MGMT09032 2022 Leading Interprofessional and Inter-agency Collaboration in the Early Education and Care Sector

Critique the conceptualisation of IPIAC in the context of ECEC settings, from a variety of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives and assess the utility of these frameworks for informing leadership and advocacy in relation to IPIAC in the ECEC sector.

Critically examine international/national policies as well as regulatory and quality frameworks prioritising a focus on IPIAC for children in the early years and consider the implications of these for leaders/advocates in the ECEC sector.

Systematically source and critically evaluate the evidence base for IPIAC as well as other ‘evidence’ that has informed the development of and emphasis on IPIAC in the early years. 

Understand and analyse the variety of inter-agency, inter-organisational and inter-professional discourses that influence effective IPIAC in the early years and serve as barriers and facilitators to effective leadership and implementation of IPIAC in practice.

Analyse the role of ECEC leaders/advocates in facilitating authentic participation of young children and families in influencing what is provided in terms of universal and targeted IPIAC interventions for children and families in the early years.

Reflect on and evaluate one’s existing and potential role in leading, managing, advocating for, and implementing effective child and family centred IPIAC interventions of relevance to the ECEC sector.  

Students will attend weekly lectures (online) as well as one, in-house residential midway through the module. The lectures will introduce students to relevant theories and IPIAC models of practice in the context of relevant ECEC policy and legislation. Residential learning will be participatory and enable students to engage with the content from the lectures in a practical, interactive and collaborative way.

A variety of teaching and learning approaches will be incorporated including small group work, examination of critical case studies, case-based problem solving, use of the virtual learning environments and critical analysis of children’s and families’ testimonies regarding IPIAC experiences.

A series of guest lectures from stakeholders both within and outside of the ECEC sector, engaging in 'real-world' IPIAC practices and evaluations of the same, in a variety of early years contexts, will formulate a key feature of the T & L strategy. 

Directed study will include reading and learning that underpins the module objectives. The teaching-learning strategies will provide students with the opportunities to critically reflect on and meet their own specific learning needs related to leading, implementing, evaluating and advocating for effective IPIAC practices in the early years. The VLE will be used to provide access to online resources, lecture notes and external links to websites/resources of interest.

The module's assessment strategy will incorporate both formative and summative components and will comprise of 2 key pieces of Continuous Assessment, one individual piece and one group assessment.

Individual Assignment: 50 % of Module Mark. This assessment will address Learning outcomes 1,2,3,4. It involves a scoping review of the literature pertaining to a particular IPIAC context of relevance to the ECEC sector and (an)other(s) allied professions, agencies and sectors. Examples here may include IPIAC practices pertaining to children’s health, wellbeing and social care services, progressing disability services, early intervention initiatives and inclusive practice services, Family Support Services, Health Promotion and Health Education Services, Supporting Transitions’ Services, Pedagogical Continuity Initiatives across the early years and primary education contexts, etc. The plan and methodology for the scoping review will be formatively assessed in the form of a poster presentation where feedback from peers and tutor will be documented and shared with the student to facilitate development and extension of provisional ideas presented.

Group project: 50% of Module Mark. This assessment will address Learning Outcomes 4, 5 and 6. Students will work in small groups with (an)other(s) professional, organisation/sector, to design a proposal for an IPIAC intervention relating to one of the following prominent themes from relevant ECEC policy and regulatory frameworks (or another theme identified by student groups and deemed appropriate for IPIAC methodologies)- Facilitating Seamless Educational and Care Transitions in the Early Years, Supporting Inclusion of Children with Additional/Neurodiverse/ and/or Culturally Diverse needs, Supporting Emergent literacy and numeracy development in the early years, promoting children’s health and wellbeing and resilient dispositions. The assessment will involve each group identifying (an)other(s) professional/discipline/organisation/sector to co-create the IPIAC proposal. Students will be formatively assessed on this proposal in the form an elevator pitch presentation. This assessment will also include an individually submitted and assessed critical reflection of the processes/challenges/ involved in the design of the IPIAC intervention and learning therein for future practice.

Repeat assignments requirements for both individual and group project components will be recorded at formal Exam Boards.

 LO 1: Critique the conceptualisation of IPIAC in the context of ECEC settings, from a variety of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives and assess the utility of these frameworks for informing leadership and advocacy in relation to effective IPIAC in the ECEC sector.

Learners will be introduced to the holistic, multidimensional and child-centred approach to the understanding of IPIAC and associated phenomena, e.g. integration of children’s and family services, seamless provision of care and educational services and continuity of care/education. Learners will be introduced to and critically evaluate models of ‘uni’, ‘inter’ and ‘trans’ -professional working practices and protocols. The teaching and learning content will aim to situate different approaches to IPIAC within relevant theoretical frameworks and models, including, but not limited to, communities of practice, professional identity theory, complex adaptive systems and implementation theory in the context of IPIAC teams in the early years. Learners will explore the utility of these theories and concepts for informing and enhancing their leadership and implementation of IPIAC practice.

LO 2: Critically examine international/national policies as well as regulatory and quality frameworks prioritising a focus on IPIAC for children in the early years and consider the implications of these for leaders/advocates in the ECEC sector.

Learners will be introduced to and critically review a variety of international and national policies, quality frameworks and models of practice prioritising a focus on the significance of IPIAC for children and families in the early years. They will conduct a critical discourse analysis of key National Policy and Quality Frameworks, examining their prioritisation of and emphasis on IPIAC; and considering the implications of these for the child/family and the role of ECEC Leaders. This will include the OECD (2021), Strengthening Early Childhood Education and Care in Ireland: Review on Sector Quality, Government of Ireland, (2021 )-Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Development Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare 2022-2028, Government of Ireland (2018) First 5:A Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families.2019-2028, European Commission (2014) ‘Towards a European Quality Framework in Early Childhood Education and Care.

LO 3: Systematically source and critically evaluate the evidence base for IPIAC as well as other ‘evidence’ that has informed the development of an emphasis on IPIAC in the early years. 

Learners will critically examine the nature of IPIAC practice in the early years sector, explore its rationale and its growing stance in theory and practice. They will have the opportunity to conduct a scoping review of the literature and critique the evidence that IPIAC models of practice are effective in terms of improving (i) the process of service delivery relating to the care and education of young children and (ii) outcomes for children/families- particularly in relation to vulnerable or ‘at risk’ groups, e.g. children with additional/neurodiverse needs, ethnic minority groups, children and families at risk of/vulnerable to poverty, children with complex health and social care needs.

LO 4: Understand and analyse the variety of inter-agency, inter-organisational and interprofessional factors that influence effective IPIAC and that serve as barriers and facilitators to effective leadership and implementation of IPIAC in practice.

Learners will explore the variety of systems/layers (e.g. policy, organisational structure, organisational culture, professional and children/family factors) impacting on the effective implementation of IPIAC practice. They will analyse these systems in terms of their influence as barriers and/or enablers to effective leadership and implementation of IPIAC. The importance of professional identities, relationships, roles, responsibilities and strategic planning will be discussed in relation to integrated practices in key policy areas and through the examination of critical case studies, including examples from: disability, neurodiversity and inclusive practices; educational and care transitions, pedagogical and programme continuity across the early years and primary school sectors, literacy and numeracy in the early years and children’s health and wellbeing.

L0 5: Critically analyse the role of leaders in facilitating authentic inclusion of young children and families to influence what is provided in terms of universal and targeted IPIAC interventions.

Learners will explore the concept of ‘authentic partnership working’ with both children and families and the factors impacting on same in the IPIAC context. They will critically reflect on the centrality of children and parents in the IPIAC landscape. Methods of involving children, families and communities as co-producers and co-creators of child and family centred IPIAC interventions and the challenges/proposed solutions to the same will be analysed, moving from ‘participation’ to ‘involvement’, through to the planning of service delivery and decision making. 

LO 6:  Reflect on and evaluate one’s existing and potential role in leading, designing, implementing and evaluating effective child and family centred IPIAC interventions involving the early year's sector.  

Learners will reflect on and critically analyse their own and others’ IPIAC experiences to date, in light of learning acquired on the module. Learners will be encouraged to reflect on their own background, professional identity and cultural discourses, and how these influence their view of specific children/families, fellow professionals and disciplines, as well as their own IPIAC practice. They will be encouraged through reflective processes and the use of planning tools to set goals regarding their IPIAC competencies within the teams, organisations and sectors they are situated in. Methods of ‘evaluation’ of IPIAC processes and outcomes will be examined in relation to impacts on/for children/families, teams, organisations and agencies.