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