Welcome to VEYA: Deep Dives

What is a Deep Dive?


VEYA:Deep Dives are very different to self-evaluation questions and audits.

When we use traditional self-evaluation materials, we can only answer with the knowledge that we possess at that time…and sometimes, we don’t know what we don’t know. This can often give us the false sense that our systems, processes and practice are a strength when there is still work to be done.


Deep Dives use a supported self-assessment approach which enables leadership teams to:

  • Objectively identify their strengths and where provision could and should be developed,
  • Pinpoint breaches in legislation and/or inspection vulnerabilities,
  • Identify things that they didn’t know and/or things that weren’t on their radar,
  • Develop their professional knowledge and move practice forward.

 

The objectivity comes from the framework that sits behind VEYA. 

Once an audit is complete, we’ll turn your responses into a detailed report which uses a red, amber, green and dark green traffic light system to highlight your strengths and areas for development.

Most reports will contain some red or amber statements, so we always recommend actions that can be taken to strengthen your approach within your report. We also provide an understanding of why each area needs to be developed which will help to broaden and deepen professional knowledge.


 

Recruitment and Suitable People

This unit looks at the effectiveness of the systems in place to ensure that recruitment processes engage staff that are suitable to work with children, and that they remain suitable during their time in the setting.

It covers:
- The make-up of the leadership team
- Safer recruitment
- Candidate selection
- Suitability checks

Want to access more?

You can also access Deep Dives on regulation and legislation, child protection, attendance and accidents and incidents in our ‘Keeping all children safe and protecting vulnerable children’ Deep Dive module. Find out more by clicking the button below.

More information

Based on sound academic research

Deep Dives have been developed using grounded theory research which is a qualitative research method that draws new theories from the iterative collection and analysis of real-world data.

In this context, that means that we have:

- interviewed large numbers of early years leaders and practitioners about specific aspects of practice and provision,

- mapped their commentaries to legislative requirements, research and inspection documents,

- compared commentaries to identify common and contrasting data,

- and used that data to broaden and refine our understanding of specific areas of practice and provision.

That process has been repeated many times until we have been able to identify common characteristics that create the conditions for exemplary practice and highly effective systems and processes. 

Interviews with leaders and practitioners have also helped us to understand where systems, processes and practice are less effective, enabling us to create a range of best-fit statements that reflect current practice. 

The depth of each unit exceeds all other quality assurance materials, advice and guidance currently available.

 

What types of provision have informed this research?

We have undertaken hundreds of hours of interviews which have included:

  • Sessional and full daycare settings, 
  • Single settings through to medium-sized nursery chains, 
  • Settings working in areas of high deprivation to those in more prosperous areas 
  • Settings in both rural and urban areas
  • Settings that have less than 4 members of staff through to teams in excess of 35 members