It was at the heart of Chancellor Gordon Brown's pre-budget report and, with the publication of the Government's ten-year strategy, childcare continues its meteoric rise up the political agenda.
Choice for Parents, the best start for children: a ten-year strategy for childcare, which dovetails with the Children Act and the Change for Children programme - all three part of the Government's drive for integrated services - aims to 'make early years and childcare services a permanent part of the welfare state'.
Labour has identified three key principles which influence its strategy: giving every child the best possible start in life, responding to changing patterns of employment so that parents can progress their careers, and ensuring families have choices to balance work and family life.
The document acknowledges that in spite of considerable investment since Labour launched its national childcare strategy in 1998, many parents still find it hard to access and afford childcare, and they want more flexible working arrangements and joined-up services. While the strategy sets out proposals to meet these needs, it also sounds a cautionary note: 'How far and fast progress towards these long-term goals can be made depends on availability of resources, the increase in childcare demand, the speed of workforce change, improvements to delivery and the experience of local implementation.'
Choice and flexibility
The strategy takes on board current research which underlines the effectiveness of good quality pre-school provision in giving children the best start in life and the importance of parents in child development, particularly during the first year. Consequently, the Government has set its sights on 12 months paid maternity leave by the end of the next parliament and, as a first step, is raising entitlement to leave from six to nine months from April 2007.
Legislation is planned to give mothers the right to transfer a proportion of paid leave to the child's father. The proposal is underpinned by statistics showing that women are working more, gaining higher qualifications and taking up more professional and managerial roles.
Recent changes enabling parents to request flexible working arrangements have shown the overwhelming desire for a better work/life balance. The strategy reveals that around one million requests have been made to employers and 800,000 were granted. Now the Government wants to consult employers on extending this right to parents of older children.
Supporting providers
Local authorities will have 'a clarified and extended statutory duty' to ensure parents' childcare needs are met, providers are helped to become sustainable and there are effective partnerships with the voluntary and pri- vate sectors through 'active management of the local market for childcare'.
In an admission which will strike a chord with many private sector providers, the strategy document notes: 'Recent policies have resulted in the creation of a large number of new childcare places in a relatively short time. However, Government programmes and local authorities have been less successful in securing the sustainability of those places.' It adds that the Government will 'refocus existing local authority budgets for place creation on sustainability'.
A Transformation Fund worth 125m a year is being set up to help local authorities change the childcare infrastructure. How the money is spent will depend on the outcome of a joint DfES-Treasury review of domestic and international experience of developing quality childcare 'without compromising affordability'.
Free early education and childcare will be increased from 12.5 to 15 hours a week, rising eventually to 20 hours and, crucially, the Government promises to 'ensure that private and voluntary day care providers receive the funding they need so that from 2006, children in private and voluntary sector provision will have 38 weeks of early education, rather than the current 33'.
There will be consultation on a revised code on nursery education. The strategy states, 'Over time, we would expect to bring guidance to local authorities on free entitlement and on childcare together in one place.'
While the Government acknowledges the arguments for more supply- side funding to 'increase the security of income for providers', it says the advantages of a demand-side system are that it 'maximises the choice for parents' and avoids additional administrative burdens for providers.
From April 2005 the childcare element of the working tax credit will rise to a maximum of 175 a week for one child and 300 for two or more.
Integrated services
Local authorities will have an essential role in driving forward the process of integrating services, increasingly through the work of Children's Trusts. With 2,500 children's centres already earmarked to open by 2008, the strategy has set a new target of 3,500 by 2010.
All children aged five to 14 will be offered access to year-round affordable school-based childcare. It will be based either in the local primary school or a neighbouring one or 'on a different site provided in partnership with voluntary and private sector providers'. There are also plans to open all secondary schools from 8am to 6pm, offering music, sport and holiday activities.
Childminders may be involved in these partnerships and the strategy foresees them linking up with children's centres in a new 'childcare partners model', building on the work of childminding networks. 'At a national level the Government will work with local authorities through Children's Trusts and the National Childminding Association to grow the childminding network model with childminders and approved childcarers linked to, or even employed by, centre-based providers,' the strategy states. Local authorities and children's centres will also offer training and business support and help forge links between group-based and home-based providers.
Reformed workforce
'The biggest single factor that determines the quality of childcare is the workforce,' the strategy declares. However, it points out that while the sector includes many capable and dedicated people, qualification levels are generally low, providers find difficulties recruiting and retaining staff, levels of pay are comparatively low and there is no clear career ladder.
'Working with pre-school children should have as much status as a profession as teaching children in schools,' the strategy says. In future all full-day care settings are to be led by graduate early years professionals, building on the example of children's centres whose leaders are expected to attend a one-year integrated leadership programme currently being piloted.
Proposals for a new qualifications and career structure will be published for consultation early next year as part of the children's pay and workforce strategy. The process of reform will be led by the Children's Workforce Development Council, part of a new sector skills council which goes 'live' next April.
Quality framework
The Government also wants to consult on a single quality framework for children's services from birth to five years. It will be based on an integrated play-based approach to care and education, strengthening the links between Birth to Three Matters and the Foundation Stage.
It will be complemented by a single reformed regulatory framework and inspection regime for all early years and childcare services to be introduced by 2008.
Milestones
2005:
* Increase in the childcare element of Working Tax Credit (WTC)
* Consultation on maternity pay and flexible leave
* Publication of revised Code of Practice for nursery education
* Consultation on workforce reform
* Consultation on proposals for reform of the regulation and inspection framework
* Work with Greater London Authority to pilot methods of improving childcare affordability in London.
2006:
* Increase in the maximum proportion of eligible childcare costs covered by the childcare element of WTC to 80 per cent
* Entitlement to free early education and childcare increases to 38 weeks a year for all three- and four-year-olds
* 125m 'Transformation Fund' comes on stream
* Most local authorities to have Directors of Children's Services and Children's Trusts
* Consultation on new quality framework for children from birth to five.
2007:
* Paid maternity leave extended to 39 weeks
* Entitlement to free early education and childcare for three- and four- year-olds extended to 15 hours a week.
2008:
* Children's Centres in 2,500 communities
* Half of all families to have access to school-based care for five- to 11- year-olds
* One third of secondary schools open from 8am to 6pm
* New legal framework for local authorities
* Reformed regulation and inspection system for early years and childcare, supported by new Birth to Three quality framework
* All local authorities have Directors of Children's Services and Children's Trusts.
2010:
* All parents of three- and four-year- olds offered access to wraparound childcare linked to the early education offer and available all year round from 8am to 6pm weekdays
* All parents of children aged five to 11 to have access to childcare from 8am to 6pm
* All secondary schools open from 8am to 6pm weekdays
* Children's Centres in 3,500 communities
* Goal of 12 months paid maternity leave by the end of the next parliament.
More Information
* The strategy will be discussed at parent forums early next year and the DfES will organise consultaion events with key stakeholders, including prviders and local authorities.
Meanwhile, an advisory group comprising academics, providers, childcare experts and parenting organisations will work closely with the government on the startegy's implementation.
See www.hmtreasury.gov.uk.
