29th July
Number Of Registered Childminders Continues To Fall
The number of registered childminders has fallen again, by more than 500 in the past quarter, according to the latest Ofsted figures.
The figures show that there were 56,361 registered childminders on 30 June 2010, compared to 56,881 on 31 March 2010. The decline represents the 14th consecutive quarterly drop in numbers.
More than 6,000 childminders have left the profession since the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the curriculum which all practitioners working with under-fives have adhered to since March 2007.
The government launched a review of the EYFS last month, claiming that it leaves childminders with too much paperwork to do in terms of recorded observations and self-evaluations.
But the National Childminding Association (NCMA) has maintained that the economic downturn has played a bigger part in falling numbers than the EYFS.
Leslie Forsyth, NCMA’s interim director of operations, said she was encouraged by the fact that the rate of decline appears to be slowing down when compared with previous quarters.
"It is also good news that there is an increase in the number of home childcarers and childcare on domestic premises, suggesting that home-based childcare as a whole is progressing well," she added. "This positive picture is reflected in NCMA’s own membership survey, which has shown that the overwhelming majority of registered childminders, who are members of NCMA, expect to be childminding in 12 months time."
The Ofsted figures, Registered Childcare Providers and Places, were published today, and pointed to an overall decline in the number of childcare providers, with childcare on non-domestic premises dropping by 134 in the past quarter to 26,603.
The government also published the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2009 today. It showed that only four per cent of settings in the 30 per cent most deprived areas had at least two graduates with Early Years Professional Status (EYPS). The previous government set a target for all settings in the 30 per cent most deprived areas to have two practitioners with EYPS by 2015, by which time all other settings should have at least one.
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now
Government Launches Review Into The Effectiveness Of Early Intervention
The government has launched an independent review into how early intervention projects can improve the lives of the UK's most vulnerable children.
Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith and children’s minister Sarah Teather have confirmed in a joint statement that the review will be chaired by Labour MP Graham Allen.
The review will look at ways children’s professionals can better support children’s social and emotional needs and "break the cycles of underachievement which blight some of our poorest communities".
Examples of successful schemes will be looked at. The review will also look at funding early intervention schemes in "innovative ways" rather than government funding, their statement adds.
Allen said: "I have insisted that this work be strictly independent and the lessons shared with all parties. If early intervention is to be a success it must last a generation and, therefore, has to be owned and sustained by all parties."
The review is the first major piece of work to emerge from the Cabinet’s social justice committee, which is chaired by Duncan Smith. Allen will produce an interim report in January 2011 detailing case studies of successful schemes and recommendations on funding. A final report will be published in May next year.
Teather added: "Intervening earlier with troubled families can not only prevent children and their parents falling into a cycle of deprivation, anti-social behaviour and poverty but can save thousands if not millions of pounds in the longer term."
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) has welcomed the review but stresses that early intervention must be backed up with continuing support for disadvantaged children as they grow and develop.
ATL head of education policy Nansi Ellis said: "We will put in a submission to the commission and will be interested to hear the independent commission’s solutions.
"We hope the commission will not think that ‘innovative funding models’ mean using private companies or expecting communities or charities to act on their own without any support. We need to get away from urging people to pull their socks up because although personal responsibility is important it fails to recognise the in-built obstacles which so many children face from the outset."
Allen and Duncan Smith co-authored a report on early intervention in September 2008 and have both continued to call for a cross-party commitment to early intervention and prevention programmes.
source: Joe Lepper, Children & Young People Now
26th July
Soul Portobello Family Festival, 26 July-1 August 2010
Wakefield's Portobello estate will be the scene of a colourful summer festival this week.
‘Soul Portobello’ will bring together partner organisations and community groups for sports, arts and crafts workshops and music from Monday 26 July until Sunday 1 August 2010.
The festival is based at Portobello Community Centre, on Portobello Road and the Rainbow Cafe, on Duke of York Avenue, WF2 7DH. Activities will be available for all ages, encouraging intergenerational work and strengthening of the community.
The Council, along with partners in Wakefield Together are driving a new approach to delivering public services focusing on 12 priority neighbourhoods. Portobello is one of these priority neighbourhoods, and we will be working with these communities to solve problems and develop improvement plans in the future. Everybody is welcome to attend this Soul Festival and we should encourage staff to support it.
The festival will see the official opening of a new astro turf sports pitch at Manygates Park on Friday, when refurbished facilities at the Rainbow Cafe will also be unveiled.
For more information, contact Sally Martin of Portobello Community Forum on 07910558139 or email therainbowcafe@btconnect.com.
Pickles To Scrap Remaining Regional Government Offices
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has announced plans to abolish the remaining eight regional government offices.
This means Department for Education programmes including Sure Start, Connexions, Positive Activities for Young People and the 14 to 19 reforms will no longer be managed at regional level.
Regional performance management and support for children and young people’s services will also cease and it is widely thought Local Area Agreements could be scrapped.
Arrangements for the closures and for the transfer of any on-going functions will be made at the end of the comprehensive spending review in the autumn, so government office staff will have to wait several months to learn their fate.
Pickles claimed the abolition of the offices would reduce spending on bureaucracy, but protect frontline services.
"We should be clear. The government offices are not voices of the region in Whitehall," he said. "They have become agents of Whitehall to intervene and interfere in localities, and are a fundamental part of the ‘command and control’ apparatus of England’s over-centralised state."
Offices in the North East, North West, South West, South East, West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands and East of England will close.
Pickles announced earlier this year that the Government Office for London would also be scrapped.
source: Lauren Higgs, Children & Young People Now
National Citizen Service Pilots To Begin Next Summer
Pilots to trial the coalition government's National Citizen Service for 16-year-olds will start next summer.
The service will offer volunteering opportunities to around 10,000 school-leavers and will be piloted between June and September.
In announcing the pilots, Prime Minister David Cameron described the initiative as "a kind of non-military national service".
He said: "It’s going to mix young people from different backgrounds in a way that doesn’t happen right now. It’s going to teach them what it means to be socially responsible. Above all, it’s going to inspire a generation of young people to appreciate what they can achieve."
The move is part of the Conservative Party’s big society agenda, which has been adopted by the coalition government, to promote the role of the voluntary sector in society.
Activities for those who sign up to the National Citizen Service will include structured training and work on a community social action plan that will be specific to each area.
They will spend at least 10 days and nights away from home and those who complete the project will be invited to attend a graduation ceremony.
Outstanding candidates could be offered the chance to take part in volunteer projects in developing countries.
A detailed specification for the pilots and a tender for providers will launch next month. It is expected that successful providers will be named by October.
No funding information has been made available, with the Cabinet Office adding, "as with all government programmes", the scale of the pilots will be decided in this autumn’s comprehensive spending review.
Joyce Moseley, Catch22 chief executive, welcomed the introduction of National Citizen Service but warned that some young people would need a lot of support to get the most out of it. "As a voluntary scheme it will need close monitoring to see who is participating and the work done to reach out to those who might not otherwise come forward.
"The part of the scheme that asks young people to give something back to their communities is the right approach. Catch22 knows that those young people often seen as trouble-makers can gain so much from informal volunteering, particularly programmes that benefit others or the environment."
She added that Catch22 would welcome the opportunity to help the scheme involve hard-to-reach young people so they can be "put at the centre of shaping a drive to improve situations for themselves, others and the places where they live".
source: Joe Lepper, Children & Young People Now
23rd July
Schools To Be Able To Opt Out Children's Trust Arrangements
Schools are to be relieved of the duty to cooperate in local children's trust arrangements, the government has confirmed.
The news was announced in a Department for Education statement, which explained that the changes would form part of the forthcoming Education Bill.
The bill will also remove the requirement on local authorities to set up children’s trust boards and publish children and young people’s plans.
"Strong local partnerships are crucial to meeting the needs of all children, but a one-size-fits-all approach will not work," the statement said.
"That is why this government intends to remove much of the bureaucracy surrounding children’s trusts and allow schools to choose how best they may engage."
Statutory guidance on children’s trusts will be withdrawn in the autumn, as will the regulations underpinning children and young people’s plans.
Sir Paul Ennals, chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau, urged professionals not to fear the changes, since local areas will still be able to use children’s trusts to work together if they see fit. "All the reasons why children’s trusts were important remain," he said.
But he warned that removing the statutory basis of children’s trusts does pose risks. "Good local authorities do work in partnership anyway," he explained. "But the law has been helpful in getting the bad authorities working as well as the good ones."
source: Lauren Higgs, Children & Young People Now
15th July
Young People Want The Facts About Drugs
More than three-quarters of young people say they need more information about drugs, according to a report published by youth charity YouthNet.
The findings are based on the personal accounts of more than 600 16- to 25-year-olds who took part in YouthNet’s online survey, High or Dry. The survey showed that 63 per cent of young people have taken recreational drugs, while 77 per cent said they need more support and guidance. One in four respondents said they have taken cocaine while 53 per cent of respondents aged between 16 and 20 had taken something other than alcohol, nicotine or caffeine.
The survey was hosted on YouthNet’s support and advice service, TheSite.org. Matt Whyman, an agony uncle on the site, said: "It’s essential that drug-related information and advice is freely available to young people so that, when faced with making decisions concerning their welfare, they are armed with the facts to make informed choices."
The emergence of new party drugs like mephedrone, also known as MCAT, were reflected in the results with more than one in 10 having tried it.
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now
Four-Fifths Of Councils Unprepared For Holiday Childcare
Only one in five local authorities are confident they have sufficient childcare in place to meet parental need over the summer holidays, according to research by childcare charity Daycare Trust.
Research published today reveals a postcode lottery of holiday childcare provision. Only 20 per cent of local authority Family Information Services are able to state that they have sufficient holiday childcare in place to meet parental need – down from a third last year.
But 63 per cent of Family Information Services reported that parents had complained of a lack of childcare in their area – rising to 88 per cent in the south-east region. Costs also varied from £119.32 for private or voluntary sector childcare in the east of England region, compared with just £58.89 for local-authority-provided childcare in Wales.
"We are hugely concerned by the gaping hole in the provision of holiday childcare across the country. The situation continues to get worse with the impact of local authority spending cuts which we see are already attacking holiday childcare provision," said Daycare Trust chief executive Alison Garnham. "Where provision is available, parents are being expected to shell out the equivalent cost of a family holiday abroad over the course of the summer – simply for the privilege of having their children looked after so that they can attend work."
She added that if the government is serious about getting more people into employment they must "take a comprehensive approach to investing in more holiday and wraparound childcare, while ensuring tax credits really do ‘make work pay’".
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now
14th July
Parents Struggle To Find Holiday Childcare
Many parents in Britain are struggling to find childcare for their children over the summer holidays, a survey by the Daycare Trust suggests.
The trust found 60 of the 150 Family Information Services (FIS) in England had parents reporting a lack of care.
In Wales, 10 of the 21 FIS said parents faced a shortage of holiday childcare.
The situation in Scotland was slightly better, with 6 of the 31 Childcare Information Services (CIS) saying parents were struggling to find cover.
Regions in England reporting particularly high levels of holiday childcare shortages included the South East, the West Midlands and the North East.
Average weekly costs by Region
- South East £105.74
- South West £104.43
- East of England £101.16
- Yorkshire and Humber £101.15
- Scotland £100.38
- North West £95.30
- Greater London £88
- North East £85.58
- East Midlands £81.95
- Wales £80.25
- West Midlands £79.02
The Daycare Trust also found the average cost of a week's childcare for one child was £93.
But parents faced differing bills for holiday childcare, depending on where they lived.
In the West Midlands, the typical weekly cost was £79.02, whereas in the South East it was £105.74.
In Wales the average cost was £80.25 and in Scotland it was £100.38.
In response to its questionnaire to 202 information services, the Daycare Trust received responses from 96 FIS in England, 15 in Wales and 21 in Scotland.
High costs - Chief Executive of Daycare Trust Alison Garnham said there was a "gaping hole" in holiday childcare provision which would get worse with the impact of local authority spending cuts.
"Where provision is available, parents are being expected to shell out the equivalent cost of a family holiday abroad over the course of the summer - simply for the privilege of having their children looked after so that they can attend work.
"If the government are serious about getting parents into employment then they must take a comprehensive approach to investing in more holiday and wraparound childcare, whilst ensuring tax credits really do 'make work pay', so that affordable, accessible, quality childcare is available in every community, for every child.
"The recent changes to tax credits mean that many working parents will in future receive less help with childcare costs - this is a seriously bad move and means more help is needed to make childcare more affordable."
source: BBC.co.uk
Ministers Urged To Review Flexible Working Legislation
Family experts have urged the government to review legislation barring employees from negotiating flexible working hours, and to take a more strategic approach to funding relationship support.
The calls to action were made at the Family and Parenting Institute (FPI) seminar, Knowing Families, and will form the basis of a report which ministers will be asked to respond to over the summer.
Current legislation gives employers 26 weeks after recruiting someone before they are obliged to negotiate more flexible hours with them. But in a round table discussion at the FPI event, charities and think tanks called for the law to be changed.
Sarah Jackson, chief executive of charity Working Families, urged ministers to look at removing the 26-week barrier "so that people with children and care responsibilities can get the flexibility they need from day one".
Speaking on behalf of other members in the sector, Penny Mansfield, director of relationship support charity One Plus One, said she was glad the government was committed to putting relationship support on a stable financial footing. But she said that currently "a strategic approach is lacking" in terms of how to do that.
"What is the point of putting finance into relationship support if you do not know what it is and how it can be offered?" she asked. "The government needs to work through from relationship education in schools up to looking at how frontline workers are equipped to deliver services."
Other requests likely to feature in the report include assessing how children’s centres can be used to deliver out-of-hours family services, research into costing and modelling the value of family carers to society, and encouraging more peer support within neighbourhood communities.
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now
5th July
Aiming High for Disabled Children Grants
Wakefield Council will be funding Aiming High Grants and a Family Activities Scheme for parents caring for a disabled child. This will be administered by KIDS through Wakefield Early Support Advice Information and Liaison Service (WeSail).
The Aiming High Grants are available for local voluntary providers and support groups to plan and provide opportunities to give carers’ breaks or to provide activities for disabled children and young people who reside in the Wakefield District.
Through the Family Activities Scheme families can be offered grants to pay for an outing for all the family or to help pay for support to allow you a short break.
Funds are limited and the Aiming High Grants and Family Activities Scheme will only be available until March 2011.
For more information and an application form, please contact WeSail on 01924 379015.