Early years groups question childminder agency evaluation

The Pre-school Learning Alliance and the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (Pacey) have criticised the Department for Education’s childminder agency trial evaluation for failing to provide evidence of how the new arrangements work and what they mean for practitioners.

In summer 2013, 20 organisations – mostly local authorities – tested the new arrangements ahead of their formal launch on 1 September this year.

The DfE report, based on an evaluation of the trials by Ipsos Mori and Ecorys, provides advice on various aspects of setting up an agency, including funding, business models and employing childminders.

But the evaluation contains almost no evidence about the trial itself and instead offers some anecdotal examples of agencies’ findings during the planning stages.

As a result, early years organisations said the report reads more like a guide to setting up an agency, rather than an evaluation of a pilot.

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said there is little the sector can learn from the evaluation.

He said: “This evaluation tells us very little we didn’t already know about agencies, and seems to be intended as a guidance document for organisations considering setting up agencies, rather than an objective analysis of the respective pros and cons of the model.

“What the evaluation does make clear, however, is that the steps agencies will need to take to provide a service of value all have significant cost implications.

“Given that the research has shown that these costs are likely to be passed on to parents, many of who are already struggling with the cost of childcare, we still fail to see how this model can be viable in the long term.”

Similarly, Victoria Flint, head of communications at Pacey, said the evaluation raises questions about the sustainability of the agency model.

She said: “We find it disconcerting that it does not provide firm conclusions on the basis of the childminder agency trials that took place, which questions the purpose and value of this initial phase.