Councils fail to assess childcare needs

By Joe Lepper Wednesday, 11 June 2008

Councils are failing to properly gauge childcare needs in their area, according to a Department for Children, Schools and Families' review.

Childcare sufficiency assessments flawed

A government-funded study into how councils carried out local childcare sufficiency assessments found many had not even collected basic information about the number of available places. Less than one in 10 councils managed to collect and analyse between 75 and 100 per cent of the required data on the supply of places and only one in four met this target when analysing local demand for places.

The study examined 40 councils and deemed the work of 10 as a major cause for concern since they were not even able to complete at least a quarter of the required analysis.

Areas of information where councils performed poorly included analysis of places for children with disabilities and special educational needs. Less than one in 10 councils managed to fully map the number and nature of these places or local demand. Information about the range of session lengths on offer for all children was also woeful, with only eight per cent fully mapping this. Insufficient feedback from nurseries was cited as one factor for this poor performance.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), told CYP Now there is "a lack of clarity over the importance of responding" to sufficiency assesssments. "NDNA has been supporting local authorities and providers to understand how to build better partnerships and clear lines of communication," she said.

Flawed methodology was also cited by researchers, with many councils unable to compare findings to population levels. Information was also not detailed enough, with gaps in information about whether places are term-time only or available before or after school hours.

John Harris, chair of the Association of Directors of Children's Services' families, communities and young people policy committee, said: "These assessments are complex and this was the first time authorities had done them."

What information was compiled found significant gaps in provision. Councils have to carry out the assessments under a requirement in the 2006 Childcare Act that came into force in April 2007.

- www.cypnow.co.uk/doc.