10th February

Nursery Costs In England Rise Above Inflation Rate
Nursery costs in England have increased at almost double the rate of inflation, despite the recession.

The findings come from childcare charity Daycare Trust’s annual Childcare Costs Survey, compiled from figures submitted by Family Information Services in England, Scotland and Wales.

In England the cost of a nursery place has risen by 5.1 per cent, while all forms of childcare costs have seen an increase. In Scotland and Wales, however, the cost of out-of-school care has fallen.

Parents of a child under two pay an average of £4,576 a year in England, £4,368 in Scotland and £4,056 in Wales for 25 hours of nursery care per week. Childcare is most expensive in London, at up to £11,050 per year for 25 hours childcare per week, or £22,100 for 50 hours.

Nearly six out of 10 parents (58 per cent) across the UK reported a lack of childcare in their area, rising to nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) in Wales.

The Daycare Trust is calling for the maximum proportion of childcare costs the poorest parents can claim through tax credits to be increased from 80 per cent to 100 per cent; and for free childcare places to be extended to all two-, three- and four-year-olds for 20 hours a week by 2020.

The trust also wants more out-of-school childcare and subsidised – and ultimately free – out-of-school activities for all school-age children.

Chief executive Alison Garnham said: "Over the past year, families across the UK have been hit hard by the impact of the recession, with parents facing the strain of losing jobs, having their hours cut back or facing pay cuts – all of which is compounded further by childcare costs shooting up."

Children's minister Dawn Primarolo said: "The Daycare Trust report rightly highlights the huge investment the Government has made in early years provision. We will not let the improvements this has created slip away during difficult economic circumstances."

She added: "In the Pre-Budget Report, the Prime Minister confirmed his intention to protect funding for Sure Start Children's Centres, a pivotal part of this country's childcare offer."

source: Charlotte Goddard, Children & Young People Now

Campaign Warns Children About The Dangers Of The Internet
A campaign has been launched to warn children as young as five about the dangers of using the internet.

The campaign, launched by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) to coincide with European Safer Internet Day 2010 (9 February), includes a cartoon to be shown in schools. Characters Lee and Kim encounter problems such as being asked by a stranger in a chat room to give personal details. They are then offered advice from a superhero who appears on their computer screen.

Clinical psychologist David Coleman, who was involved in developing the campaign, said: "Understanding what constitutes private information and recognising that people can pretend to be different online is critical to developing safe behaviour online, which greatly reduces their vulnerability to abuse.

"I am certain that children will identify with the Lee and Kim characters as they and their superhero tackle these issues in an engaging and age-appropriate way."

Latest research released by CEOP has found that around one in five parents of five- to seven-year-olds are concerned about who their children are contacted by when they are online.

CEOP has also launched a ClickCEOP browser for Internet Explorer, which provides children and parents with internet safety advice.

This latest promotional push is part of a wider campaign by umbrella group the UK Council for Child Internet Safety aimed at promoting internet safety. This includes the Zip It, Block It and Flag It advertising campaign, which urges children to keep their personal details private, learn to block people that upset them and to talk to parents about concerns they have.

Lucie Russell, YoungMinds director of campaigns, warned of mental health issues that can arise among young people due to internet use.

She said: "Excessive online activity can generate autism, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, depression, hostility, social phobia, and an inability to compromise, to learn or to empathise."

Meanwhile charities the Nominet Trust and YouthNet have launched a set of guidelines designed to help parents and guardians communicate with teenagers about safe online behaviour.

source: Joe Lepper, Children & Young People Now

9th February

Boost Childminders' Influence In Children's Centres, Urges Charity
The call has been made by the National Childminding Association (NCMA) in response to a government consultation on new statutory guidance for children's centres.

The NCMA has criticised the guidance for not clearly referencing childminders as potential advisory board members and as stakeholders to be consulted on any key decisions.

Ian Marratt, NCMA's director of communications, said there are still not enough children's centres involving childminders in their delivery of early years education. He added that childminders are best placed to address the ongoing issue of insufficient childcare for disabled and school-aged children.

"Childminders are in a particularly good position to deliver more flexible childcare and tailor provision to the needs of parents, especially those with disabled children," he said. "In the current economy you often see parents working unusual hours, which childminders can accommodate for. Many childminders provide continuity for school-aged children as they can stay with one family from early years through to early teens."

Marratt said some children's centres have been good at involving childminders, but a formal requirement is needed to ensure the practice is commonplace. NCMA also raised concerns about how much Jobcentre Plus staff understand the role of childminders.

It is currently looking at ways to improve its relationship with Jobcentre Plus so that mothers do not miss out on employment opportunities because they have not been informed about more flexible childcare options.

Concerns have been raised by single parent charity Gingerbread and by 4Children over a lack of progress on increasing childcare provision for school-aged and disabled children.

The number of registered childminders continues to plummet, with the latest figures showing a drop of almost 2,000 in the past year.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "We will give careful consideration to all of the comments offered and an end-of-consultation report will be published."

source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now

Sure Start Campaign To Raise The Profile Of Children's Centres And Protect Services
CYP Now has signed up to support the Shout Out for a Sure Start campaign, launched this week by charity 4Children.

The campaign aims to rally support among parents, grandparents and the sector for Sure Start children's centres, and to raise their profile among families with young children not using them.

It comes as the Sure Start programme reaches its completion target of 3,500 centres next month, but also amid mounting concerns that many centres and services will fall victim to spending cuts. "We are just coming to the end of the set-up period," said 4Children chief executive Anne Longfield. "The big challenge now is to ensure they become part of everyday life. We want to hear from families about how they are benefiting day-to-day from children's centres."

A website - www.shoutoutforasurestart.org.uk - invites parents to sign a pledge and share their Sure Start experiences, and a new Sure Start All Party Parliamentary Group will aim to keep it high on politicians' agenda. According to a survey by nursery chain Busy Bees, 94 per cent of parents say childcare policies will affect how they vote.

CYP Now will champion the campaign in our ongoing coverage of Sure Start, in the magazine and on the website, and you can use our online forums to flag up potential cuts in your area.

source: Ravi Chandiramani, Children & Young People Now

5th February

Graphic Bullying TV Ad Ban Lifted
An anti-bullying advert that was originally thought to be too brutal for TV has been cleared for broadcast.

The Beatbullying commercial depicts a young girl sewing her mouth shut, to symbolise the fact that many young bullying victims suffer in silence.

Clearcast, the organisation that grants clearance to TV advertising, deemed the advert unsuitable for viewers after reading the proposed script.

But after the full version of the advert was made, Clearcast decided it could be broadcast after the 9pm watershed.

Clearcast spokeswoman Alice Shelley said: "We know bullying is a really important issue and TV ads are an excellent way of making people more aware of the problem. We're pleased this thought-provoking ad can now be seen by a much wider audience."

Emma-Jane Cross, chief executive of Beatbullying, said the advert would help raise the debate about ending bullying completely.

"Even with a post-watershed limit, we are confident that we will still reach millions of young people and encourage them to speak out against bullying," she explained.

"We are incredibly proud of this campaign and we know already that it is directing thousands of young people towards CyberMentors, a much-needed support service and a genuine lifeline to young people who are being bullied."

source: Lauren Higgs, Children & Young People Now

Parents Of Disabled Children Lack Mental Health Support
A third of parents of disabled children say they are getting no support with their children's emotional or mental health problems, according to a survey by the charity YoungMinds.

The survey also found that six out of 10 of those parents that did receive support questioned its worth.

Around nine out of 10 said they encountered significant barriers when looking for mental health and emotional wellbeing support for their children.

Lack of available services, long waiting lists and children not fitting criteria for support were among the barriers listed. Some parents were even blamed for their child's problems when they asked for help.

YoungMinds is calling for awareness among GPs of the emotional needs of children with disabilities. It says councils and health trusts should set up parent support groups and children with complex needs needing support should be fast-tracked.

Claire Usiskin, the charity's parents helpline policy manager, said: "These families are among the most disadvantaged in the whole population. Their children suffer anxiety, behavioural problems and depression, in addition to physical health problems and learning difficulties.

"They have multiple, complex problems, yet still face a ‘blank wall' when seeking help. Services need to be improved fast to meet their needs."

One of the parents surveyed said: "Social services need to be able to react when problems are still small, not to wait until it has been worked up into a major issue. I don't know if it really is due to a lack of resources or the mindset of wait and see, but it's wrong and people suffer."

source: Joe Lepper, Children & Young People Now

3rd February

Figures Reveal Drop In Number Of Registered Childminders
The number of registered childminders in England has decreased by more than 2,000 over the last year, according to figures released by Ofsted.

There were 58,603 registered childminders at the end of December last year, down on December 2008’s total of 60,545.

The National Childminding Association (NCMA) has blamed the recession and regulatory changes.

An NCMA spokeswoman said: "The Early Years Foundation Stage, which applied to childminders from 2008, has had an effect. Some felt overwhelmed by it at first."

Another factor has been a switch of status for some childminders, which has taken them out of the registered childminder figures.

From September 2008, childminders have been allowed to work in teams under the different status of domestic childcare providers. The latest figures show a rise from 68 to 102 such providers between December 2008 and December 2009. The NCMA points out that each domestic childcare provider can include around three to 10 childminders.

Both the NCMA and the Daycare Trust have called for more business support to help childminders cope with regulatory change and recession.

Alison Garnham, chief executive of Daycare Trust, said: "More support both through children’s centres and childminder networks is needed to make sure childminders get the help they need to stay in practice."

source: Joe Lepper, Children & Young People Now

2nd February

Extended Services Need More Support To Reach Disadvantaged
Schools need more support from government and councils to ensure their extended services are reaching their most disadvantaged pupils, according to a government review.

The Extended Services Evaluation – Reaching Disadvantaged Groups and Individuals: Thematic Review looked at the experiences of running extended services in 15 schools across the north-west and north-east of England.

The review praised schools for using a broad definition of disadvantage, looking beyond poverty to include a range of family situations such as bereavement, disability and mental health issues.
 
It also praised the way schools tapped into the strong relationships their staff had with families to help ensure those most in need were being targeted.
 
However, too often this was carried out in an "informal" way, which meant measuring the effectiveness of extended services was difficult.
 
The report calls for greater support from councils and government to help schools develop clear strategies for targeting and supporting disadvantaged pupils through extended services.
 
This must ensure that the expertise of school staff is given as high a priority in developing extended services as more standard indicators such as free school meal entitlement.
 
These strategies also need to clearly spell out the need for partnerships between schools, health and social care to work effectively.

Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children said: "There's a world of work that councils need to do to ensure that they are supporting and identifying young people who ware vulnerable or at risk. Schools and they services they offer can play a big part in that and it is important that they are part of a wide multi-disciplinary team."

source: Joe Lepper, Children & Young People Now