Agenda item

To consider the eight recommendations of the Sandwell Childcare Sufficiency Report 2021-2022.

Consideration was given to the eight recommendations arising from the Sandwell Childcare Sufficiency Report 2021-2022, which detailed how the Council was meeting its duty, as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014, to secure sufficient childcare as follows:-

1. to continue to support childcare providers to deliver high quality, sustainable provision;

2. to improve the quality of the providers which were judged by Ofsted as Requires Improvement or Inadequate by working intensively with them and those that delivered early education funded places;

3. to undertake a parent survey, increasing social media engagement and strengthened links with Jobcentre Plus to understand local demand for childcare;

4. to continue to monitor take-up of 2, 3 and 4 year-old funding and 30 hours codes. To increase promotion of free entitlement ELT and 30 hours and create a more nuanced, targeted approach to marketing;

5. to undertake parent consultation to understand demand for wraparound childcare and how flexible it needed to be. To monitor wraparound childcare to ensure sufficient places were available for families;

6. to continue to work with childcare providers to ensure business viability and monitor for any red flags where providers were at greater risk of closure. To monitor capacity and childcare places to ensure sufficiency through the borough. To promote childminding as a business opportunity;

7. to increase parental engagement to determine how SEND provision should be delivered post-pandemic. To consult with childcare providers to assess any potential short and medium-term gaps for SEND provision, particularly wraparound childcare;

8. to continue to promote the Family Information Service to parents and professionals. To raise awareness of brokerage and online chat facility and engage with families through social media channels.

In response to questions raised by the Chair of the Children’s Services and Education Scrutiny Board in relation to equality of childcare provision across Sandwell’s six towns, effects of lockdown on children who accessed childcare, and concerns regarding the low take-up of provision by two-year-olds, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, in the absence of Cabinet Member for Children and Education, confirmed that:-

•  even though quality of provision was comparatively even across six towns, ease of access to childcare places was not. This was due to an uneven number of providers across each town. Factors such as lack of suitable buildings and lack of demand in some parts of the borough contributed to this, as well as parental preferences on whether their child would attend a nursery near their workplace or near home. This created a fluctuating demand that was difficult to plan for;

•  it was confirmed that there was no unmet demand for childcare places in the borough this year. Working with childcare brokers, the Council had been able to support all parents to find a suitable placement for their child which would suggest there were no inequalities in access to childcare at present;

•  during the pandemic the number of two-year-old children taking up their funded 15 hours had decreased. At the lowest period, in summer term 2020, the take up was 53% of the target children. In contrast, other local authorities were reporting take up figures of between 17-24%;

•  a large-scale campaign was conducted to increase the take up of places, including using social media, billboards and bus advertising. This had contributed to summer term 2021 take up to increase to 63%. The Early Years team had also been working in partnership with Inclusion Support Early Years, Health Visitors and Children’s Centres to ensure that parents knew their child was eligible for a place and that they could take up the offer now. The Council was in the process of validating the autumn term data but the early indications were that the numbers had increased again this term;

•  there was a general awareness of the effect of lockdown on young children. These effects were the result of a decrease in take up of places in this non-statutory phase of education, long breaks in provision due to lockdown and isolation, and a loss of parental confidence in sending their young children to nursery;

•evidence suggested that lockdown had a bigger impact on disadvantaged children rather than parents who were working from home who still took up childcare when they were able. The effects could mainly be seen in young children’s development in the key prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage such as Communication and Language, Physical Skills, and Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

Reason for Decision

In accordance with the Children and Families Act 2014 local authorities were required to report annually to members on how they were meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.

Alternative Options Considered

The Childcare Sufficiency Report assessed the supply of childcare places against the demand and identified any gaps in provision. Findings were developed into recommendations. This was a required process in accordance with the Children and Families Act 2014 and there were no alternative options.

Agreed:-

(1)   that the eight recommendations of the Sandwell Childcare Sufficiency report 2021-2022, as submitted, be endorsed;

(2)   that, subject to (1) above, the Director - Children and Education be authorised to develop and implement the Childcare Strategic Action Plan for 2021-2022, to be monitored based on the eight recommendations of the Childcare Sufficiency Report, to meet the Council’s obligations under the Childcare Act, 2006;

(3)   that it be noted that the Childcare Strategic Action Plan would be monitored by the Early Years Strategic Group and progress would be reported termly to the meetings of the Director - Children and Education Extended Divisional Management Team.