Officials from the Member Administrations who are responsible for national, island and regional policy contribute to the work of the group and share knowledge, research and practice. When appropriate, Ministers from the administrations meet to discuss matters of relevance brought forward by officials and subsequently specific topics can be adopted to form the main discussion at a BIC Summit.
Current Focus
Workforce Issues
Attracting new entrants to the profession; talent development; raising skills and standards and leadership development.
Support for Families
Multi-agency support for families; early intervention and prevention programmes; support/advice to parents on positive approaches to raising children; information and advice for prospective parents and parents/carers of children and young people.
In addition to the strengthening of wider relations across the eight Member Administrations, the BIC Early Years work sector has also helped to develop and strengthen bi-lateral relationships between group members. Good practice has been shared which has informed policy making and raised standards. One example of this would be ongoing discussions and learning about the various childcare programmes and offers being developed and delivered by Member Administrations.