was a real need for the unit.
Press Release – Early Childhood Council News the Ministry of Education is bringing back a Provider Assessment Group, a surprise visit investigation unit that shut down 17 early learning services will only add to providers woes. Theres no question safety and quality comes first, and we …
News the Ministry of Education is bringing back a Provider Assessment Group, a ‘surprise visit’ investigation unit that shut down 17 early learning services will only add to providers’ woes.
There’s no question safety and quality comes first, and we can’t tolerate practice that puts children’s safety at risk.
Instead of tying providers up in red tape, why not use funding to support them, incentivise the right behaviours and ensure we get the best outcomes for our children. Along with fairness and transparency.