Childcare Policy
The short version is that it’s a bit of a mixed bag. From 2008, local authorities (in England) assumed a duty of care to ensure that childcare provision is adequate to meet the requirements of working parents in their area. Local authorities do not have to provide the childcare themselves. Devolved government has led to different arrangements for Scotland, Wales and NI, especially in the number of hours of free childcare on offer. The majority of childcare provision comes from the private and not- for-profit sectors and the market is bound by extensive regulation to ensure quality and, especially, safeguarding. Inevitably, these regulations come at a cost for childcare providers that provide a challenge to maintaining a service. Most operate on low profit margins that are highly sensitive to small changes in income or outgoings. Not-for-profit providers experience similar issues as they need to maintain an operating surplus.
The Public Accounts Committee acknowledges in its June 2016 report on entitlement to free early year education and childcare that:
“The Department for Education (DfE) has made significant progress in providing 15 hours of free childcare to more parents of 3 and 4-year olds and parents of disadvantaged 2-year-olds, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).”
The report also acknowledges that most parents of 3 and 4-year olds take-up free childcare places for their children, and the quality of provision, as measured by Ofsted, has increased in recent years.
“The Department’s measure of children’s outcomes at age 5 has also shown steady improvement. In 2015, 66% of children reached a good level of development compared to 52% in 2013. However, the Department cannot link this data to the quality of individual childcare settings children have attended, and from 2017 the current measure of development is being halted.”
The Early Years sector is facing an extremely challenging future. In 2017, on current plans, the DfE will double the number of hours of free childcare that working families with 3 and 4-year olds are entitled to, from 15 to 30 hours per week. However, the NAO has found that childcare providers are concerned about the levels of funding that will be available and that, although most are keen to offer the new entitlement, some providers may choose not to if the funding is not right. The NAO further acknowledges that:
“Parents who work in shifts, or who start work early or late could be limited by providers’ conditions and patterns of childcare when they try to take-up the 30 hours.”
The 2016 Family and Childcare Trust report supports these issues and concerns, noting that:
“Since last year, the number of English local authorities reporting a shortage of free early education places for three and four year olds has more than doubled. More than a third of councils are now struggling to meet demand.”
The Trust also reports that:
“Private and voluntary providers report that the amount they currently get paid for providing free childcare is not enough to cover their costs and they therefore rely on charging parents for additional hours or other sources of income to meet them.”
wwww.raf-ff.org.uk ww.raf-ff.org.uk 6
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32