Duties in Section 11 Childcare Act (2006) require local authorities to undertake a childcare sufficiency assessment by 2008 that will feed into the Children and Young People’s Plans.

An assessment of childcare sufficiency will need to take account of both the supply of different types of childcare and the demand for childcare expressed by parents. Analysis of these two factors will highlight gaps in the childcare market and therefore guide local authorities in developing strategy focused on closing such gaps.

Melyn Consulting is an experienced, independent organisation with a proven track record in helping local authorities meet the sufficiency challenge.

We have completed Childcare Sufficiency Assessments in the following areas (those with hyperlinks are available to view on-line):

What we can offer

With over 25 childcare audits and sufficiency assessments under our belts we know what information and data to collect, where to find it and how to present it in a meaningful and accessible way to help local authorities to take informed strategic decisions.

Elements of auditing and sufficiency assessments that we can help you with include:

• Consultation with parents and carers – including;

-         parents and carers of disabled children and children with additional needs;

-         young parents;

-         hard-to-reach families;

-         black and ethnic minority families.

• Consultation with employers;

• Consultation with children and / or their representatives;

• Collection of appropriate baseline socio-economic data;

• Auditing of the availability and accessibility of childcare services;

• Consultation with childcare providers;

• Development of auditing tools and data collection protocols.

Having had consistent experience of delivering childcare sufficiency assessments, we are fully up-to-date with developments in the availability and presentation of information and data from sources such as iChis, Ofsted and Office for National Statistics and use a variety of data analysis tools to provide clear information at the most appropriate level. This will usually include:

• Baseline socio-economic information including population profiles and population changes; deprivation; family incomes.

• Local labour market factors that may influence demand for specific childcare services;

• The levels and spread of current, and planned registered childcare provision across the area analysed by; type of care; age-group served; type of provision; and cost of care.

• Unmet demand for childcare services across the area evidenced from both statistical data using comparisons within the authority and with statistical neighbours and through consultation with a range of individuals, organisations and agencies.

• The amount of un-registered but formal care (eg. care for older children) available across the area by type, age-group served, geographical spread and provider type.

Presentation

Collecting information is only the starting point in making an assessment of childcare sufficiency. Communicating what can be often complicated data is important in engaging the range of partners that local authorities need to develop a coherent childcare strategy. Over the past seven years we have developed a range of presentation formats including:

• Data maps

• Ward profiles

• Super Output Area profiles

• Written reports

• Summary reports

Our input doesn’t stop with the delivery of a report though, and we regularly make formal presentations of our work to decision-makers and stakeholders at all levels.

Interpretation

For most of our clients the reason they ask us back again and again, is not for our skills in collecting data but in the interpretation of information and the independent conclusions and recommendations that follow.

The challenge for local authorities in the Childcare Act is to manage the local childcare market while respecting the forces that stimulate childcare provision and use. In achieving this balance, an independent assessment can ease tensions and improve partnership working.

As a minimum, we aim to provide an analysis of supply and demand that will highlight the following potential gaps in the local childcare market:

• Geographical Gaps: a lack of childcare places in a specific area

• Income Gaps: a shortage of affordable childcare

• Specific Needs Gaps: a shortage of childcare for disabled children, or children with other specific needs.

• Time Gaps: a shortage of childcare when it is required by parents

• Age Gaps: a shortage of care suited to children of a certain age group.

Sustainability

Whilst we can offer a full range of auditing and consultation services to help you make an initial assessment of childcare sufficiency, we will also work with you to develop frameworks, tools and methodology with which the assessment can be repeated on a regular basis to monitor changes and review the progress of strategy. This may include;

• identifying the key data needed to make an assessment of childcare sufficiency;

• developing consultation frameworks;

• listing sources and specifying data sets;

• developing bespoke data-tools;

• ‘how-to’ guides;

• staff training.

For more information, or to arrange a free initial consultation, please contact us.