30th March
'Grey Area' Of Sure Start Funding Unacceptable, MP's Say
A group of MPs is calling for better measurement of the cost and outcomes of Sure Start children's centres to ensure the programme's progress is properly evaluated.
According to a report published by the Children's, Schools and Families select committee today, information that would help assess the value for money of children's centres is "difficult to come by" although it concedes that work in this area is progressing.
The committee has been investigating the aims, successes and limitations of the Sure Start scheme so far. It also concluded that the total amount of money being spent on Sure Start centres is a "grey area".
It states: "In order to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and value for money of children's centres nationally, the government must make more effort to work out the totality of funding that is supporting centres, including resources from the Departments of Health and for Work and Pensions. It is unacceptable that such basic information remains apparently unknown."
MPs are now recommending that a greater effort is made by government to calculate expenditure on the programme and assess the success of each area's Sure Start work to help create a clearer national picture of the programme.
The committee also argued that cuts to the programme leading to "pruning" of services or closures of centres would be damaging. It states: "Either course of action would undermine the programme to an unacceptable degree and jeopardise the long-term gains from early intervention."
Last week the Department for Children, Schools and Families announced that children's centres and further education colleges would be expected to save a total of £150m to contribute to the government's £11bn saving drive announced in the Budget.
But in response to the select committee's report children's minister Dawn Primarolo has promised to protect long-term investment in the scheme. "Labour has pledged that Sure Start funding will rise in line with inflation up to 2013."
source: Emily Watson, Children & Young People Now
Daycare Trust Finds Childcare Tops Election Focus For Mothers
More than two-thirds of mothers will choose to vote for the political party that promises to protect childcare funding, a Daycare Trust survey has found.
Tax credits and free childcare places were of primary concern, with more than 60 per cent of the 2,500 mothers surveyed saying that a policy to reduce or remove these perks would deter them from voting for a particular party.
More than half of respondents also said they would be less likely to vote for parties who posed a threat to the survival of Sure Start children's centres.
Daycare Trust chief executive Alison Garnham said: "Our survey shows that any party hoping for success at this election must prove they are serious about giving families the support they need, and set out a clear commitment to invest in childcare."
The charity has launched a six-point manifesto to highlight the issues most important to mothers. The manifesto is calling on the next government to:
- Aim to spend 1 per cent of GDP on early childhood education and care so that all children get the best start in life
- Extend free places to ensure that all children benefit from early childhood education and care
- Extend parental leave and make workplaces family friendly
- Fill the gaps in provision and guarantee extended schools
- Make childcare affordable for all parents
- Celebrate Sure Start children's centres and extend the range of services on offer
Children's Secretary Ed Balls said Labour would deliver on these recommendations. "Our election pledges put families and fairness first. We will raise tax credits for families with young children, protect investment in universal Sure Start children's centres and extend free nursery places to 15 hours a week for all three- and four-year-olds."
source: Emily Watson, Children & Young People Now
Outreach Workers Secure Funds Despite Tory Plans
The government is to spend £3m on training children's centre outreach workers despite the Conservatives pledging to scale back the role if they win the election.
The training has been developed by the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners, and is intended to reach up to 5,000 workers between May 2010 and March 2011.
Five providers, including the National Children's Bureau, will deliver the Families Going Forward programme across England.
Liz Garrett, national programme manager at CWDC, said: "The course has been designed to develop communication and interpersonal skills that will assist outreach practitioners."
The government invested an extra £79m into Sure Start for more outreach workers after the National Audit Office criticised centres in 2006 for not reaching the most disadvantaged families.
But the Conservatives have pledged to redirect the extra funding into recruiting 4,200 health visitors if they come to power, throwing the future of Labour's training programme into doubt.
The training will be based around a new set of standards for outreach workers, which are currently under consultation. The programme is also underpinned by research from the charity 4Children. It found that less than a quarter of outreach workers have had relevant training.
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said: "It would have been great to have had this training two years ago, but we support any strengthening of the outreach role."
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now
26th March
Report On Early Years Single Funding Formula 'Missed Opportunity' Says Daycare Trust
The Children, Schools & Families Committee report on the Early Years Single Funding Formula has been branded a "missed opportunity" by leading childcare charity the Daycare Trust.
The report, published this week, suggested that more flexible childcare provision, currently being pushed for by the government, "risks serving the interests of the parent but not of the child". It also backs decisions by local authorities to spread free childcare for three- and four-year-olds evenly across the week.
But the Daycare Trust's chief executive Alison Garnham, said the report was a missed opportunity to provide practical support for families. "For parents trying to balance childcare demands against working — particularly during these tough economic times — politicians should be doing everything in their power to make life easier," she added. "The benefits children receive from formal childcare are well documented and increasing the flexibility of the free entitlement would mean that even more children could feel these benefits and get the best start in life."
The committee has been investigating the single funding formula since November last year. Ministers introduced it in a bid to distribute money more fairly to both state and privately run nurseries to pay for free childcare places. Every child aged three and four is entitled to 12.5 hours of free childcare each week, and this will rise to 15 hours, to be delivered flexibly across the week, from September.
The formula was due to take effect in April this year, but was delayed for a year after concerns among council-run nurseries, many of which were facing budgetary cuts.
Private providers also worried that they appeared to be gaining little from the formula, as funding for free childcare has traditionally benefited council-run nurseries most, while authorities had been accused of basing their new funding plans on insufficient data.
The committee's report, based on written and oral submissions from ministers and various members of the childcare sector, states that council-run provision should be protected as it represents the highest quality. It also calls on government to consider funding two- to 11-year-olds from one pot of money and investigate whether more money could be taken from primary and secondary school budgets and put into early years provision.
Barry Sheerman, chairman of the committee, said: "It may be that if a department in government looked at the first 11 years of a child's life and saw how much they spent per child each year, they may be persuaded to spend more early on."
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now
25th March
Government Promises Extra £4 A Week For Parents Of One and Two Year Olds
The government has committed to increasing child tax credits for parents of one- and two-year-olds in its Budget announcement.
Chancellor Alistair Darling said the government was proud of its achievements in reducing chid poverty. But he added: "I want to do more for parents of one- and two year-olds by increasing tax benefits by £4 a week from 2012."
Darling added that families would receive the increased child tax credits "regardless of whether they are single parents, cohabiting or married" in a dig at proposed Conservative policy to reward marriage with tax benefits.
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now
24th March
Councils Expected To Consult Three Year Olds On Childcare
Local authorities will be expected to regularly consult three- and four-year-olds to ensure that the offer of 15 hours of free childcare each week meets their needs.
The requirement was added to the original draft of the government's code of practice on the provision of free nursery education places for three and four-year-olds, published last week.
From September free childcare will be extended from 12.5 to 15 hours a week, and settings will be expected to deliver the hours flexibly to meet parents' needs.
The amendment was made after calls from the Young Children's Voices Network (YCVN), run by the National Children's Bureau. They wanted to ensure childcare providers were listening and responding to the needs of children as well.
The code states that "local authorities should support providers to promote continuity for children in the flexible offer, meaning key person, friendship groups and children's interests are prioritised in delivery".
The code refers local authorities to research recently completed by the YCVN, based on consultations with three- and four-year-olds in a number of settings across Hertfordshire. The research used various methods to gauge the views of the children on how changes to the free childcare offer would affect their experiences.
Methods included observations, conversations with puppets and "visual walks". These required practitioners to walk with the children and encourage dialogue about what they like and dislike about the setting.
The research report, Am I Staying for Lunch Today?, suggested that many children felt uneasy at lunchtime, as some left and arrived while others sat down to eat. This left a lot of children confused about whether they were staying for a full or half day and in need of reassurance. Other children were left anxious when their session times did not match those of their friends. The report also recommended play-based methods to keep children at ease during times of transition, such as waiting to be collected when a session ends.
Lucy Williams, project manager of the YCVN, said: "We're delighted that the statutory guidance has taken on board the voice of the child. It is critical that all relevant policy includes due consideration of children's perspectives so that children's experiences and preferences inform continual quality improvement and the needs of individual children are met."
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now
23rd March
Flexible Working Comes Top Of Families' Election Wishlist
Flexible working for parents and curbs on marketing aimed at children are among the key policies families want to see politicians address, according to a new survey.
The Family and Parenting Institute-commissioned survey asked families to list their top priorities for the next government to make Britain more family friendly.
The most popular answer, mentioned by 44 per cent of respondents, was free universal care for the elderly, followed by flexible parental leave, which was mentioned by 41 per cent of respondents.
Better public transport was the third choice, followed by less marketing to children and reform of tax credits.
Improving health visiting services was mentioned by a fifth of respondents as a policy priority, and the creation of more Sure Start centres was highlighted by 16 per cent.
The survey also shows that no one party has a clear lead on family issues. Labour is narrowly seen as the most family friendly UK party by 27 per cent of respondents, compared to 24 per cent for the Conservatives.
The Liberal Democrats are behind in third place with just 10 per cent of respondents believing they are the most family friendly party.
Katherine Rake, the FPI's chief executive, called on the government to address families' concerns regarding tax credit reform in this week's budget.
She added: "Beyond the Budget, British families need to be provided with greater flexible working opportunities. Such measures are vital for a truly family-friendly society."
source: Joe Lepper, Children & Young People Now
22nd March
NCMA Calls For Increased Government Backing For Childminding Networks
The next government has been urged to invest in more childminding networks and provide financial backing to promote the profession in a bid to halt declining numbers.
The call to action was made in the National Childminding Association's (NCMA's) manifesto, published yesterday. It also calls for more investment in training, qualifications and local childminding networks.
Childminders can only provide government-funded childcare for three- and four-year-olds if they are registered and belong to a local childminding network. But many local authorities still do not have a childminding network in place. In other areas the networks do not have the capacity to meet demand from local childminders.
"Registered childminders and nannies have made great progress over the past decade, increasing their professionalism and skills as well as working in partnership with children's centres, extended schools and other agencies," said NCMA joint-chief executive Catherine Farrell. "Their role in providing high quality childcare needs to be recognised by politicians, before and after the election."
The government is currently developing a new model for childminding networks, in partnership with the NCMA, which will allow more childminders to be registered. The NCMA has also received government funding to consult with every local authority about what they are doing to develop and promote networks.
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now
New Guidance Issued On Using Vetting And Barring Scheme
The government has published new guidance to assist employers and voluntary groups in using the controversial vetting and barring scheme from July.
The guidance explains what actions employees and employers will have to take as part of the programme. New entrants to job roles will be expected to register from July, but existing staff will not be required to join until April 2011. The guidance also clarifies who is required to register with the scheme by law.
Anyone who has contact with children once a week or more through paid or voluntary work must sign up.
But people don't have to register if they're taking part in informal or private childcare or tutoring arrangements.
The Home Office minister responsible for vetting and barring, Meg Hillier, said the new scheme would lead to better information sharing and clear decisions on who is unsuitable to work with vulnerable groups.
"Over the past year we've delivered face-to-face briefings to more than 40,000 employers, charities and voluntary groups up and down the country, and the feedback from them has been overwhelmingly supportive," she said.
"I'm confident that this guidance will quickly become an invaluable tool for all organisations working with vulnerable groups over the coming months and years as the scheme is rolled out."
The scheme, which is being run by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), has been dogged by controversy.
In December last year, the government made changes to the scheme after a review by Roger Singleton.
His report found that the programme was proposing to vet too many people, such as authors who visit schools to speak to groups of children.
The scheme has also been subject to several delays. It was intially supposed to launch in October 2008. That date was pushed back to October 2009, and then to July 2010.
source: Lauren Higgs, Children & Young People Now
19th March
Unpaid Childcare Arrangements To Be Exempt From Inspection
The government has announced that unpaid childcare arrangements between friends will be exempt from regulation and inspection by Ofsted.
Calls to stop regulation of such arrangements have attracted strong public support and the majority of feedback from a consultation with parents, childminders and other organisations has been supportive of the move.
The amendment will not affect professional childminders and will be supported by revised Ofsted guidance highlighting when and where childcare arrangements are considered to be formal and within its inspection remit.
Children’s minister Dawn Primarolo welcomed the move, which will come into force next month. This strikes the right balance between ensuring the quality and standards of formal childcare while protecting informal arrangements between friends, she said.
But concerns have been raised by National Childminding Association joint chief executive Catherine Farrell, who said: "While we are reassured that the Secretary of State has recognised the importance of retaining parental choice in relation to childcare, we feel that this shouldn’t be at the expense of quality and safeguarding of children. It is important that wider registration and regulation requirements are not undermined."
source: Gemma Spence, Children & Young People Now
18th March
New Guidance Provides 15 Hours Of Free Childcare
The government has published statutory guidance requiring local authorities to provide 15 hours of flexible free childcare each week to parents of three- and four-year-olds.
The new guidance, published yesterday, will take effect in September. As a result, free childcare provision for three- and four-year-olds will increase from 12.5 to 15 hours a week.
Parents will have more choice on when they can use the hours across the week, as providers must offer at least three five-hour sessions or five three-hour sessions per week.
Local authorities must also prioritise the highest quality settings to deliver the free childcare, and create quality-assured networks for registered childminders. This will ensure that parents have a choice of high-quality provision to suit their needs.
Parents currently have access to 38 weeks of free childcare during term-time each year. But the guidance states that from September 2012 they will be allowed to "stretch" the hours across more weeks. This will help parents balance childcare with employment or training, and will enable them to budget consistently across the year.
Children's minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Whatever choices parents make about where they access their entitlement, they will have a meaningful choice between good quality providers."
However, she admitted that the changes "offer a considerable challenge to local authorities and providers in all parts of the sector".
The National Day Nurseries Association welcomed the positives of increased flexibility for parents, but highlighted that funding continued to be a pressing concern for nurseries.
"We believe it is crucial to look at how the sustainability of providers can be supported so that flexibility is realistic in practice," said NDNA chief executive Purnima Tanuku.
She said the Early Years Single Funding Formula, which has been delayed until April 2011, will go some way to improving the situation for private and voluntary providers.
The code of practice was part of a number of early years announcements made by the government yesterday, as it also celebrated reaching its target of 3,500 children's centres across England.
A package of measures was announced, resulting from a review of maternity and early years services. These include a personal Sure Start contact for all expectant parents, accommodation in maternity wards for fathers-to-be to ensure both parents are involved during labour, and consultation on offering more choice to parents on where the baby is born.
The Family Nurse Partnership will also be extended to all young, vulnerable families within five years, subject to evaluation.
In addition, the government has announced a new advisory panel for nutrition standards in early years settings and published statutory guidance for the running of children's centres.
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now
17th March
Government Pledges £23m To Improve Child Protection
The government has pledged £23m to support improvements in child protection arrangements and reduce pressure on frontline social workers in England.
Announcing its plan for implementing the 15 recommendations of the Social Work Taskforce, the government said local authorities will receive money from a Local Social Work Improvement Fund managed by the Children's Workforce Development Council.
The fund is to be used to improve systems for responding to referrals of possible children in need and increase the time that social workers can spend with children and families.
An additional £15m pot of funding is also being provided to improve local authority IT systems used to record cases and referrals.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls said: "Today's new funding and reform package will help to relieve pressure on frontline social workers. It demonstrates our commitment to this important profession, whose contribution to society is often undervalued."
The government has also published the revised chapter eight of Working Together to Safeguard Children in an attempt to improve the transparency of serious case reviews.
The guidance now requires Local Safeguarding Children's Boards to ensure executive summaries of serious case reviews accurately reflect the full serious case review and include information about the review process, key issues arising from the case, the recommendations and the action plan for improvement.
Balls added: "Today's revised guidance sets out some important changes, such as the need for fuller and thorough serious case review executive summaries. Serious case reviews are critically important to learning lessons so they're not repeated. Getting them right, and taking clear follow-up action is vital."
The government has also announced it is to invest up to an extra £10m to family court service Cafcass, to tackle backlogs of cases.
source: Janaki Mahadevan, Children & Young People Now
Families Of Disabled Children Need Better Support
A disabled children's campaign group has called on the government to improve its targeting of support services for families of disabled children after research showed that one in three families are not currently accessing any care or support services.
Research published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) earlier this month showed that 72 per cent of families with disabled children are not currently accessing any care and family support services.
The Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) campaign said this "demonstrated no real increase in provision" compared to 12 months previously.
The DCSF research also showed that only 14 per cent of parents of disabled children felt they had been given enough information about how to access care and family support services for their child.
David Congdon, head of policy and campaigns at Mencap and an EDCM Board member, said: "Despite many areas receiving acceptable overall scores [in the DCSF research], the underlying breakdown by service area and core offer area reveals much room for improvement.
"The proactive targeting of parents who have not previously received care and family support services is a fundamental part of adequately supporting families with disabled children. We call upon the government to clarify what steps it will take to ensure this is addressed by local areas as a priority."
source: Ben Cook, Children & Young People Now
Sure Start Dubbed 'A Great Achievement'
Charity 4Children has described Sure Start children's centres as "one of the greatest achievements of modern government" as the number of centres in England reached 3,500.
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said Sure Start centres had helped thousands of families to "become stronger and better able to cope with tough times".
She added: "The concern now is that there may be pressure for centres to become a service only for families in crisis as local budgets are reduced.
"It is so important that we keep building momentum to ensure that seeking out the local Sure Start becomes an instinctive part of becoming a parent. But this will only happen if Sure Start continues to provide relevant services for all families regardless of their social background."
4Children's campaign "Shout out for a Sure Start", which is backed by Children & Young People Now, is designed to help promote Sure Start centres.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls said: "I'm proud to be supporting families across England who are today campaigning to save their Sure Start children's centre. These centres are now at the very heart of their local communities, providing essential services to parents and helping to give children the best possible start in life."
The Labour Party has accused the Conservatives of planning to cut Sure Start from families on middle and modest incomes, which would mean, Labour argues, that instead of the universal service it has created for all families, the Tories' plans to slash £200m each year from the Sure Start budget would see "one in five children's centres being forced to close".
But Maria Miller, Conservative shadow minister for families, said: "The Government is misleading the public over Conservative plans for the future of Sure Start — it's unfair to parents and Sure Start workers and has to stop.
"We are fully committed to a universal Sure Start service that better helps families. A Conservative government will ensure that families get more support from properly trained professionals by funding 4,200 additional Sure Start health visitors."
source: Ben Cook, Children & Young People Now
12th March
All-Party Group To Champion Sure Start Children's Centres
An all-party group of MPs has been launched to champion the work of Sure Start Children's Centres within Parliament.
The move is part of a wider campaign by 4Children called Shout Out For A Sure Start, which is backed by Children & Young People Now and aims to promote the work of centres among families as well as share good practice.
The all-party group met for the first time this week and is chaired by Liberal Democrat MP Annette Brooke, with Labour's Caroline Flint MP and the Conservatives' family spokeswoman Maria Miller MP as vice-chairs.
Priorities identified at the first meeting included exploring ways to improve outreach work, involving parents in the running of centres and partnerships with local services.
4Children chief executive Anne Longfield said: "We know there is a lot of parliamentary support for children's centres across both Houses and this new all-party group will provide a way of channelling that commitment, alongside our recently launched Shout Out For A Sure Start campaign."
The campaign includes a website and Facebook group for supporters of children's centres to share concerns about funding cuts that are affecting centres in their areas and experiences of using the centres.
source: Joe Lepper, Children & Young People Now
10th March
Parents Get Advice On Talking To Children About Alcohol
The government has published an advice leaflet to help parents discuss with their children the dangers of binge drinking.
The leaflet has been compiled by Drinkaware and has been published after the charity's research showed that from eight to 12 years old children generally accept what their parents say about alcohol.
However, from 13 onwards young people pay more attention to their friends on the issue.
Advice to parents in the leaflet includes ensuring children know how many units of alcohol are in different drinks.
Medical problems are covered, such as alcohol's effect on brain development in young people.
Parents are also urged to consider the underlying causes of alcohol abuse if they suspect their child is drinking heavily.
"Alcohol use has been linked to bullying and depression. Or maybe your child has fallen in with the dreaded ‘wrong crowd'," says the leaflet.
source: Joe Lepper, Children & Young People Now
9th March
Family Services Raise Concerns
Family information services are being forced to submit Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to Ofsted to get accurate information on childcare providers in their area.
The National Association of Family Information Services (Nafis) said concerns have arisen since government launched the Family Information Directory, an online hub of local childcare information, in January.
When asking for more information on local provision one team in Hampshire said: "We were told that Ofsted will not provide the information to us." Instead it was asked to submit an FOI request.
The inspectorate responded by saying it routinely shares information with councils via the directory.
But Nafis is now calling for improved communication between local family information teams and the inspectorate.
source: Children & Young People Now
4th March
One In Three Families Uses Grandparents For Childcare
A third of families rely on grandparents to provide childcare, according to a damning report on the effect of high childcare costs on older relatives.
The report by Grandparents Plus and the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that single-parent families and those on low incomes are among the most reliant on grandparents due to the "prohibitively expensive" cost of childcare.
The report, called Protect, Support, Provide, estimates that half of all single-parent families rely on grandparents for childcare.
Providing childcare is having a devastating effect on grandparents' finances, adds the report.
Around a third of all family and friends who care for a child say they have to give up work or reduce their working hours.
Three out of four family or friend carers say they experience financial hardship when taking on the care of a child.
Ethnic minority families and families with a disabled child are also among those most likely to use grandparents for childcare.
The report warns the government that this trend in grandparental care means its policy of encouraging lone parents into work is at odds with its aim of increasing the employment rate among those approaching pension age.
It also calls for the government to give grandparents who provide childcare more financial, emotional and practical support.
Sam Smethers, chief executive of Grandparents Plus, said: " It's time the government recognised that grandparents provide the last line of defence between millions of children and the poverty line. They need recognition and better support."
source: Joe Lepper, Children & Young People Now
2nd March
Children's Centres Could Be Closed To Boost Efficiency
The current economic downturn will force the government to reduce the number of children's centres in England and redistribute funding towards areas where provision is most effective, according to a report being discussed by the Day Nursery Policy Group.
The report, Finance: Current Issues and Future Policy Proposals, has been prepared for the group's next meeting on Wednesday 3 March. It is co-authored by Peter Churchley, chief executive of childcare organisation Caring Daycare, and Philip Blackburn, author of Laing and Buisson's annual report on the childcare sector.
According to the discussion paper, the government's children's centre programme is vulnerable to cuts as it has delivered "mixed success" while "its penetration in deprived areas is variable and inconsistent across the country".
The authors suggest that from 2011 government funding for the programme will be reduced and no longer ringfenced. As a result ministers will move to identify and focus on services which produce the most effective outcomes for families.
"The need for and benefit of children's centre services are likely to vary across regions and localities," according to the report. "The future is likely to see a merging of centres in regions to remove ineffective, inefficient and unnecessary supply, based on new target criteria. In this environment phase three centres are vulnerable."
The children's centre programme has been split into three phases, with the intention of targeting the most deprived areas first and getting services to families who need them most. The government is expected to reach its target of 3,500 centres by April This year. But some concerns have been raised over whether third phase centres are in locations that best meet the needs of local families.
The Day Nursery Policy Groups is a representative body of childcare providers from the private, voluntary and independent sector. Its aim is to influence and challenge government policy with the intention of improving the position of pre-school childcare in the UK.
source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now