27th April

Main Parties Fail To Make Commitments To Play
The play sector has hit out at the main political parties' failure to address the future of play provision, in the run-up to the general election next week.

With Labour's Play Strategy set to be reviewed next year and little mention of play among the Conservative and Liberal Democrat camps, the future of the national play initiative is being called into question.

Play England director Adrian Voce said he is positive all parties will support play, but is concerned about the disruption a change to delivery could cause. "The play strategy needs to be embedded among local authorities so that commitment goes beyond 2011," he said.

Citing Conservative plans to give voluntary and community organisations the power to run local services, Voce expressed concern at leaving play to fend for itself in a free market, and emphasised the importance of the foundations that a national framework provides. "There is no getting away from the fact that play is vulnerable in a time of recession," he said.

London Play chief executive Ute Navidi also expressed concern at the absence of play in the Conservative and Lib Dem manifestos and called for the continuation of a government-led strategy. "London Play urges all political parties not to use play as a 'political football' and instead commit to safeguarding and building upon the Play Strategy," she said.

source: Emily Watson, Children & Young People Now

Free Childcare Must Be Protected, Say Charities
Childcare charities have called on all parties to protect the free entitlement to childcare for all three- and four-year-olds after reports a Conservative government would allow struggling nurseries to charge "top-up fees".

In a letter seen by the Observer newspaper, shadow ministers are reported as having assured nursery providers that they will be given the power to charge supplementary fees if they are in financial difficulties.

But in response to the claims, national childcare charity the Daycare Trust called for an assurance from politicians that the free entitlement of 12.5 hours childcare a week will continue.

Daycare Trust chief executive Alison Garnham said: "Any attack on the free entitlement will be a huge blow to parents throughout the country who feel crippled by the cost of childcare. It is already common practice for many private, voluntary and independent providers to charge top-up fees and we have been comforted by the introduction of the code of practice to stop this. If the code is removed, providers will be given carte blanche to charge extra, and the value of these free places will be lost."

Anne Longfield, chief executive of charity 4Children, said the free entitlement is essential for disadvantaged families. "We would be very concerned if the entitlement was reduced or undermined and parents had to begin to pay," she said.

"Inevitably, this would mean that those children who needed it most would be the ones likely to miss out. There are problems with the funding formula at the moment which do need urgently resolving. However, removing the free entitlement would be a hugely retrograde step which would have the biggest impact on the poorest children who need support most."

But Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association said while the principle of free childcare was sound, nurseries must be given more support to deliver it.

"Nobody can argue that in principle the free entitlement is a fantastic benefit for families, and enables children from less wealthy backgrounds to experience the huge range of positives that come from early education," she said. "However, nurseries simply cannot be expected to subsidise the cost of these. Families will experience even greater benefit as the entitlement moves to being 15 hours a week from this September, but with the current situation with funding, many nurseries are concerned about how this will further impact upon their fragile viability as businesses."

Figures released by Ofsted this month show that 881 nurseries and playgroups in England shut last year.

Tanuku added: "Any political party will need to seriously look at resolving these issues, with a solution that ensures that providing sessions does not damage a nursery, but equally does not create a barrier to take-up for parents whose children are gaining so much from the free entitlement."

source: Janaki Mahadevan, Children & Young People Now

12th April

Draft Guidance On Childminding Networks Published
The government has published its draft guidance for local authorities on establishing or strengthening childminding networks, which will help more childminders to offer free childcare for three- and four-year-olds.

Under the Department for Children, Schools and Families' code of practice on the provision for free childcare, all local authorities are expected to establish a childminding network.
 
"A national scheme with standard criteria and principles will set consistent quality measures across the country," the report highlights. The guidance, which was developed in partnership with the National Childminding Association (NCMA), suggests that networks should be open to all childminders who are registered with Ofsted, and that they should be able to move freely from one network to another.
 
NCMA joint chief executive Catherine Farrell said: "The benefits of networks for improving quality and supporting childminders with advice and training are widely recognised, and the NCMA wants to ensure that they are universally available."
 
It is also recommended that networks should operate in line with a more cost-effective "tiered model", whereby the level of support on offer would reflect the childminder's experience and qualifications.
 
"Initially, there would be more support available to new childminders; the more competent and experienced childminders will require less intensive support," the guidance states. 
 
Other measures advocated in the guidelines include flexibility for the network to adjust its services in line with local needs, and joined-up working with other local providers.
 
Farrell expressed NCMA's approval of the proposal to elect a network co-ordinator to provide leadership and management support. She was also "particularly pleased" about the recommendation that an external assessment and verification should be undertaken every three years to ensure network quality and effectiveness.
 
The need to establish a national framework for childminding networks was outlined in the DCSF Families and Relationships Green Paper, Support For All, in January. Feedback from local authorities helped to identify the issues among networks that needed to be tackled.
 
Too much paperwork and inflexibility of working partnerships with other children's services were two of the issues raised by local authorities.

Restricted access for childminders was also cited as a problem because "some models are limited to the current number of childminders who can be supported by a co-ordinator," the report explains.

source: Emily Watson, Children & Young People Now

6th April

Government Seeks 'Mutual Federations' To Take Over Sure Start Centres
Power will be handed to parents and staff to run Sure Start children's centres under government proposals announced today.

The report, Mutual Benefit: Giving people power over public services, outlines the government's intention to carry out a pilot that allows organisations called "mutuals" — made up of local people, parents and staff — to run children's centres in their local area.  

Cabinet Office Minister Tessa Jowell said: "This is the moment for mutualism. In the wake of the global financial crisis and the parliamentary expenses scandal, it is clear that people are no longer prepared to trust large organisations over which they have no control."
 
Five local authorities will be earmarked for the initiative in which these "mutual federations" will be encouraged to bid for control of 20 to 25 centres within the area and link up with local services.
 
Secretary of State for Children Ed Balls said: "These will bring together health and Jobcentre Plus as well as parents and professionals. Each of these centres will be run on a mutual basis but will draw on the expertise of the mutual federation, sharing skills, knowledge and improving services."
 
The proposals are based on the success of the Millmead Children's Centre, a community mutual set up in 2005. Local parents, staff and volunteers were invited to join in the running of the centre, which has had a positive impact on the centre and the way it interacts with the community, a Cabinet Office spokesperson commented. 
 
"This is not a Whitehall prescribed national blueprint, but enabling new collaboration to develop in an organic way within communities," Jowell added.

The pilot is expected to be rolled out later in the spring and the five local authorities involved are yet to be identified.

source: Emily Watson, Children & Young People Now