Minister O’Gorman publishes Better Start Quality Development Service Evaluation Report

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman has today announced the publication of a report on the evaluation of the Better Start Quality Development Service.

Better Start is hosted by Pobal on behalf of the Department of Children and provides a range of supports for quality and inclusion in early learning and care settings.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth commissioned the Centre for Effective Services (CES) and the Marino Institute of Education to undertake this independent evaluation.

The evaluation was commissioned to examine the Better Start Quality Development Service by assessing its impact and effectiveness from the perspective of all stakeholders, and its adaptability and sustainability over time. The aim was to offer an overarching evaluation of the initiative, highlighting its strengths, challenges, and potential learning opportunities.

The evaluation findings indicate that the Better Start Quality Development Service has a positive impact on the quality of practice in early learning and care settings. Key strengths include its strengths-based mentoring model, which leverages relationships and national frameworks to drive quality improvements and its adaptability and responsiveness to the needs of the sector over time. Early Years Specialists were found to play a crucial role in this process, providing mentoring and modelling of best practices.

The evaluation made a number of recommendations, including monitoring the sustainability of outcomes in the longer term, benchmarking quality to evaluate improvements over time, targeted interventions to enhance leadership within early learning and care settings, and enhancing interagency working relationships.

Announcing the publication of the report, Minster O’Gorman said:

“This evaluation shows that the Better Start Quality Development Service can enhance the quality of practice in early learning and care settings. It is based on a strengths-based mentoring model that leverages relationships, national frameworks, and service delivery attributes to improve quality of practice. Effectiveness is higher when settings are engaged, well-resourced, and receive onsite support. Barriers include staffing pressures in services.

“The evaluation has identified a number of strengths of the current Quality Development Service model, as well as some areas for improvement. My Department will now work with Pobal and Better Start to ensure the programme continues to develop and to address the recommendations made in the evaluation, with a view to further enhance the Service’s impact on quality and inclusion in settings across Ireland.

“I would like to offer my sincere thanks to those settings, educators, parents and children who supported the evaluation process through various means, including through taking part in surveys, interviews, and observations of practice.”

Notes to the Editor

The 2023-25 Implementation Plan for First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, committed to complete an evaluation of the Better Start delivery model to align the national quality improvement infrastructure for early learning and care services around the Better Start Quality Development Service.
The evaluation was commissioned by the Department of Children Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The evaluation was led by the CES and Marino consortium and took place between May 2020 and July 2024 (with interruption due to Covid-19).
The Report on the Evaluation of the Better Start Quality Development Service can be found here.
Further information for how early learning and care services can request support from the Better Start Quality Development Service is available through the Early Years Hive.