Agenda item

30 Hours Free Childcare

Minutes:

The Committee was informed that from September 2017 working parents would be able to access free childcare for their three and four year olds for up to 30 hours per week. The report provided set out some of the background to the entitlement, funding rates and what the County Council was currently doing to support the Childcare sector in preparing for the implementation.

 

It was reported that the County Council was consulting with the Childcare Sector through the Early Years Consultative Group to identify what support was needed. Part of the support already provided included a provider web page where practitioners could access guidance and useful links to other information. The link to the website was: http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/education/childcare. In addition to this, the County Council was holding a series of briefing sessions with Child Care Works – a partnership project supported by the Department for Education on the implementation of 30 hours free childcare.

 

Social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook were also being used to promote information for parents and a communication plan was in place to take this forward.

 

The Committee was informed that since the agenda had been produced the County Council had received confirmation from the Education Funding Agency (EFA) that three out of the maximum six projects it was able to submit on behalf of childcare providers had been successful.

 

Questions and comments by the Committee in relation to the report were as follows:

 

·  Concerns were raised in respect of the wide-ranging eligibility criteria and the offer meeting the need that was required throughout the County. It was noted that the criteria did not include awarding care to children on the basis of need.

 

·  An eligibility checker was provided by central government for parents to check. Parents were also being directed to the childcare choices website which was: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk for further advice.

 

·  It was noted that there were no exemptions from both parents needing to be working especially parents with disabilities or long term conditions. It was pointed out that the first point of eligibility criteria was that both parents needed to be working. It was felt that this was an oversight in establishing the eligibility criteria.

 

·  It was felt there were fundamental issues that needed to be addressed within the system such as training. It was noted that a variety of qualifications would be open to staff to assist in the delivery of services.

 

·  Lancashire had an outstanding record regarding child support. The Committee was reminded that the responsibility for the quality in this childcare system rested with Ofsted.

 

·  It was noted that the 30 Hours Free Childcare offer could be a significant improvement for many working families. Ultimately, there remained an uncertainty on how the market would respond to the offer.

 

·  Members were informed there was a 30 hours free childcare parent survey currently open on the County Council's website ending on 1 September 2017.

 

Resolved: That;

 

  i.  The report be noted and the officers be thanked for their work in supporting the sector;

  ii.  The Committee note the concerns raised for the future of the 30 Hour Free Childcare offer as a potential future topic for scrutiny; and

  iii.  The link to the County Council's childcare website be circulated to all members of the Committee.

 

Supporting documents: